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STIN Styrian dry Gin: Homage to Styria

Johannes Firmenich, a true southern Styrian, and Reinhard Jagerhofer, a nature lover from Hartberg, discovered their love of gin during their years at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. Shortly before they graduated, they had the idea of STIN as a friendship project – a gin according to their taste, with ingredients from their homeland. The two most important ones grow conveniently right on their doorstep: Johannes contributed the south Styrian apples, Reinhard the east Styrian elderberries. Both of them also have a good feeling for what makes a good gin: traditional craftsmanship, careful distilling and of course what goes into it.

28 botanicals provide the diverse aromas and complexity of the Classic Proof. Besides juniper, it is above all the citrus fruits – lemon and orange – as well as south Styrian apples and east Styrian elderberry that make this gin so multifaceted. Other fine spices such as coriander, caraway, cardamom, pepper and ginger form its spicy body. In the limited Distiller’s Cut, pears from south Styrian gardens replace the apples, while the rest remains the same. The Overproof – with the ingredients of the Classic Proof – is reduced to 57 volume percent with Styrian spring water after distillation. The dash of colour in the product range is Sloeberry, macerated and distilled according to the basic recipe, then set again with sloeberries and sugar and macerated again over several weeks.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for The STIN – Distiller’s Cut, and silver for The STIN – Classic Proof, The STIN – Overproof and The STIN – Sloeberry.

Distillerie Meunier – Aromatic specialities from the south of France

The Meunier company is more than 200 years old and was founded in 1809 by Charles Meunier, a botanist from the region of Dauphiné in the Alps of Southern France. The distillery lies in the foothills of the Vercors mountain range, where many businesses have characterised the history of French spirit specialities over generations. Meunier has built on this experience too, concentrating on the manufacture of spirits based on plants and fruits.

The trademark is the traditional herb liqueur, Génépi, from the genepi or spiked wormwood (Artemisia genipi). Based on the core skill of artisanal production, a London Dry Gin was also introduced to the product range. The alcoholic base comes from beetroot, which is mixed with a balanced mixture of twelve plant extracts. The result: a refined composition with a fine aroma.

On a guided tour, visitors can find out many facts about the distilling history of the region, about the Meunier family, about the raw materials, and about the secrets of liqueur production. At Easter and before Christmas, there are also many varieties of chocolates available in addition to the spirits.

At the World Spirits Award, the jury decided the gin was worthy of a gold medal.

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.

Aldi Ireland: Gin and whiskey in retail

Aldi Ireland has several top products in its spirit range: Boyle’s Gin from the Blackwater Distillery and Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery, in addition, Mo Chara Passionfruit & Mango Gin from the Old Carrick Mill.

The Blackwater Distillery has been an Aldi partner since 2016 and developed the private label Boyle’s Gin exclusively for the Irish and British retail market. The product volume of the Blackwater Distillery for Aldi has risen strongly in recent years, whereby 140,800 bottles of the gin series were sold in 2018. The successful gin brand is manufactured in Blackwater Valley, West Waterford, with selected imported ingredients as well as regional apples, blackcurrants and elderflower. CEO Peter Mulryan – former TV producer and author of the book ‘The Whiskeys of Ireland’ – explains, “The partnership with Aldi has helped us to increase turnover enormously, and also to have the security to invest and expand. This includes on-site bottling facilities and a visitor centre.” Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery got its name from the region in County Cork where the malted barley comes from, and is only manufactured in small batches. The business was founded in 2003 by childhood friends who started out with only two small stills they had bought in Switzerland. Now the largest distillery in the country, it currently employs over 80 staff and exports to around 70 countries.

At the World Spirits Award, there was Gold for Ardfallen 10 Year Old Whiskey and Boyle’s Gin, and Silver for Boyle’s Sloe & Damson Gin and Ardfallen Whiskey.