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Feindestillerie STELZL – Aromatic diversity from southern Styria

The Stelzl family estate was mentioned in the chronicles of the southern Styrian village of St. Johann im Saggautal as long ago as the 17th century. Since 1842 the family – now already in the sixth generation – has been engaged in wine and fruit-growing and farming on nearby Mount Eichberg. The area is also referred to as the ‘gateway to southern Styria’s vineyards’ and has a favourable climate, especially in spring and autumn.

Franz Stelzl is proud to have been able to offer his customers first-class, high-quality products for decades. Sun-ripened fruits from the region lay the foundation for the production of these high-quality fine brandies and liqueurs. The distillery offers three categories: In the foreground there are aquavits for grappa lovers (crystal-clear or barrel-matured pomace brandy, but also fruity and spicy spirit variations with strawberries, sour cherries, almonds or herbs). For cognac lovers there is a matured brandy from the barrique, and for lovers of fruit distillates there are double-distilled spirits from apricot, Williams pear and garden damson, as well as the classic fruit brandies from apple and pear. The icing on the cake is a Kranewitter (juniper schnapps for gin fans) in the old Styrian style.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Acquavite Chardonnay Trester, and silver for Acquavite Gelber Muskateller Trester.

Absintherie Celle à Guilloud: A legend with a past and a future

The homeland of absinthe is an area which defies borders: from Val-de-Travers in Switzerland to Pontarlier in France. A wormwood herb with an exceptional flavour grows here in the French-Swiss Jura, which gives absinthe its shared heritage – historically, industrially, socially and culturally. After being re-licensed in Switzerland and France, the region has set itself the goal of promoting the original absinthe and its origins. This has given rise to the ‘Route de l’Absinthe’ with interesting places, events and products relating to the ‘green fairy’ along the way. One such station is the small Absintherie Celle à Guilloud in Fleurier, Val-de-Travers.

For centuries, the location in the canton of Neuchâtel has been a centre of the watch-making industry and the homeland of two Nobel Prize winners. Here, the legend of the valley (formerly also a centre of absinthe distilling) lives on. Daniel Guilloud’s different versions of the mysterious, aromatic drink are far from the industrial standard – visitors can see this for themselves on a tour of the distillery. The beautifully furnished store sells absinthe in various forms, as well as limited editions, hand-blown glass bottles, accessories and much more; above all, though, riveting stories about the mysterious past of absinthe, told by Pierre-André Matthey, the successor to founder Daniel Guilloud. Both received the World Spirits Award 2025 honoris causa for their lives’ work.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Absinthe La Guilloudtine 68°, gold for Absinthe Celle du Docteur 54° and for Absinthe Celle à Guilloud 54°.

Diageo – From London to the whole world

Approximately 33,000 employees are employed worldwide at Diageo, the market leader in premium spirits, with Smirnoff (vodka), Johnnie Walker (whiskey), J&B (Scotch whiskey), Baileys (liqueur), Captain Morgan (rum), Cuervo (tequila) and Tanqueray (gin), Guinness beer and branded wines. Production takes place all around the world: from Great Britain and Ireland, Italy, Spain and Africa, to the USA, Canada, Latin America, Australia, India and the Caribbean. The global corporation emerged in 1997 from the merger between Guinness and GrandMet. 180 markets around the world are handled from its London headquarters.

A lot of work and lots of attention to detail go into creating the in-depth product descriptions on Diageo’s website. Information and analysis is provided about issues ranging from detailed descriptions of the production down to the most minute ingredients. Finally, they are aware of the size of their company and also of their responsibilities as a supplier of alcoholic products. The name Diageo was also deliberately chosen – it represents their agenda. Put together from ‘dia’ (the Latin word for ‘day’) and ‘geo’ (the Greek word for ‘world’), it means that every day people are celebrating all over the world with products from their company. These products open up possibilities never dreamed of for special days and nights, marking special life events and even making the smaller things in life feel magical.

Participation in the World Spirits Award was magical: there was double gold for Tanqueray No. 10 (Spirit of the Year 2016), gold for Gordon’s London Dry Gin and Tanqueray London Dry Gin, as well as silver for Tanqueray Rangpur.