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LA SU Gin: Exotic holiday feeling in a glass

Alexander Kayser and Christopher Schuh are true gin lovers and founders of the brand LA SU Gin – a registered brand of Expo Outline Messebau und Event GmbH in Altenstadt, with Alexander Kayser as the managing partner.

After exploring many trains of thought, it was clear to both of them that it had to be exotic. LA SU Gin is a premium handcrafted gin with a hint of fruity mango. Distilled in small batches, traditionally and without additives, it is made in one of the oldest distilleries in Europe. The mango gives it a special freshness and balances the tart notes of the spices perfectly. Next to the mango, LA SU evokes a sense of travel. Enjoy a holiday feeling and discover new taste sensations. The elaborate bottle design reflects a love of detail and certainly leaves an impression.

At the World Spirits Award, bronze was achieved by LA SU *MGO* Natural Mango.

EDMUNDs Liköre: Modern liqueurs following old pharmacy traditions

In the Rats-Apotheke pharmacy in Bötzingen am Kaiserstuhl, Dr. Martin Kullmer produces four herb liqueurs by hand and in small batches. Only the very best raw materials are used, which meet the stringent requirements of the European pharmacopoeia. The enthusiasm for pharmaceutical preci-sion, the love for high-quality spirits and an accidentally discovered recipe for liqueur awakened an unexpected passion for liqueurs in the pharmacist. And so, in autumn 2017, the EDMUNDs brand was founded – in memory of his deceased grandfather, Edmund Dunkel. He was also a passionate phar-macist and principled connoisseur, who impressed his customers with his homemade liqueurs. Based on this traditional recipe, his grandson has developed four new, individual liqueurs to suit modern-day tastes.

The elegant Maranera bitter combines the aromas of aniseed, fennel and coriander with the subtle spiciness of ginger, galangal and cubeb pepper, complemented by the invigorating acerbity from bit-ter orange and wormwood. Krambambuli is a complex liqueur with floral, spicy, fruity and bitter components. The leading role with Kolanitida, an intensively fragrant liqueur, is played by the kola nut. And the powerful Bitterfürst is characterised by tangy herbal notes and spicy sweetness – exciting and impressive.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for EDMUNDs Bitterfürst and EDMUNDs Krambambuli, and silver for EDMUNDs Maranera and EDMUNDs Kolanitida.

Edelbrennerei Armin Nachbaur: Experience and enjoy s' Kriasi

Fraxern is a mountain village in Vorarlberg with around 700 inhabitants. It is nestled on a sunny south-facing slope between Feldkirch and Dornbirn at around 900 metres above sea level. There is written evidence of the ‘Krisbeeren’, as cherries were called back then, as long ago as the 16th century. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, there were over 10,000 standard trees here, providing a considerable source of extra income for the farmers, as the fruit was in demand even in neighbouring Switzerland. In the year 2000, only 2,000 trees remained and today, there are maybe only 200 still in full production.

Heidi and Armin Nachbaur cultivate over 50 trees on two steep slopes facing the Rhine Valley as a sideline. Dug up as wildlings in the neighbouring forests, they were grafted with regional varieties of cherries used for distilling kirsch. The cherries are picked without stems using long wooden ladders. This process is called ‘mälka’, because the hand movement resembles that of milking a cow. For around two weeks, work is carried out from six in the morning until eight in the evening, with five to ten helpers from the village and the surrounding area. All of them work for free and have ‘grown up with the standard tree’. Depending on the year and the weather, three to five tons are harvested, which are all refined in the in-house distillery. Customers can learn on site about the cultivation, varieties and care of the trees as well as their harvesting and processing. This means that the consumer can enjoy a regional, high-quality product whose production can be traced sip by sip. The maintenance of the standard trees is intended to keep the tradition alive in the municipality and make a small contribution to the preservation of a unique cultivated landscape.

Hochstamm Kirsche won gold at the World Spirits Award.