World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

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.

Stock Polska – Prestige products with history

Polmos Lublin (known today as Stock Polska) was founded by the industrialist Emil Plage in Lublin in 1906 and was able to survive both world wars and the communist state leadership. The company was nationalised in 1948 and re-privatised in 2001. It traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange until 2005 and was sold in 2006. The new owners, Oaktree Capital Management, purchased the spirits division from Eckes Stock in 2007 and thereby laid the foundations for the current Stock Spirits Group. The company has its headquarters in Luxembourg, its service centre in Great Britain and its production sites in the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland.

Stock dates back to the year 1884 when Lionello Stock founded a beverages business in Trieste. He purchased a distillery in 1920 in what is currently part of the Czech Republic with the aim of tapping into new markets. This was followed by distilleries, bottling plants and warehouses in Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia. In the 1920s, Stock was one of the biggest companies of its kind in Europe.

After an absence of 70 years, Stock returned to Poland and began to manufacture at the historic site of Lublin, 150 kilometres south-east of Warsaw. Intensive investment led to the creation of the most modern distillery in Poland and a leadership position on the vodka market. Poland’s most popular flavoured vodka is produced here: Zoladkowa Gorzka.

Lots of Stock products are produced by traditional recipes. These classical brands appeal to connoisseurs all over the world. In return, work is constantly being done on innovations that correspond to modern tastes and new drinking cultures. Quality standards are constantly upheld in both areas, of course.

The quality of the products was recognised at the World Spirits Award with a gold medal for the Orkisz Spelt Vodka.

Herman Jansen Beverages: A global player for genever, gin, and more

Genever, a predecessor of gin, has been produced for centuries in the southern Dutch city of Schiedam near Rotterdam. This is where Peter Jansen founded his distillery in 1777. Following an eventful history and several mergers, the business has grown into a global network. Today, the family company is run by Diederik Jansen in its seventh generation. Craftsmanship, quality and innovation still set trends. The master distiller, two product developers and three beverage manufacturers make up the core team who together have more than a hundred years of experience.

Herman Jansen is an expert in the development and production of spirits and related products and uses his know-how to offer custom solutions. Sustainable partnerships are pursued, whereby in business to business the full-service approach pays off – both sides benefit from the 240 years of experience in distillation and years of knowledge of the market. The wide selection of modern products ranges from local specialities like Dutch genever, Friesian bitters and liqueurs to international rums and a wide range of vodka and gin brands.

As a representative of the cult drink genever, which can hold its own against the popular gin wave through constant effort and striving for a contemporary adaptation, the company received the World Spirits Award 2022 for lifetime achievement. Gold was awarded to Herman Jansen Master Distiller's Choice 2013.

Darauf einen Hüpperling: Organic vodka for wholesome enjoyment

The production focuses on wholesomeness and excellent quality, all hand-crafted, without artificial additives, only with traditional distilling skills and regional ingredients such as the finest wheat and the purest primary rock spring water from a Natura 2000 European nature reserve. The wheat for ‘DEH’ comes from fields in Biberbach at the heart of the Mostviertel region and is organically certified. It is shredded and carefully processed into a mash, fermented for 72 hours and then distilled 60-fold in a column still to achieve the required purity. Only the ‘core’ is refined for the vodka. After a rest phase for the 96% alcohol, the distillate is reduced to drinking strength with granite water. This is followed by at least a year of storage until the balance and mildness have been achieved.

Destillerie Farthofer in Öhling in the Amstetten district of the Mostviertel in Lower Austria is responsible for the production. The retailer and trademark owner is Frank Hüpperling from Berlin, an architect and drummer. During a band rehearsal with his music band B3+, the ‘DEH’ idea was born and then created together with Josef Farthofer in 2020. The trademark has been registered under his name since 2020 at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office. He has been certified as an organic retailer since 2021. And this is how he himself speaks of his organic vodka: “Quality doesn’t need ice. Mixing, cutting and icing are completely unnecessary here. This vodka is enjoyed pure and at room temperature (18 – 20°C), because the best quality doesn’t need any frost. Only then does its full glory come into its own.”

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to DEH Darauf einen Hüpperling.