Van Ryn's Distillery and Brandy Cellar

Honestly the tour was somewhat underwhelming (compared to other distillery tours I've done) but the experience was still pleasant and the tastings were great. The tour guide and other staff we interacted with were all friendly and knowledgeable. The tasting room is cosy and warm. Overall good experience!

As a European im overwhelmed about the quality and the production of alcoholic drinks in this region. Top notch! We did a tour at van Ryn’s and the information was very interesting, not just a simple tour, the knowledge of the guides is very high, we learned so much. Afterwards we did the tasting of the 12, 15 and 20 years van Ryns and wauw what a palette. They also have limited editions on shiraz casks which made me doubt so much what to take back on the airplane. I hope ill be able to buy these in europe but could not find any webshop yet. So worth visiting this place and take a bottle!

We had an incredible time at the Van Ryn's brandy distillery—a very informative and engaging tours! Our guide, Zoey, was absolutely amazing—knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and great at making complex information easy to understand and fun. We walked away with a whole new appreciation for the art of distilling. Highly recommend this tour to anyone curious about how brandy is made.

The 10, 12, 15 or 20 Year old brandy is way better than many of the French Cognac brands out there.

Hundreds of wineries in the Cape Town region keep wine lovers busy, but there are only a handful of those who have locally made brandy on sale. The Van Ryn's Distillery and Brandy Cellar offers excellent quality brandy in a beautiful and memorable environment. There are a few brandies on offer for tasting and buying. Out of those, I liked the 12 years and 20 years old the best. The tasting was paired with chocolate, which complemented the flavors of the brandy. All in all, a first class experience.

A great way to start the new year, with some refinement. One of the oldest, if not the oldest, operational brandy distillery in the country. No longer novices to visiting Van Ryn’s it still is something special when you step inside the cool interior of the old building, greeted with a welcome drink. Be warned though, the juice DOES contain brandy. I do recommend you start with the tour because it adds a little something extra to the experience; from seeing the awesome copper stills up close, seeing the cooper rhythmically hammering out a new barrel to standing in the middle of the Angel’s Share in the maturation cellar. When you then settle into the oversized couches for the brandy and chocolate tasting, it’ll make that first smooth sip of the 12-year-old brandy so much more fulfilling.

I've been here on several occasions. The brandy is good and the service is friendly. Nice place to step out of the heat and enjoy a good brandy tasting. That being said, online communication is nearly non-existent. I was inquiring about their ability to export to the US and received an automated reply stating that I would receive feedback in 6-8 weeks!! How busy can you possibly be? (Update: it’s been months later and I have yet to hear back from anyone here). When I went there in person to ask the same question, no one could give me a straight answer. I did a tasting, bought a bottle and left, but am feeling like this might be my last bottle of Van Ryn's.

Definitely the best brandy I've had the pleasure of tasting... And they have all the awards to prove it too! Of the 10 yr, 15 yr and 20 yr old brandies, the 15 has the smoothest palette with a hint of Christmas nuts. The 20 yr was my favourite, also with a heavenly smooth palette, but smells a bit like a port. The tour or the distillery was very interesting, by favourite part was the sweet smells wafting around the aging cellar. The demo on building a barrel was also very interesting.