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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’.

Guggenbichler – Spirits specialist from the Chiemgau region

As a small boy, he helped collect the mashed fruit from the barrels and was later introduced to the secrets of distilling by his father, says the fruit-grower and master distiller Johann Guggenbichler. Fine quality brandies have been distilled at the family estate since 1829 and the business is now in its 5th generation. The brandy sommelier shares the particular features of these traditional local fruit varieties with visitors during seminars and tasting sessions.

The business is located in the picturesque Chiemgau mountains and the gently rolling hills of the Alpine uplands, at the heart of the fruit orchards where fruits ripen for use in the authentic Guggenbichler products. The varieties grown here range from apple brandy aged in oak barrels, apricot (brandy and liqueur), top-quality pear, blackberry and espresso liqueur, Gravenstein apple, hazelnut spirit, raspberry spirit and liqueur, elderberry brandy, coffee liqueur, cherry brandy and liqueur, herb spirit and liqueur, distillates made from Mirabelle plums, fruits, peaches and plums (brandy and liqueur), quince (brandy and liqueur), Ramazottl, sloe, pomace and rowanberry brandies, walnut liqueur, Williams pear (brandy and liqueur) and plum brandy.


Many spirits enthusiasts and long-standing regular customers come here regularly to stock up on their favourite fruit flavour. The brandies and liqueurs come packaged in wooden boxes and therefore make popular gifts. These top-quality spirits are highly valued in the world of gastronomy; Germany’s top chef, Heinz Winkler, ‘resides’ in nearby Aschau and recommends trying a ‘Guggenbichler’.

The World Spirits Award resulted in classification as a First Class Distillery 2014 with gold for sloe and black elderberry, and silver for apricot and yellow Williams pear.

Brennerei Ehringhausen: 700 Jahre Tradition

Die Geschichte des Hofes Ehringhausen beginnt 1237, erwähnt als Haus Edrinchhausen. Ein alter Personenname, Erich, wird zum Hofnamen, Familiennamen und Namen der Produkte. Die Kornbrennerei wurde 1962 gegründet. 30 Jahre später kam es zur wegweisenden, damals außergewöhnlichen Idee: Spirituosen auf biologischer Basis zu erzeugen, mit Dinkel anstelle von Weizen. 2012 übernahmen die Geschwister Theres und Georg Glitz-Ehringhausen die elterliche Brennerei und führen das Handwerk kreativ und naturverbunden in dritter Generation fort.

„Korn ist für uns mehr als eine regionale Spezialität. Korn ist unsere Inspiration! Wir suchen beste ökologische Zutaten und neue Rezepturen mit ungewöhnlichen Geschmacksrichtungen auf Kornbrandbasis. Wir möchten unseren Teil zur Herstellung hochwertiger regionaler Produkte beitragen und dem vielseitigen Korn wieder frischen Wind einhauchen.“

Die neue Holzfasskollektion wurde nach dem Ururgroßvater benannt. Bekannt für seine extravagante Art und den guten Geschmack, wurde er „der kleine Lord“ genannt. Er baute vor rund 130 Jahren als erster Ehringhauser Bauer Dinkel an und pflanzte einen Eichenwald. Das Herbarium des Urgroßonkels wurde zur Quelle für Aromenexperimente, entstanden sind fünf Gins. Basis ist milder Kornfeinbrand aus regionalem Bioweizen.

Beim World-Spirits Award gab es Gold für Der Kleine Lord N° 6, Rye Whisky N° 2, Jos. Garden Dry Gin Blutorange, Jos. Garden Red – Bitter Spritz Aperitif Likör, Classic Ladies Orangen Eier Crème und Classic Ladies Eier Creme Likör, Silver für Dinkelkorn holzfassgelagert, Brennerei Ehringhausen Zitronengeist und Brennerei Ehringhausen Orangengeist.