World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Klippenziege: New era in the world of gin

In December 2015, four friends captured the ‘spirit’ of an idea: they were thinking about gin. Nearly a year later a small batch was bottled by hand. The individuality of a gin lies in the combination of the botanicals, in this case it is the exotic selection: mate tea, goji berries, physalis and a hint of rose. The Klippenziege is a New Western Dry Gin, in which juniper plays the main role amongst the other botanicals.

It is produced in the Habbel Distillery, which guarantees excellent quality thanks to its experience – it was established in 1878 and is now in the family’s fourth generation. The former Korn distillery in Sprockhövel with adjoining farmland is now the largest fruit distillery in the Ruhr region, as a traditional manufacturer it stands out with its attention to detail. The entire manufacturing process at Klippenziege can also be observed on-site.

The bottle and the label are also special. Designer Levent Aydin drew it carefully by hand, and then digitalised it before perfecting it. First it is printed, then coated, then stamped and embossed. The elegant result stands for friendship, solidarity and love. Working together in a friendly and familiar atmosphere connects people with a passion for life who share one important belief: that the product should encourage people to slow down, allowing for mindful enjoyment.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Mate Dry Gin.

Château du Tariquet - One castle, one family, on history

This family history begins in 1912 with the bear tamer Jean-Pierre Artaude who returned to his homeland in the south-west of France after many years in the USA. He purchased Château Tariquet and took his wife back to France with him at the start of the 1920s. His daughter Hélène and her husband Pierre Grassa (the son of Spanish immigrants who moved to the village of Éauze after being a prisoner of war) rebuilt their parents' property with a great deal of care and diligence and began to produce Bas-Armagnac here. Of their four children, Maïté and Yves continued the family tradition and remained on the estate. In 1972, they established a company here with their father and went on to develop their products and sales even further.

Today, this family company remains independent but has increased its estate to almost 1,000 hectares. The responsibility for the company lies with Maïté and Yves and their sons Armin and Rémy. It was Yves Grassa who decided, along with his sister, to produce white wines here in 1982, going against all tradition to produce a cuvée from Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc which is still appreciated today by wine lovers across the world.

In addition to its fresh and fruity Vins de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne, the company concentrates its production on Armagnacs with 45% alcohol from the rare Folle Blanche grape variety that is typical of the region. The Baco and Ugni Blanc varieties form the basis for the assemblages with 40% alcohol. Recently, high-quality bottles have come onto the market, such as the XO cask no. 6 (54.9 % vol) which is characterised by its roasted aromas, vanilla notes and well integrated alcohol.

The Armagnac XO und Armagnac VSOP won gold at the World-Spirits Award.

Spezialitäten-Brennerei & Whisky Destillerie Liebl: Distilled with passion

The roots of the family business go back to the year 1935 and the small grocery store of grandmother Maria Liebl. Following the difficult war years, a wine and spirits trade was added to the business. In 1970, they began with their own production of traditional, regional specialities such as Bärwurz.

The purchase of a distillery in 1990, with the rights for distilling 300 litres, laid the foundation for the current technology. In January 2006, the first whisky distillery in the Bavarian Forest was created. In 2013, the product range was extended with Bavarian Dry Gin, Bavarian Premium Vodka and Bavarian Rum. As well as apple, pear and damson, the focus is on wild fruits such as wild cherry, yew, hawthorn and juneberry, but the repertoire also includes Sicilian blood orange and tangerine.

Tradition, nature, time and the desire to create something special are the principles on which top class spirits have been produced here for many years. Nature provides the benchmark and thus also the motivation for Gerhard Liebl to transform fully ripe fruit into ‘liquid diamonds of the art of distillation’ every year.

The World Class Distillery 2022 received gold for Williamsbirne Edition Lena (pear), Jahrgangsbrand 2020, Bergkirschbrand (cherry), Rote Williamsbirne (pear), Elsbeerenbrand (wild serviceberry), Spänlingbrand (plum) and Espressolikör (espresso liqueur).