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Windspiel: From the field to the bottle

At the Weilerhof farm in the Vulkaneifel region, Sandra Wimmeler and Denis Lönnendonker grow the pota-toes for their down-to-earth spirit, which is all produced by hand: from sorting to attaching the ribbons to the gold ring on the bottleneck. After the harvest, the potatoes are carefully washed, finely ground, added to drinking water and worked into a pumpable paste. This is heated to destroy any germs, and the transfor-mation from starch to sugar begins. After slowly being cooled down, a special yeast is added and the mash ferments in a tank. After three rounds of distillation, the basis for all the products is finished – an alcohol with a delicate mildness and characteristic potato note.

For the Premium Dry Gin juniper, lemon peel, coriander, lavender blossoms, ginger and cinnamon are added (the rest remains a secret). The Reserve is stored for many months in oak barrels and is exceptionally mild with its 50 percent alcohol by volume – perfect for enjoying on the rocks. The Navy Strength with 57 percent alcohol by volume is rounded off by ingredients from the routes of the colonial rulers from the past. For the Sloe Gin, hand-selected sloes from the Eifel region are preserved in 70 percent Premium Dry Gin, before the macerate is mixed with the 47 percent gin, sloe juice and sugar. The 30 percent juice adds a subtle sweetness to the bitter note – an ideal sundowner. The product range is completed by barrel matured vodka and a herb spirit.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Windspiel Premium Dry Gin, Windspiel Premium Dry Gin Navy Strength, Windspiel Premium Sloe Gin and Windspiel Premium Dry Gin Reserve.

Waldemar Behn: Unique spirits brands

The slogan ‘Kennen Sie den? Der ist von BEHN!’ (Do you know this one? It’s from BEHN!) is what made this family company from Eckernförde famous. In 1892, Waldemar Behn, son of a Hamburg beer brewer, established a retail store for beverages in Schleswig-Holstein. He initially supplied beer to workers building the Kaiser-Wilhelm Canal, the present-day Kiel Canal. The product range was later extended to include non-alcoholic drinks and spirits of his own production for the catering trade. In 1906, Waldemar Behn bought the Eckernförder Dampfbierbrauerei brewery so that this Baltic resort of Eckernförde became the company headquarters, which it still is today.

After the Second World War, alongside running a specialised beverage wholesale trade, the company concentrated on producing branded items in the spirits sector, including typical products of the region, such as Germany’s most popular anise spirit ‘Küstennebel’, ‘Fischergeist’ and ‘Original Friesengeist’. Starting from the Northern Germany region, the Behn family company developed into a national and international provider with the brand ‘Kleiner Feigling’. With one of the world’s highest awarded cream liqueurs, ‘Dooley’s Original Toffee Liqueur’, the company finally achieved its international breakthrough which was solidified with the purchase of the brand ‘DANZKA Vodka’ in 2013. Today, Behn’s range of products consists of award-winning spirits brands that are available almost everywhere in the world.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Andalö Sea Buckthorn Liqueur, the aperitif of the northern summer.