World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Onder de Boompjes – Genever from south Holland

The history of this distillery dates back to the year 1658. At that time, the Steffelaar family began to produce Genever and Korenwijn in Schiedam. In around 1700, herring fishing was finally replaced by the malt spirits industry. Numerous workers from Brabant and Germany flocked to the town in south Holland close to Rotterdam. In 1883, 3,500 inhabitants were dependent on this industry and the town was home to the biggest plants in the world. During this boom period for the Dutch gin, there were numerous mills in and around the town and no fewer than 400 distilleries. ‘Onder de Boompjes’ is continuing this tradition today and only uses the best natural ingredients for its genever, vodka and liqueurs.

The product range includes the young, mild genever ‘Boompjes Premium’ (10% malt wine, distilled 4 times, 35% vol.) and the traditional old genever ‘Bompjes Old Dutch’ (20% malt wine, stored for 3 years, 38% vol.) for which the recipe took a whole year to produce. The range also includes the Oseven vodka, a premium traditionally produced vodka with no additives (3 days of filtration, 40% vol.), the Sylvius gin based on a very old recipe and Generum, a blend of old genever and rum. When it comes to the recipe: the company website includes a few cocktail tips for mixing the spirits as a change to enjoying them straight.

At the World Spirits Award, the ‘classic trio’ of vodka, Genever oude and Genever jonge proved medal-worthy and won three golds.

KOFEYOK: Homage to Viennese coffee house culture

The idea in 2019: a perfect New Year’s Eve drink that could be enjoyed all year round. The pilot project in 2020: a one-woman small enterprise as a one-stop shop for everything from the recipe to the end product, including social media, marketing and sales. The ‘witches’ kitchen’ – or small production site – is located in the Favoriten district in Vienna and focuses on high-quality liqueurs on the basis of coffee and tea. To guarantee exceptional taste in an authentic form, the best ingredients are processed by hand in small batches. The small, very refined product range has a look and taste to be proud of.

The coffee liqueur HERR HOFRAT has an impressively subtle smoky and chocolatey tang, coupled with nutmeg. It has a fine sweetness and is slightly caramelly with a lingering finish, like a strong espresso. It is best pure or as a ‘zest’ for traditional tiramisu and summery affogato. The black tea liqueur HERR BOTSCHAFTER is characterised by strong Ceylon black tea and a pleasant hint of citrus. Full-bodied and down to earth, it is delicious in summer chilled with ice or hot by a cosy fireplace on cold days. The third in the aromatic collection is the hibiscus blossom tea liqueur FRAU GRÄFIN, which gives the range a fruity je ne sais quoi – a novelty in this form. With its authentic aroma, soft vanilla and mild hint of citrus in the finish, it refines every cocktail and is enchanting alongside champagne.

On request and in close consultation, handmade coffee liqueurs with a special type of coffee are also created for customers. The result of such a taste journey is a personal secret recipe.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to Herr Hofrat Coffee Liqueur and Black Tea Liqueur.

Schwarze & Schlichte – Brand personalities from Westphalia

The family business Schwarze & Schlichte from Westphalia has been representing the highest quality spirits for the last 345 years with a distinct range of national specialities, regional traditional brands and successful international innovations. This top quality is based on a distilling tradition acquired over centuries which has been passed down over twelve generations. Even today, distilling and maceration still take place at the company’s own distillery where plenty of time and skill are invested. The selection and processing of the best raw materials and continuous control of the production process ensure a consistently high quality. One factor for success is the ongoing brand management in accordance with the specific requirements of the various brand personalities.

Three Sixty Vodka is one of the purest and mildest vodkas in the world. A fourfold distillation process ensures tangible softness and exceptional clarity while the purity of the vodka is all down to the time-consuming “Diamond Filtration” process: the finest filters are used, set with crystals like diamond dust, to remove even the smallest of suspended particles from the distillate. Even the packaging is unique: the facet-cut bottle of pure white shiny glass sets off this premium vodka to perfection. A black velvet label completes the sophisticated design.

The Grappa Bianca from Scavi & Ray is characterised by its full-bodied balanced flavour with powerful and intense aromas of marc. This crystal-clear brandy is soft and deliciously balanced thanks to the exquisite skill of the master distillery. The intense and fruity aroma is reminiscent of the sun-soaked vineyards in Italy.

Both products received a silver medal at the World-Spirits.

2B Hemp Gin: Styrian gin experience

Two visionaries, Armin Breinl (doctor, drink creator, musician) and Wolfgang Thomann (gin maker), have created a completely new gin experience with real hemp powder: 2B HEMP GIN (inspired by AEIJST). On 17th November 2018, the two invited guests to the first tasting of 2B HEMP GIN in the AEIJST GIN distillery in St. Nikolai in the Sausal Valley.

Made from organic juniper berries, this innovative gin has an impressive, mild and fruity taste and a typical hemp note. Due to its unique aroma, it not only tastes good neat, but also creates a ‘wow’ effect in cocktails – as proven in the long drink Styrian Pale Gin AEIJST refined with 2B HEMP.

For thousands of years, hemp has been grown as a valuable plant, be it for rope, fabric, paper or as an active ingredient in ointments and tinctures. Hemp has always been highly valued for its medicinal properties, yet recently has been demonised as an addictive drug and has suffered under its ensuing prohibition, originating in the USA. These days hemp is regaining importance and is being used more as a luxury food as well as in medicine as a therapeutic agent.

The Lifestyle Trading company, run by Armin Breinl, is an innovative beverage producer, which is already known amongst trade professionals for its sugar-free ‘func- tional fruit drinks’. The drinks have a high fruit content (more than 50 per cent) and additional natural, vital substances and have an energising, relaxing and regenerative effect.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for 2B HEMP GIN.