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Ehrenwert GmbH: One recipe – two families

One recipe – two families. Each family has its own carefully guarded secret recipe, and with the Lücke family this remained in the hands of grandfather Heinz and later his son Dieter for many decades. Long enough, thought sons Thomas and Christian. In any case, it is the ‘Felsenfeuer’ herb liqueur that once made the Lücke Distillery one of the most important in Münsterland. After the war they continued the success story which first began in the 18th century, with this herb liqueur, using the recipe that Heinz Lücke worked out. In the 1950s everyone was talking about it, but in the 1960s the era of the distillery and the herb liqueur ended. But not for good – 60 years later it celebrated its resurrection with the ‘Freudenfeuer’.

Whilst searching for a distillery, Thomas and Christian kept to family tradition, as their grandmother was a Sasse, and the Sasses’ fine distillery in Schöppingen is still well known today. Following a traditional recipe from 1947 the new liqueur is distilled in small batches and is bottled by hand after a ten-day rest period. Ready to enjoy: neat and ice cold like in the time of our grandfathers, or smoother, on ice with lightly pressed orange zest, or as a basis for a long drink with tonic water or ginger ale. To old times and new friends!

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Freudenfeuer.

Raunikar - Popular for generations

In the past, digging out roots in the forests and on Alpine pastures was a business of wood cutters, former miners and charcoal burners. The gentian root was particularly sought after, as it was considered a universal panacea - and served, of course, as the raw material for brandy. The "Wurzelgraber" by Raunikar is resinous-spicy liqueur made from mountain herbs, fully in line with the company's tradition.

If you are talking spirits and schnapps in Carinthia and Eastern Tyrol, Raunikar immediately comes to mind. What began three generations ago in Feldkirchen, carries on in this tradition into the present and it is now combined with modern know-how. This is reflected in the popularity of the products from fruit, herbs and roots among customers in retail and the hospitality trade.

They work using traditional methods in order to produce outstanding spirits. Raw ingredients of a high quality, a controlled fermenting process, maturation in steel tanks and continuous quality control are some of the factors that single out a good distillery. After all, distillers need to meet the demands of quality-conscious customers who appreciate a good traditional Austrian schnapps.

In addition, the "Raunikar method" has a unique feature: the raw spirits, the result of the first distillation, are already subjected to storage and consequently undergo maturation and characterisation at this early stage. Only after this phase of rest does the fine distilling take place, which particularly brings out the essence of the fruit. This elaborate procedure was deliberately chosen, for this is the only way to obtain products which guarantee a symbiosis between the naturalness and sophistication.

At this year's World Spirits Award, "Wurzelgraber" won silver and the gin gold.

Zöchmeister = wine & brandy

A wine voyage to Bordeaux in 1989 was the trigger for a passion for wine. Christian Zöchmeister, then just 22, applied his curiosity and thirst for knowledge in his practical work from this point onwards. He attended specialist courses and presentations, undertook additional excursions and started to take the small family business (selling grapes from 4 ha of vineyards) in a new direction. He planted new varieties of grape and the quality of the wine-growing production took off – aided by the favourable climatic conditions around Lake Neusiedler See. In 1993, a new field of business was added: a schnapps distillery which developed with success over the years.
The small and select assortment comprises various fruit brandies (sour cherry, cherry, damson, apple, Williams pear, apricot and peach) as well as natural products made from grapes or pomace and home-grown wine including wine brandy (aged for many years in oak casks) and grape marc made from aromatic varieties. The consistent quality work has also paid off in this sector, securing the company a number of prizes in regional and international competitions. All of the products represent the style of the varieties, the special climatic conditions and the distinctive terroir. Their expression and individuality offer greater insight into the product origins than any words ever could.
The company was also the subject of much discussion at the World Spirits Award and was classed as a First Class Distillery 2013. There was also gold for the Birnenbrand Cuvée (pear brandy) and Weinbrand Zigarrendestillat (cigar wine brandy) and silver for the Tresterbrand Gelber Muskateller (grape marc) and Maschanzker Apfel im Holz (apple aged in wood casks).