Skip to main content
The cart is empty

World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

The ultimate guide through the world of spirits - with current ratings of the best distilleries and commercial enterprises.
Order it now on-line: for Euro 72.- per year

Destillerie

Company:
Zwack Unicum Nyrt.
Address:
Soroksári street 26
Place:
1095 Budapest
Country:
Hungary
Products:
  • Obst-Brände
  • Obst-Geiste & Spirituosen
Zwack: A family as the guardian of a secret recipe

Unicum is one of the oldest herb liqueurs in Europe and is made from over 40 different herbs and spices. The manufacturing process and the 225-year-old secret recipe have remained unchanged since Unicum was created in 1790, staying in the Zwack family for six generations. Today the production lies in the hands of Sándor and Izabella Zwack. Some special ingredients, known as the ‘heart of Unicum’, are personally measured by other family members – currently by Anne Marshall Zwack and her son Sándor Zwack. Two parallel processes are used for the production of Unicum: in the distillation the delicate herbal fragrances are preserved while other herbs are macerated at the same time to retain their characteristic colour and typical taste. Then they are mixed together and matured in oak barrels where Unicum gains its final complexity in taste and bouquet.

In the year 2020, after almost three years of development, the latest member of the Unicum family was presented. With Unicum Barista, a blend of Unicum and 100% Arabica coffee, Zwack took an innovative approach to the old tradition of consuming a herb liqueur with coffee.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Unicum Barista.
AwardsPointsSpiritEventDetail
Gold 94Unicum Barista2022Details

Destillerie

Company:
Augustus Rex ® GmbH
Address:
An der Obermühle 5
Place:
02826 Görlitz
Country:
Germany
Products:
  • Korn
  • Obst-Brände
Erste Dresdner Spezialitätenbrennerei – Strong stuff from Saxony

A distillery was set up in the 13 metre long vaulted cellar of the former Dresden-Klotzsche vineyard in 2001. Today, it has six employees and is both a primary occupation and a calling for Swiss-born Georg Schenk. High-quality products form the focal point here: in addition to fine liqueurs, over 50 different types of brandy are produced as well. At the heart of the selection are the traditional aromatic varieties including Adersleber Calvill and Zuccalmaglio Renette apples. A visitor centre was established in autumn 2010 where tasting sessions bring the wide range of flavours to life.

‘Augustus Rex’, the company’s rather grand-sounding sobriquet, is reminiscent of Augustus the Strong who was omnipresent in Saxony: he had orchards planted to promote healthy nutrition of his people. The area around Dresden is a traditional fruit-growing region with a large number of old meadows with mixed fruit trees. Harvesting has to be carried out by hand, and the care of the large trees, some of which are more than 80 years old, is time-consuming and laborious. In any one meadow, there is only a small number of trees of the same variety, so the quantities are limited from the word go.

The list of customers of this Dresden-based specialist is impressive: from Berlin (Hotel Adlon, Hotel Bristol, KaDeWe) to Hamburg (Alsterhaus and The Private Business Club Hanse Lounge), Sylt and Munich (Feinkost Käfer, Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski).


The company added yet more awards to its collection of over 80 prizes at the World Spirits Award, including classification as a First Class Distillery 2013, gold medals for the Apfel Champagner Renette (apple), Freiberger Bockbierbrand (bock beer brandy) and Dresdner Gin and silver for the Zuccalmaglio Renette and Stanley Pflaume (plum).
AwardsPointsSpiritEventDetail
Gold 93.7Freiberger Bockbierbrand2013Details
Gold 93Dresdner Gin2013Details
Gold 92.3Apfel Champagner Renette2013Details
Silver 84Stanley Pflaume2013Details
Silver 80Zuccalmaglio Renette2013Details

Handel

Company:
DBC PR - Jim Beam Suntory
Address:
1027 33rd St NW
Place:
20007 Washington
Country:
United States
Products:
  • Spirituosen Wiederverkauf
Jim Beam Distillery – Bourbon straight on

Knob Creek is named after a rivulet in Kentucky, the home of President Abraham Lincoln. His steadfast attitude seems to serve as an example for this straightforward bourbon. The square ‘chemist’s bottle’ suits these traditional values perfectly, as does the striking label which is reminiscent of the old tradition of wrapping bottles in newspaper. To this day, a mixture of experience and craftsmanship is the recipe for success for the bourbon from Knob Creek.

The bourbon was at the peak of its success in 1919, when the nationwide prohibition of the sale, manufacture and transport of alcohol began – lasting until 1933. Following this, a new start was impossible for many distilleries; others couldn’t finance the customary long maturing process of the bourbon. This situation motivated Booker Noe to revive the traditional bourbon style from the time before the prohibition: rich in aroma, with discreet sweetness due to year-long maturation in strongly ‘toasted’ wooden barrels from American white oak. In 1950, he joined the family business – his mother was the daughter of Jim Beam, which meant bourbon was already in his blood – and completed his training as Master Distiller. With the small series of premium bourbon he launched, the term ‘batch’ (small) was established and revolutionised the industry. His son, Fred Noe, continues with this clear strategy: “I learnt the business from scratch, listened to my father and learnt on the job. I know what it means to make perfect bourbon. Each bottle is a reflection of my family.” Since 1992, the Knob Creek brand has represented these values with the perfect combination of tradition and top quality.

A golden trio was successful at the World Spirits Award: Knob Creek Rye Whiskey Small Batch, Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon and Knob Creek Straight Bourbon.
AwardsPointsSpiritEventDetail
Gold 93.7Knob Creek Rye Whiskey Small Batch2016Details
Gold 93Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon2016Details
Gold 91.7Knob Creek Straight Bourbon2016Details

Handel

Company:
Proof Drinks Ltd
Address:
41 Great Portland Street
Place:
London W1W 7LA
Country:
United Kingdom
Products:
  • Spirituosen Wiederverkauf
AwardsPointsSpiritEventDetail
Gold 94.3Cazcabel Coffee Liqueur mit Tequila Blanco2016Details
Gold 92.7Cazcabel Honey Liqueur mit Tequeila Blanco2016Details
Gold 91.3Cazcabel Gold "Edicion Oro"2016Details
Gold 91Cazcabel Blanco "Silver Edicion"2016Details
We use cookies

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.