World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Edward Snell – Whisky from South Africa

Edward Snell founded a trading company in Durban in 1848, from which the oldest spirit company in South Africa developed over 160 years. Following an eventful history, the company is now once again in the hands of the family. Besides their own brands they also sell numerous local and international drink brands, mostly in various markets in Africa and the Middle East.

The wide range of products includes whisky, brandy, vodka, rum, gin, tequila and cognac. One outstanding label is Firstwatch Whisky with its new look, a striking, square bottle design. Consumer demand for a whisky with an American taste profile has been perfected over time and is presented today as a balanced blend of the finest imported rye and grain. Whether pure, on the rocks or mixed – its diversity makes it popular with many different target groups and successful in one of the largest spirit segments in South Africa.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Firstwatch Whisky.

Pfalzdrusel Gin: Let a wonderful friendship beGIN

The friends Philipp, Paul and Tobias set themselves the goal of creating a gin that is 100% local to the Palatinate region. It conveys a zest for life and is fun: interesting and expressive, but simple and uncomplicated. It therefore had to be an organic gin. Spruce needles, lavender, rosemary and nettles represent the oasis of wellbeing of the Palatinate Forest. Blueberries, orange, lemon and bitter orange ensure freshness and lightness. Juniper brings the typical character into the glass. “That is the Palatinate region with all its facets and tastes, characterised by our way of life, culture and love of our homeland.”

The mascot of Pfalzdrusel Gin is the fairy-tale creature Dallas. One sunny Saturday, a little otter from Ottersheim ran through the forest to Bellheim. On the way it met a dog. The two of them hit it off and made their way to Kleinfischlingen, where the dog knew a funny fish. They had great fun and did not notice an old witch sneaking up, who wanted to put an end to the racket the three were making. She uttered a magic spell: three are now one! There was thunder and lightning, fog rose. When it receded, the witch had disappeared. There was also no trace of the dog, otter or fish. Instead, there lay a little animal with an otter’s head, a fish’s tail and dog’s legs. At the same time, the three friends Philipp, Tobias and Paul were on a merry wine tour when they discovered the little animal. They took it home, gave it the name Dallas and called the new species ‘Pfalzdrusel’.

Pfalzdrusel Gin achieved gold at the World Spirits Award.

Pemberton Distillery - Power of potatoes

The fertile Pemberton Valley, an impressive area of natural beauty in British Columbia, is renowned for its potatoes. In the summer of 2002, the brothers Tyler and Jonathan Schramm were talking about what else could be made from these simple yet excellent raw materials at their small family farm, apart from seed and eating potatoes. And so they came across the ideal basis for vodka making: organic potatoes and glacier water from the region.

Tyler Schramm gained the technological expertise he needed during his studies at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. He wrote his dissertation on vodka production and developed the original recipe for the "Schramm Vodka". Back in Canada, he went on to set up a distillery which the three brothers Tyler, Jonathan and Jake ran themselves during winter 2008 along with an energy-saving heating and cooling facility.

In spring 2009, the first attempts at distilling began. They used five types of potato which were processed unpeeled so as to retain the aromas - unlike the industrially produced "neutral-tasting" vodka. In July 2009, the first batch of vodka was produced and supplied in elegant bottles. It is the only certified organic vodka in the world made from potatoes and has been selected as the "Olympic Spirit" for the Winter Games of 2010 in Vancouver and Whistler. Of course, there are also plenty of plans for the future: in summer 2010, a single malt will be developed from organic cereal grains - using a careful hands-on process of course. This will then be stored in oak casks for five to ten years before being bottled.

The vodka certainly hit the mark at the World-Spirits Award: all the hard work paid off - the product was praised for being an "example we can all learn from" by the jury and was awarded two golds.