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Brennerei Vallendar: The highest distilling standard for over 30 years

Manufacturing theory is put into practice here. No product gets into a bottle without the involvement of Hubertus Vallendar. He is devoted to what he distils – his creations are more than spiritualised nature, they are spiritual naturalness. He is a perfectionist when it comes to distillery. His distilling method is his own highly modern concept. Hubertus Vallendar stands for innovation and excellent products. He devises new recipes with imagination and dedication. This is a task that poses new challenges for each natural product.

The careful selection of raw materials focuses particularly on the local region. The red Saturn peach grows right on their doorstep in the idyllic Moselle valley, as well as Riesling grapes for the best pomace and yeast brandies. In addition, fine fruits are purchased from the best growers in Europe, and exotic products are imported from around the world: tea and coffee, juniper and mango, ginger and bananas. They value sustainability and personal contact with producers. The variety is the broad basis for a remarkable palette of fine brandies, spirits, gourmet sprays, liqueurs, gins and whiskies, which are regularly the focal point of exclusive degustations.

Summary of the World Spirits Award: World Class Distillery 2026 OBB, World Class Distillery 2026 OBS, Master Class Distillery 2026 BILI and World Spirits Award 2026 for 2 x World Class, 1 x Master Class and Lifetime Achievement. There was Double Gold for Orangengeist (orange), Kakaogeist (cocoa), Riesling Hefebrand (yeast brandy, cold-fermented) and Waldhimbeerbrand (wild raspberry), Gold for Haselnuss Piemont (hazelnut), Zitronenmyrte Geist (lemon myrtle), Marc de Moselle (Riesling pomace brandy), Kirschbrand Barrique (cherry), TONI Boonekamp bitters, Zitronengeist (lemon) and Berto’s ROSSO bitter liqueur, and Silver for Anisgeist (aniseed, 100% star anise), Bananenbrand (banana), Sauerkirschlikör (sour cherry) and Amaro Waldkräuter herb liqueur.

Radeberger Distillation & Liqueur Factory – Herbal spirits with tradition

In 1877, Wilhelm Richter founded the ‘Goldene Sonne steam distillation and liqueur factory’ and, according to old records, his ‘first class medicinal bitters’ landed in the Royal Saxon Court as a ‘gastric tonic’ in the late 19th century. The royal endorsement encouraged Wilhelm Richter to present his herbal liqueur at the large exhibitions at the turn of the century. Numerous gold medals confirmed this early quality marketing as well as letters of appreciation from many customers. The heirs of the company founder managed to run the small liqueur manufacture as a private company through the chaos of war and the Iron Curtain. Still in family hands, today the lovingly restored main building of Radeberg in the picturesque main street has plenty of historical charm.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Original Radeberger Kräuterlikör (herb liqueur).

Limomacher: Regionally produced – socially labelled

Limomacher is a young Bregenz enterprise, according to their own definition “excellent in graphics, design, customer service, lemonade production, social involvement and coffee drinking”. However, a look at the brief biographies of the four-person team reveals quite a bit about their wide-ranging qualifications. All lemonades are produced regionally in Vorarlberg according to their own recipes. Short pathways right up until labelling – also labels for private customers and companies on request – reinforce sustainability, along with filling exclusively in glass bottles. The labelling, as well as the whole warehousing, are handled by Lebenshilfe Vorarlberg, a support organisation for people with disabilities. This is an indication that social thinking has been of great importance from the beginning.

At the beginning of 2018, the ‘Franz von Durst’ brand started in Spar shops, followed by the start-up shelf at Metro. The company developed a gin along with a tonic water for this purpose, as the first manufacturer in retailing that offers both as a one-stop shop. The gin that is also regionally produced goes perfectly with the tonic water and its animating and aromatic concept offers an exceptionally fruity drinking experience. Aside from the juniper base, five further botanicals play a role: angelica root provides a slight tanginess and supports the homogenous taste; orange peel is characterised by a range of aromatic substances and a fine hint of citrus; liquorice provides a complex sweetness with a slightly earthy note; elderberry has an intensive and refreshing taste; and hops gives it a special something.

“We are delighted that the Vorarlberg locals have received our gin so well and that we can expand step by step also into other provinces,” say the two young entrepreneurs.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was achieved by Franz von Durst Gin, and silver by Franz von Durst Dry Gin Wild.