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Darauf einen Hüpperling: Organic vodka for wholesome enjoyment

The production focuses on wholesomeness and excellent quality, all hand-crafted, without artificial additives, only with traditional distilling skills and regional ingredients such as the finest wheat and the purest primary rock spring water from a Natura 2000 European nature reserve. The wheat for ‘DEH’ comes from fields in Biberbach at the heart of the Mostviertel region and is organically certified. It is shredded and carefully processed into a mash, fermented for 72 hours and then distilled 60-fold in a column still to achieve the required purity. Only the ‘core’ is refined for the vodka. After a rest phase for the 96% alcohol, the distillate is reduced to drinking strength with granite water. This is followed by at least a year of storage until the balance and mildness have been achieved.

Destillerie Farthofer in Öhling in the Amstetten district of the Mostviertel in Lower Austria is responsible for the production. The retailer and trademark owner is Frank Hüpperling from Berlin, an architect and drummer. During a band rehearsal with his music band B3+, the ‘DEH’ idea was born and then created together with Josef Farthofer in 2020. The trademark has been registered under his name since 2020 at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office. He has been certified as an organic retailer since 2021. And this is how he himself speaks of his organic vodka: “Quality doesn’t need ice. Mixing, cutting and icing are completely unnecessary here. This vodka is enjoyed pure and at room temperature (18 – 20°C), because the best quality doesn’t need any frost. Only then does its full glory come into its own.”

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to DEH Darauf einen Hüpperling.

Cezana: Gin and rum from the south of Romania

The Magura Zamfirei distillery is situated in the Greater Wallachia area in the south of the country. After over 15 years of experience in agriculture and the cultivation of wheat, barley, rye and corn, Cezana implemented the latest technology, automation software and digitisation at all levels in 2021, following the logical progression from farming to alcohol production. All the natural ingredients were available, as well as the expertise for manufacturing first-class products. In 2022, they worked with two small facilities, an 85-litre hybrid still and a 50-litre iStill. 15,000 bottles a year can be distilled with the pot stills. A 1,000-litre mash tank and a 1,100-litre fermentation tank are equipped with an automation system for controlling all mashing and fermenting processes. Filling and labelling are semi-automatic, with a capacity of 1,000 bottles per day.

Dry Gin No. 4 is the first 100% hand-crafted Romanian gin, processing juniper berries, citrus fruits, hibiscus, chokeberry and blackberries, as well as local herbs. Moonlight Gin is distilled at full moon from 15 botanicals, along with juniper there is also coriander, cardamom, blackcurrants, orange and lime peel, pink pepper, ginger, angelica root, liquorice root, vanilla, cinnamon, grains of paradise (Guinea pepper), iris and Clitoria ternatea blossom. The latter provides the unusual ultramarine blue colour. For Haiduc Rum White, sugar cane molasses from South America is traditionally processed by the master distiller.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to Moonlight Gin and Haiduc Rum White, and silver to Dry Gin No. 4.