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Gebhard Hämmerle Privatbrennerei – Every drop is a treasure

More than 130 years ago, Gebhard Hämmerle laid the foundation stone for the Vorarlberg fine distillation dynasty with the foundation of the Freihof Distillery. In 1952, his grandson and successor decided to produce limited vintage brandies, made from the best fruit of each harvest. Since then, the Gebhard Hämmerle Distillery has been producing crystal-clear delicacies of this brand. “Making good fruit brandies is a solid handcraft; to capture the finest nuances of the aroma and flavour of a fruit in a distillate, is an art.” The traditional distillation processes have been perfected in accordance with this principle for over 50 years. An uncompromising selection process over many stages of production ensures that only the best (‘Vom ganz Guten’) comes into the conical bottles.

Every single harvest batch is processed separately. All bottles display the year, the bottling date and the batch number. Thus the development of the distillates can be followed over the years, which ensures the basis for top class distillates. The best cultivation methods and the best varieties can be chosen over the years of searching for the ideal fruit with a typical aroma and an optimal degree of maturity. Apart from pure pome, drupe, and berry brandies, a gentian distillate compliments the standard range as an Alpine rarity. Great vintage years as well as choice wild fruits are offered in limited batches as ‘Herzstück’ (‘core’ elements). This term is only used for fruit brandy rarities which reach the personal ideals of exceptional quality. Gebhard Hämmerle has fulfilled a dream with this.

The World Class Distillery 2016 was in the spotlight with a great haul: there was double gold for Herzstück Brombeere (blackberry) (World Spirits Award 2016), gold for Vom ganz Guten Vogelbeere (rowanberry), Herzstück Traubenkirsch (black cherry), Vom ganz Guten Enzian (gentian), Herzstück Mispel (medlar) and Vom ganz Guten Williams (Williams pear), silver for Herzstück Himbeere (raspberry), Herzstück Quitte (quince) and Vom ganz Guten Holunder (elderberry).

Pfalzdrusel Gin: Let a wonderful friendship beGIN

The friends Philipp, Paul and Tobias set themselves the goal of creating a gin that is 100% local to the Palatinate region. It conveys a zest for life and is fun: interesting and expressive, but simple and uncomplicated. It therefore had to be an organic gin. Spruce needles, lavender, rosemary and nettles represent the oasis of wellbeing of the Palatinate Forest. Blueberries, orange, lemon and bitter orange ensure freshness and lightness. Juniper brings the typical character into the glass. “That is the Palatinate region with all its facets and tastes, characterised by our way of life, culture and love of our homeland.”

The mascot of Pfalzdrusel Gin is the fairy-tale creature Dallas. One sunny Saturday, a little otter from Ottersheim ran through the forest to Bellheim. On the way it met a dog. The two of them hit it off and made their way to Kleinfischlingen, where the dog knew a funny fish. They had great fun and did not notice an old witch sneaking up, who wanted to put an end to the racket the three were making. She uttered a magic spell: three are now one! There was thunder and lightning, fog rose. When it receded, the witch had disappeared. There was also no trace of the dog, otter or fish. Instead, there lay a little animal with an otter’s head, a fish’s tail and dog’s legs. At the same time, the three friends Philipp, Tobias and Paul were on a merry wine tour when they discovered the little animal. They took it home, gave it the name Dallas and called the new species ‘Pfalzdrusel’.

Pfalzdrusel Gin achieved gold at the World Spirits Award.

Bimmerle: Know-how meets regionality and trend awareness

At the production site in the Black Forest town of Sasbach, which was opened in 2015, this family business sets innovative standards in technology, sustainability and environmental protection. For the last five decades, Bimmerle has strived for the highest quality, with focussed know-how, modern high-tech and the traditional art of distilling. This is the first distillery in Germany where all the heating requirements and power generation are covered by the burning of fruit stones combined with woodchips from the region.

In Germany and on the European market, Bimmerle is a leader in the fruit brandies sector with the Lörch brand. In order to make the ‘playground’ more interesting, the brand identity was modernised in 2024 and will be extended in 2025 by a fruit brandy range matured in wooden casks. Needle Black Forest Gin is among the top 5 most widely sold gins in Germany. The portfolio has been expanded since 2018 with WOOD STORK Spiced Rum and the EVERMANN Black Forest whiskies Theo & Wilhelm introduced in 2022. The Black Forest distillery has enriched the liqueur and aperitif market with as many as five exciting creations under the DON PASQUALE brand.

The World Class Distillery 2025 & Distillery of the Year 2025 – Bronze (Bitters & Liqueurs) received Gold for Don Pasquale Limoncello Liqueur, Zünftler Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Wood Stork Spiced Rum, Lörch Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Lörch Vanillekipferl Sahnelikör (vanilla cream liqueur), Needle Gin Green, Don Pasquale Aperitif Bitter Liqueur, Don Pasquale Espresso Martini Liqueur, Don Pasquale Hazelnut Liqueur and Lörch Linzertorte Sahnelikör (Linzer tart cream liqueur). Silver was awarded to Kronenhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Zinselhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Altes Schwarzwälder Zwetschgenwasser (damson spirit), Needle Blackforest Distilled Dry Gin, Needle Gin Rosé, Don Pasquale Pistachio Cream Liqueur, Lörch Bratapfel Sahnelikör (baked apple cream liqueur), Zünftler Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Lörch Williams Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (pear spirit aged in a wooden cask) and Lörch Marille Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (apricot spirit aged in a wooden cask), and Bronze to Lörch Obst Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (fruit spirit aged in a wooden cask).