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Weingut Beate & Reinmund Reiterer: Versatile epicureans

Five generations of viticulture tradition, an inn and guest rooms – at first glance, it’s a normal Kitzeck vintner family. This is far from the truth, because the Reiterers practice a ‘winegrowing culture for the unconventional’, in a designed ambience with creative indulgences. In addition to traditional inn cuisine, Beate is keen on a contemporary interpretation, with high-quality products from the region such as trout mousse, raw venison ham, wild boar muffins and more. Reinmund’s passion is on the ‘liquid’ side. With their sensory awareness and internal sampling, they trained their three adult sons to become reliable partners when it comes to the evaluation of foods, wines and distillates. The latter have been produced for generations and also brought the winemaker and cellar master to gin: “Its multilayered and complex aspects, similar to a quality Sauvignon Blanc, attracted me from the very beginning.”

It started with a table still that a regular guest of the family had given as a gift years before. “A pharmacist’s scales for the dosages, a walk through the forest and a visit to a spice shop – that was it. After the first winter the table still remained in place, and in the second winter it became clear that I might be onto something. So I switched to a column still.” In the meantime, Distilled Dry Gin is produced using the pot still procedure, with time-consuming double distillation and a lot of manual work. The composition of 18 botanicals, along with the combination of maceration and percolation have one united aim: “Complexity! No aroma may be dominant, instead the gin should consist of a subtle whole!”

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Distilled Dry Gin.

Säly Edelbrände & Gin: Voralberg newcomer with a passion

Patrick Säly, born in 1971, lives in Tschagguns in Montafon. The professional photographer started distilling in the autumn of 2020 as a COVID-19 project and has been working with gin since March 2021. As a newcomer, he works hard on perfection through perseverance. He does everything himself, from planting the trees to labelling the bottles. “My aim is to offer a clean, tasty and chemical-free product with a clear conscience. I myself am also a critical consumer and would like to pass this on as a producer!”

Priority is given to the regionality of the raw materials. His working principles are thoroughness, accuracy and cleanliness. Almost 100 percent of the fruit comes from the region, some of it from his own young trees, but most of it collected from mainly old, rare varieties. In 2022, over five tons of fruit were harvested by hand. The gin also contains many botanicals from the region, some from higher altitudes, such as wild rowan berries, Swiss stone pine cones, larch needles, gentian roots, cranberries, blueberries and more. Around 25 brandies, spirits, liqueurs and gin are produced in small quantities. Distillation takes place in a 76-litre column with water bath and agitator, operated with 12 kW of electricity. The company supplies the region’s top restaurants and has seven sales outlets in addition to the farm shop.

At the World Spirits Award 2025, Gold was awarded to Montafoner Zwetschkenbrand (damson brandy), Rote Pichlbirne (red pear), Roter Enzian (red gentian), Montafoner Obst- und Gemüsebrand (fruit and vegetable brandy) and Schindla Gin. Silver went to Montafoner Kirschbrand (cherry brandy), Montafoner Kräuterlikör (herb liqueur), Montafoner Dörrzwetschken Likör (prune liqueur), Heubluama Gin (hay flower gin), Montafoner Zirben Likör (arolla pine liqueur) and Montafoner Latschenlikör (dwarf pine liqueur).

2B Hemp Gin: Styrian gin experience

Two visionaries, Armin Breinl (doctor, drink creator, musician) and Wolfgang Thomann (gin maker), have created a completely new gin experience with real hemp powder: 2B HEMP GIN (inspired by AEIJST). On 17th November 2018, the two invited guests to the first tasting of 2B HEMP GIN in the AEIJST GIN distillery in St. Nikolai in the Sausal Valley.

Made from organic juniper berries, this innovative gin has an impressive, mild and fruity taste and a typical hemp note. Due to its unique aroma, it not only tastes good neat, but also creates a ‘wow’ effect in cocktails – as proven in the long drink Styrian Pale Gin AEIJST refined with 2B HEMP.

For thousands of years, hemp has been grown as a valuable plant, be it for rope, fabric, paper or as an active ingredient in ointments and tinctures. Hemp has always been highly valued for its medicinal properties, yet recently has been demonised as an addictive drug and has suffered under its ensuing prohibition, originating in the USA. These days hemp is regaining importance and is being used more as a luxury food as well as in medicine as a therapeutic agent.

The Lifestyle Trading company, run by Armin Breinl, is an innovative beverage producer, which is already known amongst trade professionals for its sugar-free ‘func- tional fruit drinks’. The drinks have a high fruit content (more than 50 per cent) and additional natural, vital substances and have an energising, relaxing and regenerative effect.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for 2B HEMP GIN.

Aldi Ireland: Gin and whiskey in retail

Aldi Ireland has several top products in its spirit range: Boyle’s Gin from the Blackwater Distillery and Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery, in addition, Mo Chara Passionfruit & Mango Gin from the Old Carrick Mill.

The Blackwater Distillery has been an Aldi partner since 2016 and developed the private label Boyle’s Gin exclusively for the Irish and British retail market. The product volume of the Blackwater Distillery for Aldi has risen strongly in recent years, whereby 140,800 bottles of the gin series were sold in 2018. The successful gin brand is manufactured in Blackwater Valley, West Waterford, with selected imported ingredients as well as regional apples, blackcurrants and elderflower. CEO Peter Mulryan – former TV producer and author of the book ‘The Whiskeys of Ireland’ – explains, “The partnership with Aldi has helped us to increase turnover enormously, and also to have the security to invest and expand. This includes on-site bottling facilities and a visitor centre.” Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery got its name from the region in County Cork where the malted barley comes from, and is only manufactured in small batches. The business was founded in 2003 by childhood friends who started out with only two small stills they had bought in Switzerland. Now the largest distillery in the country, it currently employs over 80 staff and exports to around 70 countries.

Beim World-Spirits Award 2025 gab es Gold für Ardfallen 10 Year Old Whiskey, Dúchas Irish Whiskey, Silver für Ardfallen Triple Cask Whiskey, Boyle‘s Sloe & Damson Gin, Dolmen Honey Moonshine.