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Ehrenwert GmbH: One recipe – two families

One recipe – two families. Each family has its own carefully guarded secret recipe, and with the Lücke family this remained in the hands of grandfather Heinz and later his son Dieter for many decades. Long enough, thought sons Thomas and Christian. In any case, it is the ‘Felsenfeuer’ herb liqueur that once made the Lücke Distillery one of the most important in Münsterland. After the war they continued the success story which first began in the 18th century, with this herb liqueur, using the recipe that Heinz Lücke worked out. In the 1950s everyone was talking about it, but in the 1960s the era of the distillery and the herb liqueur ended. But not for good – 60 years later it celebrated its resurrection with the ‘Freudenfeuer’.

Whilst searching for a distillery, Thomas and Christian kept to family tradition, as their grandmother was a Sasse, and the Sasses’ fine distillery in Schöppingen is still well known today. Following a traditional recipe from 1947 the new liqueur is distilled in small batches and is bottled by hand after a ten-day rest period. Ready to enjoy: neat and ice cold like in the time of our grandfathers, or smoother, on ice with lightly pressed orange zest, or as a basis for a long drink with tonic water or ginger ale. To old times and new friends!

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Freudenfeuer.

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.

Fürst von Wrede: Exquisite craftsmanship for all the senses

The story begins on 24th May 1815, as Field Marshal Carl Philipp Fürst von Wrede (1767–1838) received Ellingen Castle, a Teutonic Order castle, from King Max I. Joseph as a royal throne and male fief – today still the seat of the princely house. Out of respect and veneration for the brave field marshal, every firstborn son is given the first name Carl.

The umbrella brand FÜRST CARL combines a variety of businesses, which together act as advocates for the region, tradition, innovation, quality and sustainability. This includes the castle brewery, the brewery restaurant, the brewery shop, the summer toboggan run, the princely farm, management of the princely real estate and the princely forests. The business is currently run by the sixth and seventh generations of the family.

In late summer of 2018 rowanberries of the highest quality from the surroundings of Ellingen were selected for a remarkable speciality – the Franconian rowanberry spirit. The delicate fruits were harvested and their stalks removed by hand. The trick is to harvest the berries at exactly the right time and to carefully process them. Then the spirit is stored for months in cellars until maturity when its wonderful fruity aroma unfolds.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Rowanberry, and silver for Fränkisches Kirschwasser (Franconian Kirsch).

Ironworks Distillery – Handmade in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is the second smallest province of Canada and is located on the Atlantic coast. In the historic port of Lunenburg – the home of the famous Bluenose schooner – Pierre Guevremont and Lynne MacKay founded their distillery in 2010. It is located in a small house dating from the 19th century, which previously housed a smithy, and because it has retained the character it carries the name ‘The Blacksmith’s Shop’. Where once ‘hardware’ was hammered for the Bluenose schooner, now vodka, gin, rum, brandy and liqueurs are produced in small batches. One speciality is Canada’s only vodka made from apples, but the bottled pears – 400 to 500 a year – also reflect commitment to the region.

Ironworks is a distillery with a clearly defined philosophy: ‘Made in Nova Scotia = Jobs in Nova Scotia’. The products are produced by hand from start to finish and personally monitored at every phase. Great value is attached to high quality ingredients from the region: apples, pears, berries, grapes or rhubarb, which come from their extensive partner network – and travel no more than 150 kilometres. The molasses for the rum is imported from Guatemala. The cellar has a capacity for 30,000 litres, and at the moment there are about 200 oak barrels stored there.

At the World Spirits Award, the handmade products were convincing: there was gold for Ironworks Apple Brandy and Ironworks Gin, silver for Ironworks Aged Pear, Ironworks Rum and Bluenose Rum.