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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.

MBG International Premium Brands – Brands with added value

“We Love Liquids.” This slogan has accompanied MBG on its worldwide path of success since it was founded in 1993 under the name P.O.S. Marketing + Vertrieb GmbH: Strong brands have been established around the world in nearly 60 countries, with innovative own brands, renowned retail brands, great ideas and a lot of energy. With over 250 employees, the MBG Group currently generates over € 200 million and, every year, more than a million hectolitres are produced. The portfolio in Germany includes 12 own brands and 6 retail brands (from non-alcoholic drinks to low proof drinks to wines & spirits) for 90,000 customers.

“Our recipe for successful brands is the mixture of passion, conviction and knowledge of the market. If all goes well, names and products become new worlds which consumers love. Success is not always predictable, which means that courage is needed above all. The right moment has to be found and hard work put in, just like with a hit single: some are one hit wonders while others become classics.” Little can be added to this definition from Managing Director Andreas W. Herb. From the MBG Group headquarters in Paderborn, a great deal of expertise makes successful brands, tailored to the respective target group and the market segment. Many brands that are well known on shop shelves and in the gastronomy sector have played a role in the history of the company.

Participation in the World Spirits Award yielded gold for Dos Mas Nasty Nuts Shot.

Obstbrennerei Hügel: The secret behind the Hügel 22 brand

The family-run private distillery with owner Karlheinz Hügel and his son Christian produces fruit brandies, liqueurs, gin and whisky. This is one of the strengths of the Hügel family: “80 percent of the fruit is hand-picked from our natural orchards in the surrounding area.” The classic range is complemented by the modern Hügel 22 line – from gin to fine brandies.

The company was founded in 2013 as a hobby for the owners of the raw materials. The launch programme included 28 fruit brandies and liqueurs. From 2018 to 2020, Christian completed his training as a distiller and distillery specialist at the technical college for agriculture in Offenburg. This was followed in 2022 by the creation of the premium brand range Hügel 22, with eight exclusively filtered fruit brandies and a gin. The premiere was the presentation of Hügel 22 Whisky Exklusiv, limited to 380 bottles of 0.5 litres each. In 2023, the Hügel 22 range was expanded by ten liqueurs, and in 2025 by three single cask bottlings of whisky.

And what is behind the number 22? Christian Hügel solves the mystery for us: “That’s my lucky number. I was born on the 22nd and grew up at the address Im Dellbrunnen 22 in Hengsberg. I like to drink Scottish and Irish whisky and have also learned to appreciate German whisky. And that’s how the Pirmasens whisky creation came about, the first commercial whisky in the Southwest Palatinate. The base is barley from a wholesaler who tailors it to our own requirements. After three years, the whisky is fine-tuned when it is reduced to drinking strength with water from Pirmasens with a very low degree of hardness.”

At the World Spirits Award, there was Silver for Hügel 22 Whisky Edition 2, Hügel 22 Whisky Edition 3 and Hügel 22 Pflaume (plum in a port cask).

Inner Circle Rum – Sailing towards success

How does a world-class sportsman turn himself into a rum producer? And even make it a tremendous success story! Stuart Gilbert, a multiple world champion sailor who participated in the 1984 Olympic Games, shows how it can be done, with the successful re-launch of Australia’s best rum which quickly acquired worldwide recognition and was awarded prizes at wine and spirit competitions in London, Frankfurt and Chicago. In 2007, Inner Circle was taken over by Lion Nathan Australia (since 2011, it has been operated by Lion alone following a company reorganisation) and incorporated into their New Zealand range. Their competence and capacity to distribute at an international level guarantee a further positive development, as is shown by the sales figures and results of tastings.

Originally produced for the Colonial Sugar Refinery’s “inner circle of management and favoured clients” in the mid-19th century, this popular rum was available until 1986. When the company was sold, the brand Inner Circle – an Australian icon – was discontinued. Stuart Gilbert, a great fan of this particular rum, found himself missing it keenly. He tasted all the rums of this world, but none compared to the favoured flavour. He then decided to put his money where his mouth wanted to be and contacted Malcolm Campbell, the last master blender of Inner Circle, who still owned the original recipe and yeast. After buying the brand rights, Gilbert bought Beenleigh Distillery, the oldest registered distillery in Australia, in 2004 and as such acquired an industrial monument.

The Australian rum trio was again successful at the World Spirits Award with a double gold, Best in Category and Spirit of the Year for the Rum Grey, gold for the Rum Green and silver for the Rum Red.