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Berentzen Group: 260 years of cultured distilled spirits

Berentzen Group is an innovative beverage company that boasts a wide portfolio and develops, produces and markets varied and fashionable drinks concepts. The portfolio includes spirits, alcohol-free beverages and fresh juices. With over 260 years of experience, they are one of the oldest national manufacturers of spirits and have a market presence in over 60 countries to date, with brands such as Berentzen and Puschkin as well as reasonably priced private label products.

In April 2023, Norden Sea Salt Gin was launched on the German market under the Doornkaat brand. It is a speciality on the gin shelf, as selected North Sea botanicals create an extraordinary and intense taste experience: juniper provides the spice, sea buckthorn and rosehip the fruity tartness. Norden Sea Salt Gin is rounded off with a pinch of sea salt. This spirit spreads the genuine nature and authenticity of the North Sea coast throughout Germany. It is versatile and can be enjoyed neat, on ice or mixed as a long drink or cocktail.

Tres Países Premium Rum combines distillates from Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic. After being stored for up to eight years in American white oak bourbon casks, they come to Europe for refinement by the master blender. The characteristics of the countries provide the taste profile: vanilla and butterscotch, elegant fruit, banana and chocolate. It is also available in a port cask finish, which is refined in aged casks for another six months.

At the World Spirits Award 2026, there was Gold for Tres Países Premium Rum and Silver for Doornkaat Norden Sea Salt Gin.

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.

See-Destillerie: From gin to whisky in the Salzkammergut

A gin for every region in the Salzkammergut: the Peinsteiner family has repeatedly made news in recent years because of this motto and has made a name for itself far beyond the regional borders. It went a step further with the Wolfgangsee Single Malt Whiskies, a challenge they were more than willing to take on. In 2018, they developed their own whisky mash system, the still received a whisky helmet, and the first whiskies were distilled in a pot still as a twofold process. This concept allows creative work and development. It regularly results in new mashes, and new barrel types and combinations are often used for barrel maturation. Filled into oak barrels, the liquid gold is stored within the old walls of the monastery wine cellar dating back to 1528, the oldest building in St. Wolfgang.

In spring 2022, the first pure pot still whisky distillery at Lake Wolfgangsee went into operation. The discontinuous distillation procedure in two copper pot stills takes an enormous amount of time, consumes resources and is also costly. Despite more modern alternatives, the traditional pot stills continue to be reliable centuries later in the manufacturing of single malt whisky and ensure the development of a special aroma and taste profile.

At the World Spirits Award 2025, there was Double Gold for Wolfgangsee Whisky 1528 CASK STRENGTH PEATED (Spirit of the Year 2025), Gold for Wolfgangsee Whisky 1528 OBERLAND, Wolfgangsee Whisky 1528 UNTERLAND, Wolfgangsee Whisky 1528 SHERRY CASK, Wolfgangsee Whisky 1528 UNTERWELT, Wolfgangsee Whisky 1528 CASK STRENGTH SHERRY and Wolfgangsee Whisky 1528 CARAMEL CREAM.

Brennerei Alfred Legenstein: Fine brandies from the Tyrolean Oberland

“Fine brandies from different fruits and berries, predominantly from the Tyrolean Oberland, are my great passion. I strive to bring the full aroma of selected and fully ripened fruits to the distillate, without the use of any additives.” Alfred Legenstein knows what he is talking about – he has his own small distillery in the cellar of his house. The mash is stored at a constant 16°C in a cool room to ensure controlled fermentation, and then it is distilled using either the column distilling or double distilling methods. In the comfortable lounge there is enough room for tasting (by appointment, for up to 10 people).

The fruity product range includes apple, damson, Williams pear, cherry, apricot, mulberry, Mirabelle plum, gentian, raspberry, plum, rowanberry, sour cherry and fruit brandy. There is also damson liqueur and raspberry liqueur. Anyone looking for a special gift can choose distillates in a wooden case with a personal inscription. SIGNUM is a special distillate: a joint product of Tyrolean fine brandy sommeliers, a cuvée of 17 different domestic apple varieties, matured in oak barrels.

The World Class Distillery 2023 (Distillery of the Year 2023 – Silver, 100% Distillates) received double gold for Aronia Brandy, gold for Quince Brandy and Cherry Brandy, and silver for Gentian Brandy and Blackberry Brandy.