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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.

Dolleruper Destille: Regional products from Northern Germany

Near to Flensburg, Germany’s northernmost distillery can be found in a timber-framed house. The copper still, with which distillates from various fruits have been manufactured since 2003, is the showpiece of the building. In 2014, Dr. Axel Hartwig and Werner Sauer took over operations. Originally from the brewery business, they discovered a great passion for distilling and developing new products, so now also whisky, rum, gin and other spirits are available. Unusual ingredients also find their way into the distilling vat for products such as carrot brandy and cocoa spirit.

Because an environmentally friendly procedure is important for the distillers, many distillates are organically certified. As members of the FEINHEIMISCH network and the Nature Conservancy Foundation, regional production is paramount. The ingredients used are (as far as available) harvested in the Schleswig-Holstein countryside. The hand-bottled distillates can be tasted and purchased in the Bioland-certified on-site shop. Show-brewing and distilling seminars offer deeper insights into the subject. The young team has expanded due to increased production, whereby innovation and university knowledge meet many decades of experience – the perfect foundation for creative, high-quality recipes in tune with the latest trends.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Die Hand Buddhas.

Guqi Whisky Distillery: World-class Chinese whiskies

The combination of Chinese tradition and Western craftsmanship is the basis for this whisky of the future. Inspiration comes from different cultures, resulting in a fusion of Chinese fermentation know-how, French distillation finesse and Scottish ageing wisdom. The focus is on China, using the Baijiu solid method to increase the concentration of aromatic compounds. Camus’ patented process achieves the highest concentration of aromatic substances. Scottish knowledge is based on the use of bourbon, cognac and Changbai Mountain Mongolian oak casks. The icing on the cake is a Chinese herbal essence based on traditional medicinal herbs and medical wisdom.

The Guqi Whisky Distillery is a joint venture between the Gujinggong Group and the Camus Group. The huge facility in Bozhou comprises production, research, customer experience and sales. The distillery combines elements from the region, known for its spirits and traditional herbs, with distillation techniques associated with cognac and maturation in Scotch whisky. The production integrates tradition and modern technology: three-stage mashing with variable temperatures to optimise extraction of fermentable sugars from the grain, 168-hour fermentation for slow interaction between yeast and wort, and pot still distillation to separate and refine alcohol and the essence of the herbs. The grand finale is double distillation in small batches with selection of the head components: for the ‘LIGHT’ style, the best foreshots and the fruitiest and freshest components; for the ‘RICH’ style, the best foreshots and the richest, spiciest and most floral essences.

The two new makes, Light Single Malt and Rich Single Malt, received Silver at the World Spirits Award.