Klipdrift Brandy
£30.00
£40.00 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 7 bottles available
South Africa's favourite brandy, and once you've tried it you'll understand why. Klipdrift is smooth, warm and unmistakably Cape: three years in French oak, a whisper of apricot and toasted hazelnut, and just the right amount of backbone at 43%. Sip it neat, drop it over ice, or lengthen it with cola for the classic Klippies and Coke.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
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Our Verdict
We stock a lot of South African spirits, but Klipdrift is the one we recommend when someone asks for the real, honest, everyday taste of the Cape. It isn't trying to be a rare cask-aged sipper: it's a warm, three-year French oak brandy built for company, and it does that job brilliantly. If you're sending a gift to a homesick South African, or you just want to understand why Klippies and Coke is practically a national anthem, this is the bottle. A genuine, unpretentious classic at a fair price.
Tasting Notes
A light chestnut pour opens with a warm, nutty lift on the nose: toasted hazelnut, ripe apricot and a whisper of vanilla from the French oak. The palate is smooth and full-bodied, carrying dried stone fruit, caramelised sugar and a gentle wood spice through the middle. Three years in French oak show in the mellow, rounded texture rather than any heavy tannin. The finish is warming and long, with lingering toffee, roasted nut and a soft touch of orange peel.
Toasted hazelnut
A signature nutty lift runs through nose and palate, giving the brandy its warm, roasted character and instantly recognisable style.
Ripe apricot
Sun-warmed stone fruit sits at the heart of the aroma, adding a sweet, fleshy note that balances the wood spice.
French oak vanilla
Three years in French oak lend a soft vanilla warmth and a mellow, rounded texture rather than heavy tannin or bitterness.
About This Wine
Every South African has a Klipdrift story. It's the bottle that comes out at braais, at rugby finals, at family gatherings that stretch well past midnight. Since those first golden drops were distilled in 1938, this Western Cape brandy has quietly become one of the country's most beloved spirits, and this Export bottling is the one that earned its stripes abroad.
Expect a light chestnut colour in the glass and an aroma that's more nuanced than you might guess: ripe apricot, roasted hazelnut, a soft caramel warmth from three years resting in French oak. It drinks smoothly at 43%, with enough weight to feel serious neat but plenty of character to hold its own long. Pour it over a fat cube of ice with a twist of orange peel, or mix it with cola and lime for the classic Klippies and Coke that fuels a South African summer.
It's also a lovely gift, particularly for anyone with Cape connections who's been missing a taste of home. Delivered anywhere in the UK, usually within a few working days, it's the kind of bottle that gets opened the night it arrives and shared with whoever is lucky enough to be nearby. Which is, after all, exactly how Klipdrift was always meant to be enjoyed.
Food Pairing
This is a brandy built for sharing. Pour it neat at room temperature for after-dinner sipping, or drop it over ice with a twist of orange for something a little longer. It also mixes brilliantly with cola as a classic long drink, the way it's most often enjoyed at home in the Cape. Try it alongside dark chocolate, a slice of malva pudding, or a strong after-dinner coffee.
- —Neat in a warmed snifter after dinner
- —Over ice with a twist of orange peel
- —With cola as a classic long drink
- —Alongside dark chocolate or salted caramel
- —With an after-dinner espresso
How to Serve
Temperature
Serve neat at room temperature to show off the nutty, oaky depth, or over a large ice cube to soften and lengthen it.
Glass
A tulip-shaped snifter or copita concentrates the hazelnut and apricot aromas; a heavy tumbler works well for ice or mixers.
The Winemaking
Klipdrift starts with Cape-grown grapes distilled into a clean, characterful spirit, then handed over to French oak for at least three years of quiet work. That patient stretch in barrel is where the raw distillate softens into something rounder and warmer, picking up the light chestnut colour, the nutty edge, and the whisper of ripe apricot and hazelnut that define the glass. The result is a smooth, full-bodied brandy with just enough oak-driven depth to feel considered rather than showy.
About the Producer
Klipdrift
Klipdrift's story begins on a Western Cape farm in 1938, when the very first drops ran off the still at 8:02 one warm evening. The name stuck, the farm gave the brand its identity, and a friendship between neighbours became part of the folklore. Nearly a century on, Klipdrift sits comfortably among South Africa's most recognisable brandy names, produced today under the umbrella of the country's largest distiller. The philosophy has stayed refreshingly simple: make an honest, smooth, full-bodied brandy that people actually want to share. It's a fixture at Cape braais and family gatherings for a reason, and the Export bottling is the one built to travel.