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Stock Polska – Prestige products with history

Polmos Lublin (known today as Stock Polska) was founded by the industrialist Emil Plage in Lublin in 1906 and was able to survive both world wars and the communist state leadership. The company was nationalised in 1948 and re-privatised in 2001. It traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange until 2005 and was sold in 2006. The new owners, Oaktree Capital Management, purchased the spirits division from Eckes Stock in 2007 and thereby laid the foundations for the current Stock Spirits Group. The company has its headquarters in Luxembourg, its service centre in Great Britain and its production sites in the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland.

Stock dates back to the year 1884 when Lionello Stock founded a beverages business in Trieste. He purchased a distillery in 1920 in what is currently part of the Czech Republic with the aim of tapping into new markets. This was followed by distilleries, bottling plants and warehouses in Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia. In the 1920s, Stock was one of the biggest companies of its kind in Europe.

After an absence of 70 years, Stock returned to Poland and began to manufacture at the historic site of Lublin, 150 kilometres south-east of Warsaw. Intensive investment led to the creation of the most modern distillery in Poland and a leadership position on the vodka market. Poland’s most popular flavoured vodka is produced here: Zoladkowa Gorzka.

Lots of Stock products are produced by traditional recipes. These classical brands appeal to connoisseurs all over the world. In return, work is constantly being done on innovations that correspond to modern tastes and new drinking cultures. Quality standards are constantly upheld in both areas, of course.

The quality of the products was recognised at the World Spirits Award with a gold medal for the Orkisz Spelt Vodka.

Edward Snell – Whisky from South Africa

Edward Snell founded a trading company in Durban in 1848, from which the oldest spirit company in South Africa developed over 160 years. Following an eventful history, the company is now once again in the hands of the family. Besides their own brands they also sell numerous local and international drink brands, mostly in various markets in Africa and the Middle East.

The wide range of products includes whisky, brandy, vodka, rum, gin, tequila and cognac. One outstanding label is Firstwatch Whisky with its new look, a striking, square bottle design. Consumer demand for a whisky with an American taste profile has been perfected over time and is presented today as a balanced blend of the finest imported rye and grain. Whether pure, on the rocks or mixed – its diversity makes it popular with many different target groups and successful in one of the largest spirit segments in South Africa.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Firstwatch Whisky.

Fermentorium Distilling Co.: Creativity from Canada

It was the creative minds from Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. in Victoria that had the idea for Fermentorium. It is a place where spirits are created according to special recipes. The basic distillates for the gin are made in a traditional British copper pot still from the 1920s – endearingly called Old George – and refined in a modern distillery of German production. In British Columbia, herbs are gathered by hand and botanicals are cultivated, carefully selected for Stump Coastal Forest Gin, so that the gin reflects the origins of its ingredients – from the craggy coastline to the old forests.

Vancouver Island produces high-quality barley that is processed in Phillips Brewing’s own malt factories. Through the use of barley that is cultivated just 15 minutes away, local farmers are supported and emissions from malt transport are reduced. Ultimately, it is possible to control the quality of the end product better. There are only a handful of malthouses in North America and Phillips Brewing is proud to be the only Craft Brewer in Canada that malts its own barley. Small Talk Whisky continues the tradition of only using barley cultivated on Vancouver Island. Bourbon was originally stored in the barrels made of American and French oak, which were then filled at the distillery at the beginning of 2016.

At the World Spirits Award, silver was awarded to Discovery Street Dry Citrus Gin and Stump Coastal Forest Gin, and bronze to Small Talk Whisky.