World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

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.

Georg Hemmeter – XUXU, Escorial, SILLA EL FUERTE

Georg Hemmeter – strawberry drinks with exceptional flavour guaranteed

The name Georg Hemmeter – a company of the Underberg Group – stands for innovative spirits, in particular the XUXU range. The fresh and fruity strawberry drink contains 66 percent fruit plus crystal-clear vodka, rounded off with a dash of lime. The harmony between the sweetness of the fruit and just 15% alcohol by volume is created using a special production method. XUXU Ten, the little luxury in a 250 ml aluminium bottle with only 10% alcohol by volume, is dressed to party – it is still relatively new to the market, yet is already at home in all the world’s top party venues.
XUXU can be served in so many different ways: chilled, neat, on crushed ice, as a dessert topping, with sparkling wine or with other mixers – XUXU tastes heavenly and offers fresh and fruity pleasure. Welcome to Berrydise!

Initially the absolute top star in Greece, XUXU is now also number 1 in Russia, and extremely popular in Turkey and Italy too.


XUXU Strawberry & Vodka Drink and XUXU Ten won Gold at the World Spirits Award 2014.

Ländle Schnaps: Gin and whisky from the ‘Schnapshüsle’ at Höchst

Hubert Fink, a distiller from Höchst in the Rhine delta at Lake Constance, started to manufacture gin, whisky and fine brandies years ago. The fruit comes from the surrounding meadow orchards, while the Vorarlberg maize for the whisky is cultivated by the family on small fields. What started as a hobby has become a top-notch little enterprise where everybody lends a helping hand. Every bottle is filled and labelled by hand with attention to detail. The products can be sampled and purchased at the ‘Schnapshüsle’ next to the old Rhine Valley house where the family lives.

In 2015, Hubert Fink started experimenting with his own gin. Many hours and many distillates later, Ländle Dry Gin was ready for its market launch. It is set with the best species and highly aromatic juniper berries for an exact time period, then distilled carefully once again and finally refined with the purest spring water from a Vorarlberg mountain spring. It is put to market in a distinctive white clay bottle with a label that looks like old wood.

The whisky is the latest product in the range, for which an old local type of maize was sown, cultivated, harvested, husked and tied together for drying by hand, ground with a little mill and mashed. It was stored for five years in oak barrels specially imported from America and then, just like the gin, filled into striking, non-fading clay bottles. It is scarcely possible to do more by hand.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Ländle Dry Gin, and silver for Ländle Whisky.