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Luding Group: Vodka Tchaikovsky as a high-spirited homage to the famous composer

At the beginning of the 1990s, the modern distillery ‘Fortuna’ was launched in a green field in the south of Russia – in the Krasnodar region, a strip of land with spa resorts and health centres. The distillery has specialised in unusual products, in a region with a particularly green fingerprint. The vodka created in honour of the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky is special. The concept for this exceptional product is comparable with one of his musical scores: the work ‘Swan Lake’ served as an inspiration. Art enthusiasts can thus immerse themselves in the history of Russian estate life in the 19th century. The traditional white and blue colours underline the purity of this vodka.

The technical particularities span a wide quality-orientated spectrum: from the selected wheat, their own well water and the special treatment of the distillate with skimmed milk powder to the crystal-clear filtration with active birch coal. With so much perfectionism and monitoring of the individual production steps, the result is an especially gentle, animating and very typical vodka based on wheat. After the diluting of alcohol and pure distillate, the production process is continued with maturation in steel tanks. The aim is to ‘wed’ both ‘waters’, resulting in an especially harmonious vodka.

At the World Spirits Award 2022, Vodka Tchaikovsky was awarded double gold and honoured as the best vodka with the title ‘Spirit of the Year’.

Rhumerie de Chamarel - Rhumerie de Chamarel – A newcomer with vision

This high-quality rum from the island of Mauritius is produced in line with ecological guidelines. The products are distributed in Austria by the company Wind GmbH, based in Traiskirchen (www.wind-plast.at).

The road leads through extensive pineapple plantations and fields of sugar cane up to the distillery at an altitude of 300 m in the South-West of the island. Designed by a renowned architect, the building is elegant and authentic and a fine example of modern construction with its natural materials such as wood, stone and water. The comprehensive concept also incorporates the L’Alchimiste restaurant where up to 80 guests can savour the sophisticated regional cuisine. At the “Sugar Cane Spirit” boutique, various types of rum are on offer (White Rum, Le Coeur de Chauffe (fine brandy), Rum Paille (stored in wooden casks), Rum Arrange (flavoured with fruits and spices) as well as an exclusive clothing range, hand-made products and a small jewellery collection.

The location and climate of the fertile valley promote the growth and quality of the sugarcane. The sugarcane is harvested by hand in the early hours of the morning and processed at the mill within four hours. The fields are not normally burnt, as is usually the case, to make harvesting easier. Even when distilling at the highest modern levels of technology, nothing is wasted: the bagasse – the fibrous remnants of the sugar production process – is burnt to obtain energy. The chimney contains the very latest smoke filters and the ash is used to fertilise the fields.

The company yet again impressed at the World-Spirits Award, with one gold and four silvers.

Dry Fly Distilling – Spirit specialities from Spokane

Once upon a time … is how fairy tales begin, but also the success story of a distillery. While fly-fishing at the Gallatin River in Montana in 2005, Kent Fleischmann and Don Poffenroth bought a bottle of vodka which was said to be one of the best in the world at that time. Disappointed by the quality, they decided they could do it better and founded their own business in Spokane in 2007 – incidentally, the first distillery in Eastern Washington since the days of Prohibition. Their aim was to produce high quality vodka, gin and whiskey by hand, which conveyed the naturalness and purity of the region.

The company name refers to the newcomers’ passion for fly-fishing, both of whom come from large companies and bring their experience, especially in marketing, with them to the already flourishing business. With a focus on sustainability, they process regional white winter wheat and barley malt from Washington, as well as botanicals and water from Spokane. In the tradition of small, craftsmanship-orientated corn distilleries, they aim to become one of the largest producers of small series of vodka, gin and whiskey, and recently also bourbon.

Their efforts to produce top quality were soon rewarded, first at a successful show at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition in 2009: here, the vodka won double gold in a panel of over 200 competitors and the title ‘Best in Show’. In 2013, the entire range won awards at the Diego International Spirits Competition.

At the World Spirits Award, Dry Fly Distilling also landed a fine catch: there was gold for gin and bronze for Dry Fly Barrel Reserve Gin.

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.