OnTap Magazine

READY TO DRINK It all began in 2014 with a man called Johannes Le Roux. “He had looked at the craft beer industry and its growth and thought that a brandy and cola on tap would be a unique selling point in the brandy space,” says Dax Menday. The result of this was the now ubiquitous Brannas Draught, of which Dax is the co-owner. The premixed pint quickly caught the eye of SA brandy giant KWV, whose three-year-old spirit is used in the mix alongside a specially blended cola designed by the Brannas team. Over the years, Brannas has been joined by similar products, though these are all found on the shelf rather than on tap. KWV launched their own version in bottles, Buffelsfontein gave a hip, tongue-in-cheek take on the category and of course Klipdrift came to the party, meaning you can how have Klippies and Coke in a can. It’s 350 years since the first South African brandy is said to have been produced, and six years since On Tap started. In that time we’ve never given so much as a nod to the world of brandy and coke, so since the spring issue somewhat coincides with heritage month, we gathered together a group of brandy drinkers and sat them down for a blind tasting. TASTING TIME The group had no idea they were getting a selection of premixed brandy and cokes, nor that I would throw in a few hand-mixed versions as well. But this group wasn’t to be fooled. After a trio of pre-mixed tasters I presented a KWV and coke I’d hastily mixed behind the bar. Everyone quickly noticed the difference, perhaps because I was a little more generous with the brandy than the premixed versions tend to be. One repeated comment was that the drinks were just too sweet, another oft- raised point was that they didn’t taste like brandy – ironically both big reasons that many people choose premade versions of their favourite spirit and mixer. Buffelsfontein’s reduced sugar version was a hit, largely because it wasn’t as sweet as most, but in the end there was a clear winner in the premix category and I suppose it made sense why. “Out of all of them, this one is closest to a real brandy and coke,” said one taster. “It tastes like university!” said another, perhaps a giveaway as to what he was sampling at the time: Klippies and cola. I don’t know if the pre-mixed brandy and cola has caught on elsewhere in the world and I have no idea how our stats compare globally when it comes to blending brandewyn with Coke. But I do know the drink is as much a part of South Africa as rugby or biltong, whether people are mixing it themselves, pouring it from a can or ordering a pint of it in their local pub. AN UNCLE IN THE BRANDY BUSINESS When I contacted Cape-based Uncles to tell them about the tasting, I asked if they minded their potstill brandy being mixed with coke. The response was surprising, although it perhaps shouldn’t have been, considering the company’s tagline: premium craft without the bullshit. “We believe you drink your drink whatever way you want to,” said Louis Pienaar, one of the brand’s founding uncles. So I presented it to the panel neat and then invited them to add cola to their liking. “Do we have to?” one panelist asked, enjoying sipping on the brandy without ice or mixer. “I don’t think it wants Coke,” said another. “You can taste that this is small batch,” said a third, quite correctly. After a few sips, the panelists all tried it with coke – in the interests of research. But all agreed that the coke takes away the nuances of the product. “You might as well be drinking cheap brandy,” they lamented. Check out more about Uncles Brandy at uncles.co.za It tastes like university! The Karoo Martini - in a bottle! Brannas by the pint ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2022 | 35