World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Edward Snell – Whisky from South Africa

Edward Snell founded a trading company in Durban in 1848, from which the oldest spirit company in South Africa developed over 160 years. Following an eventful history, the company is now once again in the hands of the family. Besides their own brands they also sell numerous local and international drink brands, mostly in various markets in Africa and the Middle East.

The wide range of products includes whisky, brandy, vodka, rum, gin, tequila and cognac. One outstanding label is Firstwatch Whisky with its new look, a striking, square bottle design. Consumer demand for a whisky with an American taste profile has been perfected over time and is presented today as a balanced blend of the finest imported rye and grain. Whether pure, on the rocks or mixed – its diversity makes it popular with many different target groups and successful in one of the largest spirit segments in South Africa.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Firstwatch Whisky.

Sauerland Distillers: Regional botanicals in distinctive packaging

“The characteristic, woody and lively Sauerland botanicals distilled at Navy Strength (57.15% by vol-ume) turn the best gin we have ever produced into now also the strongest gin we have ever produced. Pure enjoyment with a strong character that lingers on the palate, refines cocktails and puts even the strongest tonic water in its place. Olaf Baumeister, TV chef and owner of Hotel Seegarten in Sundern, designed the recipe to create a balanced gin with the same botanicals, which can be enjoyed straight, as a long drink or in a cocktail.” This is how Managing Director Moritz Dimde, who is responsible for all administrative and financial matters, describes the WOODLAND project.

The artwork for the bottle design and the elaborate packaging comes from fellow partners, Till Brauckmann, Matthias Czech and Gregor Biedrzycki. Andreas Schulte and Johannes Bitter-Suermann take care of distribution and logistics, with each of them contributing their skills and professional ex-perience. Sauerland Distillers GmbH uses local, soft water for distilling. The botanicals are individually cold macerated and then mixed in, unfiltered, after distilling. To intensify the authenticity of the gin, the labels have been reduced to the essentials: a plain, high-quality typography. The gin is filled in 500 ml bottles in the no-frill style of chemist bottles.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Woodland Sauerland Dry Gin (Spirit of the Year & World Spirits Award 2019).

Angostura Limited: From elixir to export hit

Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, a young doctor born in Germany, journeyed to South America after the Napoleonic Wars. In the services of the freedom fighter Simón Bolívar, he worked in a military hospital in the town of Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar), and perfected the formula for an aromatic bitter in 1824. This elixir proved to be extremely effective with the soldiers’ stomach troubles and digestive disorders – and is said to have helped them to win the fight for freedom against the Spaniards. Soon the fame of the miracle cure was spread by the sailors, and it became used as a versatile flavour enhancer for foods and drinks, and the foundations for a small but regular export business were laid.

In 1875, the company was relocated to Trinidad, and started in the rum business soon after. In 1949, an in-house distillery was established and, by the end of the 1960s, the Angostura company had expanded sales of its aromatic bitters to over 140 countries around the world – and grew even further in the decades that followed. These days, the global market leader in bitters exports to around 165 countries worldwide, a great achievement for the economy of Trinidad and Tobago. The headquarters are located on a 20-hectare site, where guided tours of the distillery, the bitters production area, the museum and the butterfly collection are organised for locals and visitors.

Die World-Class Distillery 2025 erhielt Gold für Angostura 5 year old Rum, Angostura Reserva, Angostura 1919, Angostura 7 year old Rum, Angostura 1824, Angostura Tamboo, Silver für Angostura 1787.