World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Obstbrennerei Hügel: The secret behind the Hügel 22 brand

The family-run private distillery with owner Karlheinz Hügel and his son Christian produces fruit brandies, liqueurs, gin and whisky. This is one of the strengths of the Hügel family: “80 percent of the fruit is hand-picked from our natural orchards in the surrounding area.” The classic range is complemented by the modern Hügel 22 line – from gin to fine brandies.

The company was founded in 2013 as a hobby for the owners of the raw materials. The launch programme included 28 fruit brandies and liqueurs. From 2018 to 2020, Christian completed his training as a distiller and distillery specialist at the technical college for agriculture in Offenburg. This was followed in 2022 by the creation of the premium brand range Hügel 22, with eight exclusively filtered fruit brandies and a gin. The premiere was the presentation of Hügel 22 Whisky Exklusiv, limited to 380 bottles of 0.5 litres each. In 2023, the Hügel 22 range was expanded by ten liqueurs, and in 2025 by three single cask bottlings of whisky.

And what is behind the number 22? Christian Hügel solves the mystery for us: “That’s my lucky number. I was born on the 22nd and grew up at the address Im Dellbrunnen 22 in Hengsberg. I like to drink Scottish and Irish whisky and have also learned to appreciate German whisky. And that’s how the Pirmasens whisky creation came about, the first commercial whisky in the Southwest Palatinate. The base is barley from a wholesaler who tailors it to our own requirements. After three years, the whisky is fine-tuned when it is reduced to drinking strength with water from Pirmasens with a very low degree of hardness.”

At the World Spirits Award, there was Silver for Hügel 22 Whisky Edition 2, Hügel 22 Whisky Edition 3 and Hügel 22 Pflaume (plum in a port cask).

Zwack: A family as the guardian of a secret recipe

Unicum is one of the oldest herb liqueurs in Europe and is made from over 40 different herbs and spices. The manufacturing process and the 225-year-old secret recipe have remained unchanged since Unicum was created in 1790, staying in the Zwack family for six generations. Today the production lies in the hands of Sándor and Izabella Zwack. Some special ingredients, known as the ‘heart of Unicum’, are personally measured by other family members – currently by Anne Marshall Zwack and her son Sándor Zwack. Two parallel processes are used for the production of Unicum: in the distillation the delicate herbal fragrances are preserved while other herbs are macerated at the same time to retain their characteristic colour and typical taste. Then they are mixed together and matured in oak barrels where Unicum gains its final complexity in taste and bouquet.

In the year 2020, after almost three years of development, the latest member of the Unicum family was presented. With Unicum Barista, a blend of Unicum and 100% Arabica coffee, Zwack took an innovative approach to the old tradition of consuming a herb liqueur with coffee.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Unicum Barista.

2B Hemp Gin: Styrian gin experience

Two visionaries, Armin Breinl (doctor, drink creator, musician) and Wolfgang Thomann (gin maker), have created a completely new gin experience with real hemp powder: 2B HEMP GIN (inspired by AEIJST). On 17th November 2018, the two invited guests to the first tasting of 2B HEMP GIN in the AEIJST GIN distillery in St. Nikolai in the Sausal Valley.

Made from organic juniper berries, this innovative gin has an impressive, mild and fruity taste and a typical hemp note. Due to its unique aroma, it not only tastes good neat, but also creates a ‘wow’ effect in cocktails – as proven in the long drink Styrian Pale Gin AEIJST refined with 2B HEMP.

For thousands of years, hemp has been grown as a valuable plant, be it for rope, fabric, paper or as an active ingredient in ointments and tinctures. Hemp has always been highly valued for its medicinal properties, yet recently has been demonised as an addictive drug and has suffered under its ensuing prohibition, originating in the USA. These days hemp is regaining importance and is being used more as a luxury food as well as in medicine as a therapeutic agent.

The Lifestyle Trading company, run by Armin Breinl, is an innovative beverage producer, which is already known amongst trade professionals for its sugar-free ‘func- tional fruit drinks’. The drinks have a high fruit content (more than 50 per cent) and additional natural, vital substances and have an energising, relaxing and regenerative effect.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for 2B HEMP GIN.