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Klippenziege: New era in the world of gin

In December 2015, four friends captured the ‘spirit’ of an idea: they were thinking about gin. Nearly a year later a small batch was bottled by hand. The individuality of a gin lies in the combination of the botanicals, in this case it is the exotic selection: mate tea, goji berries, physalis and a hint of rose. The Klippenziege is a New Western Dry Gin, in which juniper plays the main role amongst the other botanicals.

It is produced in the Habbel Distillery, which guarantees excellent quality thanks to its experience – it was established in 1878 and is now in the family’s fourth generation. The former Korn distillery in Sprockhövel with adjoining farmland is now the largest fruit distillery in the Ruhr region, as a traditional manufacturer it stands out with its attention to detail. The entire manufacturing process at Klippenziege can also be observed on-site.

The bottle and the label are also special. Designer Levent Aydin drew it carefully by hand, and then digitalised it before perfecting it. First it is printed, then coated, then stamped and embossed. The elegant result stands for friendship, solidarity and love. Working together in a friendly and familiar atmosphere connects people with a passion for life who share one important belief: that the product should encourage people to slow down, allowing for mindful enjoyment.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Mate Dry Gin.

Luding Group: Vodka Tchaikovsky as a high-spirited homage to the famous composer

At the beginning of the 1990s, the modern distillery ‘Fortuna’ was launched in a green field in the south of Russia – in the Krasnodar region, a strip of land with spa resorts and health centres. The distillery has specialised in unusual products, in a region with a particularly green fingerprint. The vodka created in honour of the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky is special. The concept for this exceptional product is comparable with one of his musical scores: the work ‘Swan Lake’ served as an inspiration. Art enthusiasts can thus immerse themselves in the history of Russian estate life in the 19th century. The traditional white and blue colours underline the purity of this vodka.

The technical particularities span a wide quality-orientated spectrum: from the selected wheat, their own well water and the special treatment of the distillate with skimmed milk powder to the crystal-clear filtration with active birch coal. With so much perfectionism and monitoring of the individual production steps, the result is an especially gentle, animating and very typical vodka based on wheat. After the diluting of alcohol and pure distillate, the production process is continued with maturation in steel tanks. The aim is to ‘wed’ both ‘waters’, resulting in an especially harmonious vodka.

At the World Spirits Award 2022, Vodka Tchaikovsky was awarded double gold and honoured as the best vodka with the title ‘Spirit of the Year’.

Grenzwald-Destillation – Authenticity from the Ore Mountains

This small, family-run company in the German Ore Mountains specialises in herb liqueurs, herb spirits, fruit liqueurs and spirits. The history of the company dates back to 1882 when Emil Möckel purchased the head office building and opened a ‘manufactory of liqueurs and brandies’ as well as a wine merchant’s. On 20 October 1933, Otto Ficker (grandfather of the current director) acquired the shop and plot land. Despite many difficulties, the company continued to operate on a small scale until the fall of the Berlin Wall when Fritz Ficker and his son Peter started out afresh. Today they are proud of their successful “Craft Distillery for three generations”.

“In our company, we macerate, percolate and distil herbs, roots, fruits and blossoms following old traditions in copper vats. Over the last few years, our bottling and distillery plants have been modernised. This enables us to offer unusual products, especially for the catering industry. Our products have been given a new design and the product range has also been expanded. The schnapps museum at our headquarters demonstrates the historic production process. The atmosphere of this real herb distillation followed by a tasting session is a truly special experience.” Natural raw materials and the purest distillates guarantee top quality across the wide product range, which now comprises more than 40 high-quality products for the retail trade and catering sector.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Schwarzer Johannisbeer-Likör (blackcurrant liqueur) and Edel Destille Dry Gin No. I, and silver for Ingwer-Himbeer Spirituose (ginger raspberry spirit).

Aumaxum: Fruity variety produced in Hungary

“It’s more than just a brandy. I see it as my mission to present and promote a culture of quality consumption,” says Anita Zámbó, managing director of Aumaxum, where spirits are produced under the brand name Gong. The family business is located in the town of Deszk near Szeged. In 2017, following more than 20 years’ work in public administration of the district, she founded the distillery together with her husband. “It was a great change and challenge. I want to show that I can survive as a businesswoman! Feedback is important to us, which is why we like to take part in competitions,” she says.

When purchasing raw materials it is important that the fruit comes from the region, so that the local character of the products is reinforced. The fruit comes from their own orchards, gardens and woodland, and also from small farms in the surrounding area. Currently about 20 brandies are produced, including specialities from berries and wild fruits. But special attention is also paid to the distillates made from grapes and grape pomace from Tokaj. Visitors can follow the distilling process in the open distillery, and professional tastings and team-building events for companies with specially prepared dishes are also organised.

The First Class Distillery received gold for Hárslevel?u szo?lo? pálinka, Zéta szo?lo? pálinka and Gong Hunor Gin, and silver for Birs pálinka, Vadcseresznye pálinka, Cserszegi f?uszeres szo?lo? pálinka, Furmint szo?lo? pálinka, Aszúsepr?u párlat, Gong Gin 21 and Muskotály szo?lo? pálinka.