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Ehrenwert GmbH: One recipe – two families

One recipe – two families. Each family has its own carefully guarded secret recipe, and with the Lücke family this remained in the hands of grandfather Heinz and later his son Dieter for many decades. Long enough, thought sons Thomas and Christian. In any case, it is the ‘Felsenfeuer’ herb liqueur that once made the Lücke Distillery one of the most important in Münsterland. After the war they continued the success story which first began in the 18th century, with this herb liqueur, using the recipe that Heinz Lücke worked out. In the 1950s everyone was talking about it, but in the 1960s the era of the distillery and the herb liqueur ended. But not for good – 60 years later it celebrated its resurrection with the ‘Freudenfeuer’.

Whilst searching for a distillery, Thomas and Christian kept to family tradition, as their grandmother was a Sasse, and the Sasses’ fine distillery in Schöppingen is still well known today. Following a traditional recipe from 1947 the new liqueur is distilled in small batches and is bottled by hand after a ten-day rest period. Ready to enjoy: neat and ice cold like in the time of our grandfathers, or smoother, on ice with lightly pressed orange zest, or as a basis for a long drink with tonic water or ginger ale. To old times and new friends!

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Freudenfeuer.

Grabnerhof – Healthy and enjoyable products from the Gastein valley

Sepp and Lisi Höhenwarter run a mountain farm with idyllic views of the Gastein valley at 1,100 metres above sea level just outside of Bad Hofgastein. In Dorfgastein they farm the Grabneralm at 1,717 metres altitude in summer and in winter. It is at the Fulseck, to the east of Dorfgastein in front of the magnificent panorama of the Gastein mountains. The popular destination is also well known for its tasty regional culinary delicacies and hearty snacks. The products are organically produced on their own farm. The farm also includes the ‘Adlerhorst’, a traditional self-catering cabin with comfortable furnishings.

The speciality of the house is a hay bath with alpine medicinal herbs. During the gradual warming process, the active ingredients are set free and access the body through the skin and airways. What has been forgotten in many places can still be enjoyed by guests: relaxation and regeneration, embedded in fragrant mountain hay which has gathered natural strength on the high alpine meadows above the Gastein valley. If you know the importance of Mother Nature, you will also value the power of the roots which grow from approximately 1,600 metres and upwards. They are mashed with fruit and usually distilled in November. The schnapps is only sold at the Grabneralm. There are also home-distilled brandies from rowanberry or elderberry and fruits.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for gentian and roseroot, silver for masterwort.

Euelsberger Brennerei: Production in the Eifel region

Owner and master distiller Stephan Thomé runs the 2017 start-up in Dingdorf. He converted the old calf shed on his parents’ farm into a distillery. The name of the business comes from the Euelsberg mountainside, where the farm has a traditional orchard with tall trees growing apples, pears, damsons, Mirabelle plums, greengage plums and walnuts. In 2023, the distillery was extended by a unique GIN SCHOOL containing over 300 botanicals.

They produce fruit brandies, spirits, liqueurs and different categories of gin. In the development phase the distiller played around with over 120 herbs in his aroma lab. From the shortlist of twelve varieties, three were chosen for the first batch. In 2020, they added Gin #4 EIFEL with botanicals from the immediate vicinity. In 2022, Gin #5 SUMMER with mandarin, lemon and pepper took up the inspiration of Gin #1 PEPPER & LEMON, and rounded it off with cocoa bean and coriander. Each gin has its own individual note, from spicy and fresh to floral and oriental. In 2023, the first SLOE GIN was created. The basis is Gin #4 EIFEL, in which handpicked sloes are soaked and macerated for at least six months.

The botanicals from their own fields and from around the world are carefully selected and are of the same highest quality as those used in top restaurants and in homeopathy. Many ingredients are harvested by hand on organic farms. Every stage is carried out by hand as well. After the careful filtering and filling process, the gin is matured over months in steel barrels.

At the World Spirits Award, Gold was awarded to Euelsberger #2 Fifteen Flowers, and Silver to Euelsberger #4 Eifel.