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Prevelon: Premium vodka by order of the Kremlin

Kremlin Premium Vodka was created as the official drink for all diplomatic receptions and banquets at the Kremlin and was intended as the hallmark of high-ranking events. The decision in favour of the most traditional Russian drink was unanimous. It was only produced on special order and in limited amounts. The first large batch of this ‘protocol’ vodka was ordered in February 1945 for the Yalta Conference. Kremlin Award Grand Premium came on the market in 2011 and is exported to 38 countries, and in many of them it holds the top position in the ultra-premium vodka category. Since 2016, the product range has included Kremlin Award Classic, which enjoys great popularity amongst all partners.

Two products have been added to the product range. Kremlin Award Organic is based on alcohol that is produced from the highest quality organic wheat, and on natural drinking water. The vodka passes through a multi-stage purification through pure birchwood charcoal. The alcohol for Kremlin Award Vintage is made from organic grains from the same harvest. The wheat grains are stored in a grain silo until they reach their physiological maturity in order to get a high-quality base product. The ‘luxury alcohol’ is then mixed with natural drinking water and, after purification, is granted a resting period. Production is limited to the year stated on the label.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Kremlin Award Organic and Kremlin Award Vintage.

WoifGin: Sustainability and organic certification

Markus Peherstorfer has been refining the family tradition of distilling in his Waldviertel hometown and experimenting with it himself for years. His initial results were good but lacking focus. Then, in 2020, his good friend and neighbour Hubert Krenn asked him why he didn’t want to do ‘something proper’. Over the course of a long night of discussion, the idea for a Waldviertel Premium London Dry Gin was born. After long experimentation with a two-litre mini distillery, he had finally created something excellent. This is how the Woif brand originated, with the focus on something special right from the start: a quality product with an unusual name and the development of an organic line.

After converting the stables on his parents’ farm into a tasting room, the ‘Woifshöhle’, and its opening in September 2021, things happened quickly: WoifGin GmbH was founded at the beginning of December 2021, events were attended, marketing was driven forward, the online store was opened and more. There was already great success in the first year when ‘Das goldene Stamperl’ won Bronze at the Destillata and became the Lower Austrian regional champion. These accolades drove the development of further gin variants. The results are LuXX (with notes of lemon, lavender and lemon balm) and FiNK (sloe gin with the aroma of sloe harvested after the frost) as well as the cocktail punch creation NEPoLUXX (turmeric, ginger and more). WoifGin has been certified organic since February 2022, followed by LuXX in May. All ingredients come from controlled organic cultivation by regional partner companies. This sustainability strategy is an essential part of the corporate philosophy.

At the World Spirits Award, there was Gold for Luxx Waldviertler Premium BIO Gin and Woif Waldviertler Premium BIO Gin London Dry, and Bronze for FiNK Waldviertler Premium BIO SLOE Gin.

Hohenkammer Castle – Setting an example with sustainability

An idyllic rural landscape, traditional cultivation and sustainable agriculture – all just 30 kilometres from Munich. The beautifully restored Hohenkammer Castle is located in a small community with a history dating back over 1,200 years and houses a top-class seminar centre. The castle offers 162 rooms, 26 seminar and conference rooms plus various areas for hosting celebrations.

The agricultural estate of Gut Eichethof comprises 300 hectares of land and 500 hectares of forest which also supply raw materials for energy production. The area has been consistently ecologically farmed since 1992 and has enjoyed considerable economic success. The principle of sustainability is a means of devising a successful future rather than a return to the good old days.

Guided by high quality standards, scientific expertise is just as important as practical experience. The core business of farming is the reproduction of organic seeds of which the estate is one of the biggest producers, including being number one in Bavaria. Angus cattle, Mangalitza pigs and various chicken species are reared here for the company’s own use. Further top products based on its own organic farming include pumpkin seed oil and various fruit vinegars.

More than 1,000 fruit trees and shrubs provide the raw materials for fine brandies ranging from apple to damson. 24 high-quality products are available nowadays, of which five are matured in Italian oak casks. The brandies are sold in particular to guests at the conference centre and at the castle restaurant.

At the World Spirits Award, the company achieved classification as a First Class Distillery 2014. There was also gold for the Rheinischer Bohnapfel (apple brandy), Traubenbrand Holzfass (a grape brandy aged in a wooden cask) and Vogelbeer Maulbeerfass (rowanberry aged in a mulberry cask).