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Evan Williams – Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey with tradition

Evan Williams founded the first commercial distillery in Kentucky in 1783. He was unable to sell his rich cereal harvest due to transport routes and so decided to use the corn to distil whiskey instead. This was easier to transport and the local water, which flows over limestone ground, gives the whiskey its characteristic flavour. Production is based on a traditional recipe including all the details specific to a small distillery. Evan Williams today owns the Heaven Hill Distilleries, the biggest family-owned distillery in the USA which was founded in the 1930s. It offers a wide range of products such as American whiskey, rum, tequila, vodka, gin, brandy, cognac, etc. and is exported to 60 countries worldwide.

The classic ‘Black Label’, the second strongest bourbon in the world, matures for three times longer than is legally required. Combined with the higher alcohol content, an intensive, full and soft flavour emerges. ‘Evan Williams 1783’ is bottled after 10 years of ageing in a limited selection of casks. The ‘Single Barrel’ comes from one single cask with the number and filling date added to the bottle by hand. It is left to mature in white oak casks on the top shelves of the warehouse. Significant temperature fluctuations mean that the flavour varies from cask to cask. The Elijah Craig 12 Y is left to mature for 12 years in American holm oak casks and only 100 casks are filled each year. The company namesake lived during the 18th century and invented the Kentucky Bourbon. Legend states that he burnt down the barn in which his casks were stored. The whiskeys therefore aged more quickly and acquired a special aroma and colour.

Elijah Craig performed well at the World Spirits Award (double gold). There was also gold for the rest: Evan Williams Black Label, Evan Williams 1783 and Evan Williams Single Barrel.

Edgar Wernbacher – Authenticity from Hochsteiermark

For over 65 years, the Wernbacher family business has been known for stylish, traditional costume fashion. This means the best quality of materials and high-quality workmanship just as much as the love of tradition and its modern interpretation. This philosophy also applies to the distillery. “My grandfather was a connoisseur, and I also became a gourmet. A few years ago, my dreams came true with the opening of the new traditional costume shop and distillery. With the traditional costumes, our company is based on tradition, honesty, consistency and living handicrafts, and that is also reflected in our fine brandies. The time is right for honest and authentic concepts and products.”

The raw materials largely originate from the region: “Waldheimat – Semmering – Veitsch” which is how the easternmost area of Hochsteiermark is known. Fresh fruit is sorted by hand, cooled and prepared for the mash. Free from additives or sugar, distillation is carried out according to traditional double distilling methods in copper boilers. The resulting products have an unmistakable, genuine fruity character. The new product is Gin Bumm, which carries the ‘emblem’ of the company on its label – the stone sheep ram Ötzi. The idea arose during a gin tasting in London, and the final result is a very clear, high-quality London Dry Gin. Among the 13 botanicals, lavender, citrus and wild fennel determine the taste as well as juniper berries.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Rosenapfel (apple), Der Nimbus Apfel Cuvée (apple), Der Mythos Obst Cuvée (fruits), Schafnase Apfel (apple), and silver for Edgar’s Gin Bumm and red Williams pear.

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’.

Berentzen Group: 260 years of cultured distilled spirits

Berentzen Group is an innovative beverage company that boasts a wide portfolio and develops, produces and markets varied and fashionable drinks concepts. The portfolio includes spirits, alcohol-free beverages and fresh juices. With over 260 years of experience, they are one of the oldest national manufacturers of spirits and have a market presence in over 60 countries to date, with brands such as Berentzen and Puschkin as well as reasonably priced private label products.

In April 2023, Norden Sea Salt Gin was launched on the German market under the Doornkaat brand. It is a speciality on the gin shelf, as selected North Sea botanicals create an extraordinary and intense taste experience: juniper provides the spice, sea buckthorn and rosehip the fruity tartness. Norden Sea Salt Gin is rounded off with a pinch of sea salt. This spirit spreads the genuine nature and authenticity of the North Sea coast throughout Germany. It is versatile and can be enjoyed neat, on ice or mixed as a long drink or cocktail.

Tres Países Premium Rum combines distillates from Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic. After being stored for up to eight years in American white oak bourbon casks, they come to Europe for refinement by the master blender. The characteristics of the countries provide the taste profile: vanilla and butterscotch, elegant fruit, banana and chocolate. It is also available in a port cask finish, which is refined in aged casks for another six months.

At the World Spirits Award 2026, there was Gold for Tres Países Premium Rum and Silver for Doornkaat Norden Sea Salt Gin.