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Fürst von Wrede: Exquisite craftsmanship for all the senses

The story begins on 24th May 1815, as Field Marshal Carl Philipp Fürst von Wrede (1767–1838) received Ellingen Castle, a Teutonic Order castle, from King Max I. Joseph as a royal throne and male fief – today still the seat of the princely house. Out of respect and veneration for the brave field marshal, every firstborn son is given the first name Carl.

The umbrella brand FÜRST CARL combines a variety of businesses, which together act as advocates for the region, tradition, innovation, quality and sustainability. This includes the castle brewery, the brewery restaurant, the brewery shop, the summer toboggan run, the princely farm, management of the princely real estate and the princely forests. The business is currently run by the sixth and seventh generations of the family.

In late summer of 2018 rowanberries of the highest quality from the surroundings of Ellingen were selected for a remarkable speciality – the Franconian rowanberry spirit. The delicate fruits were harvested and their stalks removed by hand. The trick is to harvest the berries at exactly the right time and to carefully process them. Then the spirit is stored for months in cellars until maturity when its wonderful fruity aroma unfolds.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Rowanberry, and silver for Fränkisches Kirschwasser (Franconian Kirsch).

Bros. J. & M. Ziegler – The art of distillation at the highest level

In Baden-Württemberg’s Freudenberg, in the idyllic landscape on the Main loop near Miltenberg, real craftsmanship takes place at the Ziegler fine fruit distillery. Everything is done with dedication and esprit – from the fruit harvest to labelling the bottles. With this special demand for quality, they have succeeded in rising to become one of the leading distilleries in Germany. These days, every connoisseur knows the name Ziegler, and the fine brandies, spirits, liqueurs, whiskies and fruit vinegars they produce.

A milestone in the 1980s was the introduction of the fine brandy Wildkirsch Nr. 1 (wild cherry), which at the same time was their foot in the door to star-rated cuisine. With cask-aged brandies and 3-litre bottles, in the following years they established themselves on the German gastronomy scene. In 2008, there followed Aureum – the first single malt whisky from Untermain, a homage to the history of the distillery, which originally began as a brewery. In the meantime, the series includes 1865 5 Year, Aureum 1865 Cask Strength, Aureum 1865 Grave Digger Edition and Aureum 1865 Grave Digger – The Bruce (both developed in cooperation with the heavy metal band ‘Grave Digger’), Aureum 1865 Chestnut Cask, Aureum 1865 Whisky Liqueur and Limited Edition Aureum 1865 Cognac Ferrand. Since 2015, a gin has been on the market, in the classic bottle as well as the metal platinum edition, a limited edition of only 3,000 units.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Saturn peach liqueur (World Spirits Award 2018 & Spirit of the Year 2018), gold for Alte Zwetschke (damson) matured in wooden barrels, Aureum 1865 Cognac Ferrand (Limited Edition), silver for Ziegler Nr. 1 wild cherry brandy 2005 limited, and bronze for mAin Kräuterlikör (herb liqueur).