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KOFEYOK: Homage to Viennese coffee house culture

The idea in 2019: a perfect New Year’s Eve drink that could be enjoyed all year round. The pilot project in 2020: a one-woman small enterprise as a one-stop shop for everything from the recipe to the end product, including social media, marketing and sales. The ‘witches’ kitchen’ – or small production site – is located in the Favoriten district in Vienna and focuses on high-quality liqueurs on the basis of coffee and tea. To guarantee exceptional taste in an authentic form, the best ingredients are processed by hand in small batches. The small, very refined product range has a look and taste to be proud of.

The coffee liqueur HERR HOFRAT has an impressively subtle smoky and chocolatey tang, coupled with nutmeg. It has a fine sweetness and is slightly caramelly with a lingering finish, like a strong espresso. It is best pure or as a ‘zest’ for traditional tiramisu and summery affogato. The black tea liqueur HERR BOTSCHAFTER is characterised by strong Ceylon black tea and a pleasant hint of citrus. Full-bodied and down to earth, it is delicious in summer chilled with ice or hot by a cosy fireplace on cold days. The third in the aromatic collection is the hibiscus blossom tea liqueur FRAU GRÄFIN, which gives the range a fruity je ne sais quoi – a novelty in this form. With its authentic aroma, soft vanilla and mild hint of citrus in the finish, it refines every cocktail and is enchanting alongside champagne.

On request and in close consultation, handmade coffee liqueurs with a special type of coffee are also created for customers. The result of such a taste journey is a personal secret recipe.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to Herr Hofrat Coffee Liqueur and Black Tea Liqueur.

Konkani Distillery: Handcrafted gin with Indian roots

The team at the young distillery in Petershausen were inspired for this gin while on holiday in Goa on the west coast of India – a place to unwind, with dream beaches. The fresh and fruity mango drinks that you can buy on every corner are part of this. This taste experience prompted the creation of a distillate that gives everyone a holiday feeling for a while – a modern New Western Dry Gin with an ‘Indian profile’. The ingredients include tamarind, Litsea cubeba and turmeric, angelica and of course juniper, rounded off with mango and a tangy, fruity touch. The botanicals are processed by hand at Destille Kaltenthaler in Westhofen. You will not find industrial mass goods here, it is about filling dedication and lightness into bottles and providing them to people looking for an individual product.

Since language is the essence of communal living, the language of Goa became the namesake of this gin: Konkani. A mandala was chosen for the bottle design, taking up and representing the essence of botanicals, spices and fruits. In summary, this gin with Indian roots is intended to accompany the moments in life when we are gripped by yearning for a getaway, no matter whether it is on a fun evening, at a garden party or as a guest gift. One can always find an excuse to leave everyday stress behind and to switch off for a while.

At the World Spirits Award, bronze was awarded to KONKANI GOA INSPIRED DRY 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.

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.