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Berentzen Group: 250 years of cultured distilled spirits

Berentzen Group is an innovative beverage company that boasts a wide portfolio and develops, produces and markets varied and fashionable drinks concepts. The portfolio includes spirits, alcohol-free beverages and fresh juices. With over 260 years of experience, they are one of the oldest national manufacturers of spirits and have a market presence in over 60 countries to date, with brands such as Berentzen and Puschkin as well as reasonably priced private label products.

In April 2023, Norden Sea Salt Gin was launched on the German market under the Doornkaat brand. It is a speciality on the gin shelf, as selected North Sea botanicals create an extraordinary and intense taste experience: juniper provides the spice, sea buckthorn and rosehip the fruity tartness. Norden Sea Salt Gin is rounded off with a pinch of sea salt. This spirit spreads the genuine nature and authenticity of the North Sea coast throughout Germany. It is versatile and can be enjoyed neat, on ice or mixed as a long drink or cocktail.

Tres Países Premium Rum combines distillates from Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic. After being stored for up to eight years in American white oak bourbon casks, they come to Europe for refinement by the master blender. The characteristics of the countries provide the taste profile: vanilla and butterscotch, elegant fruit, banana and chocolate. It is also available in a port cask finish, which is refined in aged casks for another six months.

At the World Spirits Award 2025, there was Gold for Doornkaat Norden Sea Salt Gin and Tres Países Premium Rum.

Alexandrion Group: A big player from Romania

The largest and most successful spirits and wine business in Romania has a comprehensive portfolio with leading brands in all categories as well as traditional Romanian products, which are known nationally and internationally for their quality. Tradition is honoured in the production process that follows their own authentic recipes with the best ingredients.

The Alexandrion Distillery is located in Dealu Mare, in the southern Romanian region of Prahova. 11,000 square metres provide a home to the distillery, filling plant – with a capacity of 40 million litres a year – and packaging area, while underground cellars cover 1,500 square metres with over 3,000 oak barrels and storage areas. 92 employ- ees work in 11 departments to optimise the production process. Modern technology and processes are used and the highest quality is guaranteed. Much has been invested in the purchase of automated, high-tech machinery for the processing, distillation and fermentation of the fruits that are used for the premium spirits. Using a flexible logis- tics model that can handle a complex product portfolio, the distillery counts as one of the most modern and efficient in South-Eastern Europe. With a philosophy of constant technological development and the procurement of new production plants, capacity is constantly being expanded in order to meet growing demands from national and international markets.


At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Brâncoveanu XO, Brâncoveanu VSOP and Kreskova Vodka, and silver for Brâncoveanu VS, Zolmyr Mere and Suman D41.

Revolutionary Brands: Secrets of spirited drinks

Vivek Menon, formerly Brand Manager at Aryen Beverages Private, is the Director of the company Revolutionary Brands founded in 2021, well-known in the spirits and wine industry. The spectrum ranges from the procurement of local raw materials to the production of modern labels, and the portfolio comprises wines from around the world, as well as premium spirits from whisky to rum. Two Revolutionary products have exciting stories to tell …

Lucifer’s Gold is a devilishly good drink for people who are not afraid of the unfamiliar. The mix of Scotch grain whisky and Kentucky bourbon is considered prohibited – hence the name. In an old Italian town, a British Scotch drinker and an American bourbon drinker were gambling. They noticed a change in the taste and texture of their drinks. After the game, they asked the barkeeper ‘Lucas’, who admitted to the mix, and they wanted to come back. The next day they were surprised that nobody by this name had ever worked at the bar …

Viva El Ron was a Cuban white rum whose recipe was developed over more than 150 years that everyone loved. The drink did not need a name, it was just called El Ron. One day the barrels were empty, but nobody knew the recipe – El Ron appeared to be lost. Sometime later, a young man found a box full of diaries, with stories spanning generations. The secret of El Ron was scribbled on the margins. He therefore kept trying until he succeeded in restoring the ‘white gold’. Viva El Ron!

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to Lucifer’s Gold and Viva El Ron De Cuba.