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Angostura Limited: From elixir to export hit

Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, a young doctor born in Germany, journeyed to South America after the Napoleonic Wars. In the services of the freedom fighter Simón Bolívar, he worked in a military hospital in the town of Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar), and perfected the formula for an aromatic bitter in 1824. This elixir proved to be extremely effective with the soldiers’ stomach troubles and digestive disorders – and is said to have helped them to win the fight for freedom against the Spaniards. Soon the fame of the miracle cure was spread by the sailors, and it became used as a versatile flavour enhancer for foods and drinks, and the foundations for a small but regular export business were laid.

In 1875, the company was relocated to Trinidad, and started in the rum business soon after. In 1949, an in-house distillery was established and, by the end of the 1960s, the Angostura company had expanded sales of its aromatic bitters to over 140 countries around the world – and grew even further in the decades that followed. These days, the global market leader in bitters exports to around 165 countries worldwide, a great achievement for the economy of Trinidad and Tobago. The headquarters are located on a 20-hectare site, where guided tours of the distillery, the bitters production area, the museum and the butterfly collection are organised for locals and visitors.

Die World-Class Distillery 2025 erhielt Gold für Angostura 5 year old Rum, Angostura Reserva, Angostura 1919, Angostura 7 year old Rum, Angostura 1824, Angostura Tamboo, Silver für Angostura 1787.

Pap és Pap – Family business with a burning passion

At the end of 2009, a dream came true for Szabolcs, Marcella and Gergely Pap – they opened their own family distillery in Etyek in the wine-growing region of the same name, some 30 km from Budapest. The small team of six manages one of the country’s most modern quality distilleries. The choice of the family coat-of-arms as the company logo symbolises the strong family ties. The production process is characterised by its regional roots and the distinctive flavour of the fruits, most of which they grow themselves. The product range comprises apple, elderberry, cherry, apricot, Williams pear, raspberry, sour cherry, peach, strawberry, blackberry, plum and grape. The products can be sampled following a tour of the plant in the new tasting cellar which holds up to 60 people.

The fresh fruits are delivered by the lorry load and are stored in the cellars where they are protected from the sunshine, rain, wind and dust before being processed just a few hours later. All of the production stages take place underground in rooms protected from temperature fluctuations, with the exception of the distilling. The fruits are washed and the cores, stems, stalks and leaves removed before being machine-chopped and pumped into an acid-proof agitator tank for the homogenisation process to begin. From this point onwards, they no longer come into contact with human hands. Following cooled fermentation in steel tanks, the substance is distilled in a technologically sophisticated plant. The fine distillate is stored in a tank for six months while special varieties are stored in wooden barrels made from various woods.

At the World Spirits Award, Pap was classified as a Master Class Distillery 2012. There was gold for the Apple Mutzu (2 x), Grape Irsai Olivér, Plum, Apricot (2 x) and Blackberry. Silver medals were awarded to the Apple Jona Gold, Grape Szürkebarát (2 x), Plum (2 x), Pear Williams Yellow (3 x), Strawberry and Black Elderberry (2 x). Bronze went to the Apple Jona Gold, Cherry Sour and Raspberry.

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.

Bimmerle: Know-how meets regionality and trend awareness

At the production site in the Black Forest town of Sasbach, which was opened in 2015, this family business sets innovative standards in technology, sustainability and environmental protection. For the last five decades, Bimmerle has strived for the highest quality, with focussed know-how, modern high-tech and the traditional art of distilling. This is the first distillery in Germany where all the heating requirements and power generation are covered by the burning of fruit stones combined with woodchips from the region.

In Germany and on the European market, Bimmerle is a leader in the fruit brandies sector with the Lörch brand. In order to make the ‘playground’ more interesting, the brand identity was modernised in 2024 and will be extended in 2025 by a fruit brandy range matured in wooden casks. Needle Black Forest Gin is among the top 5 most widely sold gins in Germany. The portfolio has been expanded since 2018 with WOOD STORK Spiced Rum and the EVERMANN Black Forest whiskies Theo & Wilhelm introduced in 2022. The Black Forest distillery has enriched the liqueur and aperitif market with as many as five exciting creations under the DON PASQUALE brand.

The World Class Distillery 2025 & Distillery of the Year 2025 – Bronze (Bitters & Liqueurs) received Gold for Don Pasquale Limoncello Liqueur, Zünftler Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Wood Stork Spiced Rum, Lörch Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Lörch Vanillekipferl Sahnelikör (vanilla cream liqueur), Needle Gin Green, Don Pasquale Aperitif Bitter Liqueur, Don Pasquale Espresso Martini Liqueur, Don Pasquale Hazelnut Liqueur and Lörch Linzertorte Sahnelikör (Linzer tart cream liqueur). Silver was awarded to Kronenhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Zinselhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Altes Schwarzwälder Zwetschgenwasser (damson spirit), Needle Blackforest Distilled Dry Gin, Needle Gin Rosé, Don Pasquale Pistachio Cream Liqueur, Lörch Bratapfel Sahnelikör (baked apple cream liqueur), Zünftler Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Lörch Williams Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (pear spirit aged in a wooden cask) and Lörch Marille Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (apricot spirit aged in a wooden cask), and Bronze to Lörch Obst Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (fruit spirit aged in a wooden cask).