World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

myAlps: ISEL°GIN: Premium product from the Alps

This Premium Mountain Gin made in East Tyrol has been produced since 2017 by Marcel Steiner, Michael Obwexer and distiller Josef Berger. The idea behind it was to put a regional premium product on the market that went with the times yet also stood out on the vast premium gin market.

With this handmade product, all botanicals are prepared and processed by hand. The gin is distilled according to old traditions with a 100-year-old furnace, hand-fired with various types of wood, on 85-year-old Josef Berger’s farm. Uncompromising quality without additives or artificial aromas has been the philosophy here for over 60 years. All bottles are filled, and each label stuck on, by hand.

For this Alpine-Mediterranean gin, the geographical location of East Tyrol, to the south of the Alps and near the Italian border, offered quite a bit of potential for the best ingredients. Organic oranges and organic limes from Friuli, cranberries from Tyrol, native stone pine and mountain thyme give the ‘blue’ ISEL°GIN Klassik its fine aroma with a lighter juniper note. Since 2018, the ISEL°GIN BLACK EDITION has been available for friends of classic gin. Plenty of juniper, black pepper, lemongrass, rosemary and chokeberries provide a wide range of aromas and a bit more power – a perfect alternative to the classic. Production takes place in small quantities of no more than 100 litres or 200 bottles per month. Customers include bars and hotels, and it is delivered to many European countries. The fact that most customers order time and again is a good sign of their approval.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for ISEL°GIN BLACK EDITION, and bronze for ISEL°GIN KLASSIK.

Wyborowa and Ostoya: Polish vodka for the world

The name Wyborowa translates as ‘selected’ and stands for a product that has shown for decades how a good rye vodka should taste. The brand is deemed the oldest internationally sold vodka brand in the world. Wyborowa fulfils the requirements of the protected geographical indication ‘Polska Wódka’, according to which every production step has to take place in Poland. The production process is based on the Polish distillation tradition, which has been perfected over almost 600 years and requires Polish ingredients of the highest quality. It was first produced in 1926, has been part of Pernod Ricard since 1999 and is one of the ten best-selling vodkas in bars around the world.

The basis of the vodka is 100% Polish rye from the region. It is milled, fermented and distilled in small, local and owner-run agricultural enterprises, to produce raw alcohol, the ‘heart’ of the spirit. Distillation is threefold in traditional pot stills, then it is filtered three times through charcoal and carbon and thinned with softened and demineralised well water. It is exported to over 80 countries.

Ostoya was the first wheat vodka to be produced in Poland. The spirit is made from fine grains grown in Bieszczady, one of Poland’s most unspoilt regions. It is produced at the Pernod Ricard production plant in Zielona Góra, then distilled and charcoal-filtered for exceptional purity in rectification plants in Poznan. This premium vodka is 100 percent Polish, from the grain to the glass.

Wyborowa Vodka and Ostoya Vodka were awarded gold at the World Spirits Award.

MBG International Premium Brands – Brands with added value

“We Love Liquids.” This slogan has accompanied MBG on its worldwide path of success since it was founded in 1993 under the name P.O.S. Marketing + Vertrieb GmbH: Strong brands have been established around the world in nearly 60 countries, with innovative own brands, renowned retail brands, great ideas and a lot of energy. With over 250 employees, the MBG Group currently generates over € 200 million and, every year, more than a million hectolitres are produced. The portfolio in Germany includes 12 own brands and 6 retail brands (from non-alcoholic drinks to low proof drinks to wines & spirits) for 90,000 customers.

“Our recipe for successful brands is the mixture of passion, conviction and knowledge of the market. If all goes well, names and products become new worlds which consumers love. Success is not always predictable, which means that courage is needed above all. The right moment has to be found and hard work put in, just like with a hit single: some are one hit wonders while others become classics.” Little can be added to this definition from Managing Director Andreas W. Herb. From the MBG Group headquarters in Paderborn, a great deal of expertise makes successful brands, tailored to the respective target group and the market segment. Many brands that are well known on shop shelves and in the gastronomy sector have played a role in the history of the company.

Participation in the World Spirits Award yielded gold for Dos Mas Nasty Nuts Shot.