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Limomacher: Regionally produced – socially labelled

Limomacher is a young Bregenz enterprise, according to their own definition “excellent in graphics, design, customer service, lemonade production, social involvement and coffee drinking”. However, a look at the brief biographies of the four-person team reveals quite a bit about their wide-ranging qualifications. All lemonades are produced regionally in Vorarlberg according to their own recipes. Short pathways right up until labelling – also labels for private customers and companies on request – reinforce sustainability, along with filling exclusively in glass bottles. The labelling, as well as the whole warehousing, are handled by Lebenshilfe Vorarlberg, a support organisation for people with disabilities. This is an indication that social thinking has been of great importance from the beginning.

At the beginning of 2018, the ‘Franz von Durst’ brand started in Spar shops, followed by the start-up shelf at Metro. The company developed a gin along with a tonic water for this purpose, as the first manufacturer in retailing that offers both as a one-stop shop. The gin that is also regionally produced goes perfectly with the tonic water and its animating and aromatic concept offers an exceptionally fruity drinking experience. Aside from the juniper base, five further botanicals play a role: angelica root provides a slight tanginess and supports the homogenous taste; orange peel is characterised by a range of aromatic substances and a fine hint of citrus; liquorice provides a complex sweetness with a slightly earthy note; elderberry has an intensive and refreshing taste; and hops gives it a special something.

“We are delighted that the Vorarlberg locals have received our gin so well and that we can expand step by step also into other provinces,” say the two young entrepreneurs.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was achieved by Franz von Durst Gin, and silver by Franz von Durst Dry Gin Wild.

Albert Büchele – Reliability, Vorarlberg-style

“We have been farmers for generations”, says Albert Büchele from the Michelehof, which has been based in Hard at Lake Constance since 1838. The name of the estate is based on the name Michael since his great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were both called ‘Michel’. Today, the estate looks rather different with the focus being on fruit processing instead of animal husbandry and dairy farming. Plenty of input and commitment and a friendly sense of persistence regularly bring the highest possible accolades for this ‘stuff which dreams are made of’.

The diverse product range focuses on apples and pears and the fruit of the region – the Subirer pear – has become the company logo, based on the star-shaped flower of the fruit trees. Brandies full of character are made from the various types of stone fruits, berries and wild fruits and Albert Büchele has a particular passion for maturing distillates in wooden casks. A great deal of love and care has gone into the redesign of the building: since 2006, the architecturally successful structure has incorporated plenty of wood, solidity and style – not forgetting the expressive and well-balanced products made here. And little wonder, as harmony within the family and across the estate have long been the recipe for success. The future development of the Michelehof is certainly cause for great excitement.

The World Class Distillery 2017 received double gold for Cigar Cuvée, gold for Subirer Reserve, rose hip and grape brandy (barrel-aged), and silver for orange blossom muscatel brandy and damson brandy (barrel-aged).

Guqi Whisky Distillery: World-class Chinese whiskies

The combination of Chinese tradition and Western craftsmanship is the basis for this whisky of the future. Inspiration comes from different cultures, resulting in a fusion of Chinese fermentation know-how, French distillation finesse and Scottish ageing wisdom. The focus is on China, using the Baijiu solid method to increase the concentration of aromatic compounds. Camus’ patented process achieves the highest concentration of aromatic substances. Scottish knowledge is based on the use of bourbon, cognac and Changbai Mountain Mongolian oak casks. The icing on the cake is a Chinese herbal essence based on traditional medicinal herbs and medical wisdom.

The Guqi Whisky Distillery is a joint venture between the Gujinggong Group and the Camus Group. The huge facility in Bozhou comprises production, research, customer experience and sales. The distillery combines elements from the region, known for its spirits and traditional herbs, with distillation techniques associated with cognac and maturation in Scotch whisky. The production integrates tradition and modern technology: three-stage mashing with variable temperatures to optimise extraction of fermentable sugars from the grain, 168-hour fermentation for slow interaction between yeast and wort, and pot still distillation to separate and refine alcohol and the essence of the herbs. The grand finale is double distillation in small batches with selection of the head components: for the ‘LIGHT’ style, the best foreshots and the fruitiest and freshest components; for the ‘RICH’ style, the best foreshots and the richest, spiciest and most floral essences.

The two new makes, Light Single Malt and Rich Single Malt, received Silver at the World Spirits Award.