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Edelbrennerei Armin Nachbaur: Experience and enjoy s' Kriasi

Fraxern is a mountain village in Vorarlberg with around 700 inhabitants. It is nestled on a sunny south-facing slope between Feldkirch and Dornbirn at around 900 metres above sea level. There is written evidence of the ‘Krisbeeren’, as cherries were called back then, as long ago as the 16th century. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, there were over 10,000 standard trees here, providing a considerable source of extra income for the farmers, as the fruit was in demand even in neighbouring Switzerland. In the year 2000, only 2,000 trees remained and today, there are maybe only 200 still in full production.

Heidi and Armin Nachbaur cultivate over 50 trees on two steep slopes facing the Rhine Valley as a sideline. Dug up as wildlings in the neighbouring forests, they were grafted with regional varieties of cherries used for distilling kirsch. The cherries are picked without stems using long wooden ladders. This process is called ‘mälka’, because the hand movement resembles that of milking a cow. For around two weeks, work is carried out from six in the morning until eight in the evening, with five to ten helpers from the village and the surrounding area. All of them work for free and have ‘grown up with the standard tree’. Depending on the year and the weather, three to five tons are harvested, which are all refined in the in-house distillery. Customers can learn on site about the cultivation, varieties and care of the trees as well as their harvesting and processing. This means that the consumer can enjoy a regional, high-quality product whose production can be traced sip by sip. The maintenance of the standard trees is intended to keep the tradition alive in the municipality and make a small contribution to the preservation of a unique cultivated landscape.

Hochstamm Kirsche won gold at the World Spirits Award.

Mar Azul: Top tequila from Jalisco

Mar Azul Tequila is owned and run by Susana Sutton, who has given tequila a new look. The Mar Azul brand grew from the idea of producing an affordable premium tequila that met high international demands but would be based on a family recipe with natural ingredients, without artificial additives or sugar. More than a decade ago the vision began to take shape, in which every step from cultivation to bottling is strictly controlled by the family. The first agave fields were planted in Jalisco, the historical birthplace of tequila, with ideal conditions for the blue agave. Eight years later the first harvest took place, and thus began their dream of an excellent tequila.

The brand’s standards apply to the individual production steps as much as they do to the broad taste spectrum and innovative marketing, especially in terms of the imaginative bottle design. Only the ‘heart’ of the agave is boiled in stainless steel ovens (autoclaves), the distillate passes through an ultra-filtration process and a customised ageing process in white oak barrels from Kentucky. The product range includes traditional and flavoured tequila, with Añejo, Reposado and Blanco on one side, and coffee, almond, chocolate, banana, coconut, mint and pomegranate flavours on the other. These are sweetened with agave nectar, which further emphasises the unique taste.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Mar Azul Tequila Añejo, silver for Mar Azul Banana Tequila, Mar Azul 100% Agave Azul Chocolate, Mar Azul Tequila Pomegranate and Mar Azul Tequila Coconut.

MBG International Premium Brands – Brands with added value

“We Love Liquids.” This slogan has accompanied MBG on its worldwide path of success since it was founded in 1993 under the name P.O.S. Marketing + Vertrieb GmbH: Strong brands have been established around the world in nearly 60 countries, with innovative own brands, renowned retail brands, great ideas and a lot of energy. With over 250 employees, the MBG Group currently generates over € 200 million and, every year, more than a million hectolitres are produced. The portfolio in Germany includes 12 own brands and 6 retail brands (from non-alcoholic drinks to low proof drinks to wines & spirits) for 90,000 customers.

“Our recipe for successful brands is the mixture of passion, conviction and knowledge of the market. If all goes well, names and products become new worlds which consumers love. Success is not always predictable, which means that courage is needed above all. The right moment has to be found and hard work put in, just like with a hit single: some are one hit wonders while others become classics.” Little can be added to this definition from Managing Director Andreas W. Herb. From the MBG Group headquarters in Paderborn, a great deal of expertise makes successful brands, tailored to the respective target group and the market segment. Many brands that are well known on shop shelves and in the gastronomy sector have played a role in the history of the company.

Participation in the World Spirits Award yielded gold for Dos Mas Nasty Nuts Shot.