World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Vánagandr – Great quality from a small business

This is a real cottage industry, as the distillery in Cambre in the north-west of Spain only covers 200 m². This doesn’t mean, however, that the strict regulations and legally required controls for the spirit industry don’t apply here. The company is of the highest standard: distillation is based on old Galician traditions and carried out over direct heat in a copper boiler from the best Portuguese coppersmiths, with a few modern modifications.

The alcoholic base for the London Dry Gin comes from triple distilled wheat of only the best quality. This also applies to the carefully selected botanicals: juniper, angelica root, Cassia cinnamon from Indonesia, orris root from Eastern Europe, coriander seeds, orange and lemon peel from Spain, cardamom from Guatemala, nutmeg from Indonesia, liquorice from Turkey, Ceylon cinnamon and a few other secret ingredients – as with all gin producers. The water that is used for the entire production process is one of the best drinking waters in the whole of Spain. Distillation takes place very slowly, over about 12 to 14 hours, which means a total of only about 440 bottles a day. Filling, sealing, labelling, signing and numbering is done manually. “I mostly work alone, although sometimes my wife helps me since we don’t have anyone else at the moment. This means that absolutely everything that is in these bottles has passed through my hands”, says director Enrique Pena. Not only these bottles are in a class of their own, the especially designed label also catches the eye with a mythology-inspired motif.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Vánagandr London Dry Gin.

2B Hemp Gin: Styrian gin experience

Two visionaries, Armin Breinl (doctor, drink creator, musician) and Wolfgang Thomann (gin maker), have created a completely new gin experience with real hemp powder: 2B HEMP GIN (inspired by AEIJST). On 17th November 2018, the two invited guests to the first tasting of 2B HEMP GIN in the AEIJST GIN distillery in St. Nikolai in the Sausal Valley.

Made from organic juniper berries, this innovative gin has an impressive, mild and fruity taste and a typical hemp note. Due to its unique aroma, it not only tastes good neat, but also creates a ‘wow’ effect in cocktails – as proven in the long drink Styrian Pale Gin AEIJST refined with 2B HEMP.

For thousands of years, hemp has been grown as a valuable plant, be it for rope, fabric, paper or as an active ingredient in ointments and tinctures. Hemp has always been highly valued for its medicinal properties, yet recently has been demonised as an addictive drug and has suffered under its ensuing prohibition, originating in the USA. These days hemp is regaining importance and is being used more as a luxury food as well as in medicine as a therapeutic agent.

The Lifestyle Trading company, run by Armin Breinl, is an innovative beverage producer, which is already known amongst trade professionals for its sugar-free ‘func- tional fruit drinks’. The drinks have a high fruit content (more than 50 per cent) and additional natural, vital substances and have an energising, relaxing and regenerative effect.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for 2B HEMP GIN.

Georg Hemmeter – XUXU, Escorial, SILLA EL FUERTE

Georg Hemmeter – strawberry drinks with exceptional flavour guaranteed

The name Georg Hemmeter – a company of the Underberg Group – stands for innovative spirits, in particular the XUXU range. The fresh and fruity strawberry drink contains 66 percent fruit plus crystal-clear vodka, rounded off with a dash of lime. The harmony between the sweetness of the fruit and just 15% alcohol by volume is created using a special production method. XUXU Ten, the little luxury in a 250 ml aluminium bottle with only 10% alcohol by volume, is dressed to party – it is still relatively new to the market, yet is already at home in all the world’s top party venues.
XUXU can be served in so many different ways: chilled, neat, on crushed ice, as a dessert topping, with sparkling wine or with other mixers – XUXU tastes heavenly and offers fresh and fruity pleasure. Welcome to Berrydise!

Initially the absolute top star in Greece, XUXU is now also number 1 in Russia, and extremely popular in Turkey and Italy too.


XUXU Strawberry & Vodka Drink and XUXU Ten won Gold at the World Spirits Award 2014.