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Kapruner Edelbrände: Hiking with a high-spirited reward

Not far from Kaprun town center, on the Maiskogel mountain, lies the cosy Unteraigen inn. Homemade delicacies and home-distilled schnapps are served here, accompanied by the wonderful panoramic views over the Kaprun Valley and the surrounding mountains. The establishment is run by the Rattens-berger family with charisma and warmth and is a popular place to stop for people on hikes or to take a break from skiing. You can visit the distillery, if you like.

In 1995, Albert Rattensberger had the facility designed and built, and in 2001, he founded the Kaprun-er Edelbrände company. In 2014, Anton ‘Toni’ Rattensberger took over the distillery, which produces fine fruit distillates with love and experience. “In schnapps you will only find what the fruit has to give, sometimes with a little yeast to improve fermentation. Basically, we keep to the motto: good fruit = good fermentation = good schnapps,” says Toni.

Distillation takes place all year round, but the main season is between September and December. When the distillation plan is drawn up, the fruit is delivered. Depending on demand, between 500 and 1,500 litres of schnapps are distilled every year. In total, there are 11 varieties, including apple, multi-fruit schnapps (Obstler), sour cherry, cherry, apricot and Williams pear, all made with fruit sourced from local Styrian farmers. They also produce rowanberry spirits – including Ukrainian field rowan – as well as gentian and even a rich egg liqueur.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for gentian, Williams Pear an apricot.

Fermentorium Distilling Co.: Creativity from Canada

It was the creative minds from Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. in Victoria that had the idea for Fermentorium. It is a place where spirits are created according to special recipes. The basic distillates for the gin are made in a traditional British copper pot still from the 1920s – endearingly called Old George – and refined in a modern distillery of German production. In British Columbia, herbs are gathered by hand and botanicals are cultivated, carefully selected for Stump Coastal Forest Gin, so that the gin reflects the origins of its ingredients – from the craggy coastline to the old forests.

Vancouver Island produces high-quality barley that is processed in Phillips Brewing’s own malt factories. Through the use of barley that is cultivated just 15 minutes away, local farmers are supported and emissions from malt transport are reduced. Ultimately, it is possible to control the quality of the end product better. There are only a handful of malthouses in North America and Phillips Brewing is proud to be the only Craft Brewer in Canada that malts its own barley. Small Talk Whisky continues the tradition of only using barley cultivated on Vancouver Island. Bourbon was originally stored in the barrels made of American and French oak, which were then filled at the distillery at the beginning of 2016.

At the World Spirits Award, silver was awarded to Discovery Street Dry Citrus Gin and Stump Coastal Forest Gin, and bronze to Small Talk Whisky.

MBG International Premium Brands – Brands with added value

“We Love Liquids.” This slogan has accompanied MBG on its worldwide path of success since it was founded in 1993 under the name P.O.S. Marketing + Vertrieb GmbH: Strong brands have been established around the world in nearly 60 countries, with innovative own brands, renowned retail brands, great ideas and a lot of energy. With over 250 employees, the MBG Group currently generates over € 200 million and, every year, more than a million hectolitres are produced. The portfolio in Germany includes 12 own brands and 6 retail brands (from non-alcoholic drinks to low proof drinks to wines & spirits) for 90,000 customers.

“Our recipe for successful brands is the mixture of passion, conviction and knowledge of the market. If all goes well, names and products become new worlds which consumers love. Success is not always predictable, which means that courage is needed above all. The right moment has to be found and hard work put in, just like with a hit single: some are one hit wonders while others become classics.” Little can be added to this definition from Managing Director Andreas W. Herb. From the MBG Group headquarters in Paderborn, a great deal of expertise makes successful brands, tailored to the respective target group and the market segment. Many brands that are well known on shop shelves and in the gastronomy sector have played a role in the history of the company.

Participation in the World Spirits Award yielded gold for Dos Mas Nasty Nuts Shot.