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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.

Pemberton Distillery - Power of potatoes

The fertile Pemberton Valley, an impressive area of natural beauty in British Columbia, is renowned for its potatoes. In the summer of 2002, the brothers Tyler and Jonathan Schramm were talking about what else could be made from these simple yet excellent raw materials at their small family farm, apart from seed and eating potatoes. And so they came across the ideal basis for vodka making: organic potatoes and glacier water from the region.

Tyler Schramm gained the technological expertise he needed during his studies at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. He wrote his dissertation on vodka production and developed the original recipe for the "Schramm Vodka". Back in Canada, he went on to set up a distillery which the three brothers Tyler, Jonathan and Jake ran themselves during winter 2008 along with an energy-saving heating and cooling facility.

In spring 2009, the first attempts at distilling began. They used five types of potato which were processed unpeeled so as to retain the aromas - unlike the industrially produced "neutral-tasting" vodka. In July 2009, the first batch of vodka was produced and supplied in elegant bottles. It is the only certified organic vodka in the world made from potatoes and has been selected as the "Olympic Spirit" for the Winter Games of 2010 in Vancouver and Whistler. Of course, there are also plenty of plans for the future: in summer 2010, a single malt will be developed from organic cereal grains - using a careful hands-on process of course. This will then be stored in oak casks for five to ten years before being bottled.

The vodka certainly hit the mark at the World-Spirits Award: all the hard work paid off - the product was praised for being an "example we can all learn from" by the jury and was awarded two golds.

Fünfundsechzig07: Five men – one mission

In summer 2018, a decision was made by Christian Dautermann, Heinz Dengel, Thorsten Winternheimer and Jörg and Joachim Schweizer: Ingelheim needed a gin, and one with depth. Edgy, strong and distinctive. No sooner said than done: the result is a local version of the cult spirit, with the noteworthy name Fünfundsechzig07. Every true Ingelheim local knows that is the old postcode of the Rhine-Hessian town – and at the same time a liquid declaration of love to their hometown.

19 botanicals in the Ingelheim Dry Gin provide a true taste explosion. Lemongrass, cardamom, orange blossom and bitter orange make it a distinctive counterpart to the predominantly sweetish range of gins. “Fünfundsechzig07 is simply different: edgy, deep and full of character – just as a product from our hometown should taste,” Thorsten Winternheimer states. The expertise was provided by Heinz Dengel, in whose distillery, in existence since 1882, the gin was produced. A labour of love, as he explains: “It was our first gin, but thanks to plenty of experience no problem. On the contrary, we are happy to be able to try out something new.” Christian Dautermann, who presented the gin at his wine tasting days, is also impressed. The gin is also well-received among wine drinkers. “We met with great interest and the feedback was very positive. This motivates us, of course,” the vintner is delighted to report.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to Fünfundsechzig07 Ingelheim Dry Gin.