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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.

Destillerie Josef Hofer: The finest stone pine schnapps

In the Styrian Enns Valley, at the foot of Mount Grimming, lies Irdning-Donnersbachtal. The Josef Hofer family business has been on the main square since 1797, now in the eighth generation. The stone pine schnapps plays an important role in the production of spirits and liqueurs. Since 2005, the Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur has been exported to the best resorts in the United States.

A stone pine spirit in its original form only needs pure alcohol and some sugar. 35 percent alcohol by volume gives an ideal combination of flavour and sharpness. The colour is typical with light blue-violet tones. Picking the cones is a risky job, as they hang on the outermost branches. And it has to be done quickly, because, due to the exothermal fermentation processes, the resin begins to seep out, leading to a bitterness which makes the cones unusable. Production begins after visual inspection of the cones: perfect examples are red throughout when cut open. They are left in a mixture of alcohol and water, depending on temperature and maturity, for two to three weeks. Once the sugar has been added, the alcohol content is regulated and, after a short resting period, the filtration and bottling follow.

‘Zirbenz trifft Barrique’ (Zirbenz meets barrique) is matured for six months in a new barrique made of American oak. The reddish-brown colour evokes whisky, while the aroma brings together stone pine with kiln-dry notes, hints of rum, tobacco and wood. A schnapps with strong bitter aromas from the roots of yellow gentian, which are washed and set in pure alcohol for two weeks, is a rarity.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Zirbenz, as well as silver for Zirbenz trifft Barrique and Enzian (gentian).

Tenmile Distillery: Ambitious project in America

Tenmile Distillery was founded in Wassaic by John Dyson and Joel LeVangia, with the aim of manufacturing American single malt from agricultural products in the state of New York. They were able to convince the experienced Scottish master distiller Shane Fraser to come to the United States to direct the distillery and supervise production in the Hudson River Valley of New York. The distillery was commissioned to Forsyths of Rothes Scotland at the end of 2019, taking up production in January 2020. Good results were achieved with an innovative range of barrels: apart from bourbon and sherry barrels, they also used wine barrels made of French oak which had previously been filled with Pinot Noir by Williams Selyem, a distinguished wine estate with vineyards in the Russian River Valley.

Sinpatch Vodka is made of 100% wheat and barley from the state of New York, a good choice for vodka drinkers who value traceability in production and high-quality ingredients. The distillery pays a premium to local farmers they know. Listening Rock Gin in a London Dry style is made according to strict regulations on a small 500-litre unit. All the plants come from their own distillery garden.

“We founded our independent distillery to return to traditional methods of whisky production with the right team and high-quality local raw materials, not intended for the mass market, moving away from global production plans.”

At the World Spirits Award, silver was awarded to Sinpatch Vodka and Listening Rock Gin.