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Radeberger Distillation & Liqueur Factory – Herbal spirits with tradition

In 1877, Wilhelm Richter founded the ‘Goldene Sonne steam distillation and liqueur factory’ and, according to old records, his ‘first class medicinal bitters’ landed in the Royal Saxon Court as a ‘gastric tonic’ in the late 19th century. The royal endorsement encouraged Wilhelm Richter to present his herbal liqueur at the large exhibitions at the turn of the century. Numerous gold medals confirmed this early quality marketing as well as letters of appreciation from many customers. The heirs of the company founder managed to run the small liqueur manufacture as a private company through the chaos of war and the Iron Curtain. Still in family hands, today the lovingly restored main building of Radeberg in the picturesque main street has plenty of historical charm.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Original Radeberger Kräuterlikör (herb liqueur).

Drink Syndikat: Enjoy bar culture at home

Since 2014, Erik Pfauth and Jens Hoffmann have been creating cocktail kits for at home use – of the highest standards and inspired by the international bar scene. They cooperate for this purpose with renowned bartenders and independent distilleries. Their fascination for high-quality spirits and the knowledge gathered in recent years are concentrated in the spirits collection. To date, a spirits quartet with innovative character has been created: 3 x rum and 1 x gin.

Erik and Jens are fascinated by rum, because there is scarcely another spirit that is so multifaceted, in their view. It is therefore their centrepiece for the creation of new taste sensations. Nicolas Kröger from Wagemut Produktion GmbH is responsible for development and production. He imports Caribbean rum and refines it in sherry and port barrels, among others – with his expertise and according to the directives of Drink Syndikat.

Cookie Dough Rum has an enticing biscuit-vanilla aroma, integrated into rums from Barbados and Panama, and matured in white oak barrels. Port Cask Rum Panama is a blend of 8, 13 and 18-year-old rum, matured in tawny port barrels. Hazelnut Rum is a duet of rum and spirits with natural hints of roasted hazelnuts. The rum from the renowned Foursquare Rum Distillery from Barbados matured for twelve years in ex-bourbon whiskey barrels. It was ground with the hazelnut spirit of the Black Forest distiller Stefan Marder. The blend matured for three months in freshly emptied Pedro Ximénez sherry barrels.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to Cookie Dough Infused Rum, and silver to Hazelnut Rum, Port Cask Rum and the Dry Gin house gin.

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.

Bimmerle: Know-how meets regionality and trend awareness

At the production site in the Black Forest town of Sasbach, which was opened in 2015, this family business sets innovative standards in technology, sustainability and environmental protection. For the last five decades, Bimmerle has strived for the highest quality, with focussed know-how, modern high-tech and the traditional art of distilling. This is the first distillery in Germany where all the heating requirements and power generation are covered by the burning of fruit stones combined with woodchips from the region.

In Germany and on the European market, Bimmerle is a leader in the fruit brandies sector with the Lörch brand. In order to make the ‘playground’ more interesting, the brand identity was modernised in 2024 and will be extended in 2025 by a fruit brandy range matured in wooden casks. Needle Black Forest Gin is among the top 5 most widely sold gins in Germany. The portfolio has been expanded since 2018 with WOOD STORK Spiced Rum and the EVERMANN Black Forest whiskies Theo & Wilhelm introduced in 2022. The Black Forest distillery has enriched the liqueur and aperitif market with as many as five exciting creations under the DON PASQUALE brand.

The World Class Distillery 2025 & Distillery of the Year 2025 – Bronze (Bitters & Liqueurs) received Gold for Don Pasquale Limoncello Liqueur, Zünftler Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Wood Stork Spiced Rum, Lörch Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Lörch Vanillekipferl Sahnelikör (vanilla cream liqueur), Needle Gin Green, Don Pasquale Aperitif Bitter Liqueur, Don Pasquale Espresso Martini Liqueur, Don Pasquale Hazelnut Liqueur and Lörch Linzertorte Sahnelikör (Linzer tart cream liqueur). Silver was awarded to Kronenhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Zinselhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Altes Schwarzwälder Zwetschgenwasser (damson spirit), Needle Blackforest Distilled Dry Gin, Needle Gin Rosé, Don Pasquale Pistachio Cream Liqueur, Lörch Bratapfel Sahnelikör (baked apple cream liqueur), Zünftler Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Lörch Williams Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (pear spirit aged in a wooden cask) and Lörch Marille Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (apricot spirit aged in a wooden cask), and Bronze to Lörch Obst Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (fruit spirit aged in a wooden cask).