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Dolleruper Destille: Regional products from Northern Germany

Near to Flensburg, Germany’s northernmost distillery can be found in a timber-framed house. The copper still, with which distillates from various fruits have been manufactured since 2003, is the showpiece of the building. In 2014, Dr. Axel Hartwig and Werner Sauer took over operations. Originally from the brewery business, they discovered a great passion for distilling and developing new products, so now also whisky, rum, gin and other spirits are available. Unusual ingredients also find their way into the distilling vat for products such as carrot brandy and cocoa spirit.

Because an environmentally friendly procedure is important for the distillers, many distillates are organically certified. As members of the FEINHEIMISCH network and the Nature Conservancy Foundation, regional production is paramount. The ingredients used are (as far as available) harvested in the Schleswig-Holstein countryside. The hand-bottled distillates can be tasted and purchased in the Bioland-certified on-site shop. Show-brewing and distilling seminars offer deeper insights into the subject. The young team has expanded due to increased production, whereby innovation and university knowledge meet many decades of experience – the perfect foundation for creative, high-quality recipes in tune with the latest trends.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Die Hand Buddhas.

Pap és Pap – Family business with a burning passion

At the end of 2009, a dream came true for Szabolcs, Marcella and Gergely Pap – they opened their own family distillery in Etyek in the wine-growing region of the same name, some 30 km from Budapest. The small team of six manages one of the country’s most modern quality distilleries. The choice of the family coat-of-arms as the company logo symbolises the strong family ties. The production process is characterised by its regional roots and the distinctive flavour of the fruits, most of which they grow themselves. The product range comprises apple, elderberry, cherry, apricot, Williams pear, raspberry, sour cherry, peach, strawberry, blackberry, plum and grape. The products can be sampled following a tour of the plant in the new tasting cellar which holds up to 60 people.

The fresh fruits are delivered by the lorry load and are stored in the cellars where they are protected from the sunshine, rain, wind and dust before being processed just a few hours later. All of the production stages take place underground in rooms protected from temperature fluctuations, with the exception of the distilling. The fruits are washed and the cores, stems, stalks and leaves removed before being machine-chopped and pumped into an acid-proof agitator tank for the homogenisation process to begin. From this point onwards, they no longer come into contact with human hands. Following cooled fermentation in steel tanks, the substance is distilled in a technologically sophisticated plant. The fine distillate is stored in a tank for six months while special varieties are stored in wooden barrels made from various woods.

At the World Spirits Award, Pap was classified as a Master Class Distillery 2012. There was gold for the Apple Mutzu (2 x), Grape Irsai Olivér, Plum, Apricot (2 x) and Blackberry. Silver medals were awarded to the Apple Jona Gold, Grape Szürkebarát (2 x), Plum (2 x), Pear Williams Yellow (3 x), Strawberry and Black Elderberry (2 x). Bronze went to the Apple Jona Gold, Cherry Sour and Raspberry.

Georg Hemmeter – XUXU, Escorial, SILLA EL FUERTE

Georg Hemmeter – strawberry drinks with exceptional flavour guaranteed

The name Georg Hemmeter – a company of the Underberg Group – stands for innovative spirits, in particular the XUXU range. The fresh and fruity strawberry drink contains 66 percent fruit plus crystal-clear vodka, rounded off with a dash of lime. The harmony between the sweetness of the fruit and just 15% alcohol by volume is created using a special production method. XUXU Ten, the little luxury in a 250 ml aluminium bottle with only 10% alcohol by volume, is dressed to party – it is still relatively new to the market, yet is already at home in all the world’s top party venues.
XUXU can be served in so many different ways: chilled, neat, on crushed ice, as a dessert topping, with sparkling wine or with other mixers – XUXU tastes heavenly and offers fresh and fruity pleasure. Welcome to Berrydise!

Initially the absolute top star in Greece, XUXU is now also number 1 in Russia, and extremely popular in Turkey and Italy too.


XUXU Strawberry & Vodka Drink and XUXU Ten won Gold at the World Spirits Award 2014.

Rhumerie de Chamarel - Rhumerie de Chamarel – A newcomer with vision

This high-quality rum from the island of Mauritius is produced in line with ecological guidelines. The products are distributed in Austria by the company Wind GmbH, based in Traiskirchen (www.wind-plast.at).

The road leads through extensive pineapple plantations and fields of sugar cane up to the distillery at an altitude of 300 m in the South-West of the island. Designed by a renowned architect, the building is elegant and authentic and a fine example of modern construction with its natural materials such as wood, stone and water. The comprehensive concept also incorporates the L’Alchimiste restaurant where up to 80 guests can savour the sophisticated regional cuisine. At the “Sugar Cane Spirit” boutique, various types of rum are on offer (White Rum, Le Coeur de Chauffe (fine brandy), Rum Paille (stored in wooden casks), Rum Arrange (flavoured with fruits and spices) as well as an exclusive clothing range, hand-made products and a small jewellery collection.

The location and climate of the fertile valley promote the growth and quality of the sugarcane. The sugarcane is harvested by hand in the early hours of the morning and processed at the mill within four hours. The fields are not normally burnt, as is usually the case, to make harvesting easier. Even when distilling at the highest modern levels of technology, nothing is wasted: the bagasse – the fibrous remnants of the sugar production process – is burnt to obtain energy. The chimney contains the very latest smoke filters and the ash is used to fertilise the fields.

The company yet again impressed at the World-Spirits Award, with one gold and four silvers.