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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.

LA SU Gin: Exotic holiday feeling in a glass

Alexander Kayser and Christopher Schuh are true gin lovers and founders of the brand LA SU Gin – a registered brand of Expo Outline Messebau und Event GmbH in Altenstadt, with Alexander Kayser as the managing partner.

After exploring many trains of thought, it was clear to both of them that it had to be exotic. LA SU Gin is a premium handcrafted gin with a hint of fruity mango. Distilled in small batches, traditionally and without additives, it is made in one of the oldest distilleries in Europe. The mango gives it a special freshness and balances the tart notes of the spices perfectly. Next to the mango, LA SU evokes a sense of travel. Enjoy a holiday feeling and discover new taste sensations. The elaborate bottle design reflects a love of detail and certainly leaves an impression.

At the World Spirits Award, bronze was achieved by LA SU *MGO* Natural Mango.

Neuzeller Klosterbrennerei: A renaissance of old distilling traditions

Distillation has a long history and tradition in Neuzelle, Brandenburg. The splendid Cistercian monastery once also included the ‘Newe Krug vorm Closter’ tavern where brandy was produced. This tradition of distilling was revived in 1997 in the form of the newly founded monastery distillery, Neuzeller Klosterbrennerei, rekindling 400 years of history.

Various liqueurs, as well as specialities such as absinthe, are produced here by hand alongside classic brandies and spirits made from stone fruits and berries. When the circumstances and quality allow it, regional fruits and raw materials are used. For example, the famous Neuzeller Klosterbräu is exclusively used for all their beer spirits. With the extension of the baroque monastery garden, new possibilities open up for the distillery because in future the herbs for Kräutzeller and Rosa Thyminest can be sourced directly from Neuzelle.

Herb liqueurs have a high standing in the area and are an important part of the product range. The beer brandy has become a typical regional delicacy known beyond Germany’s borders. Classic brandies and spirits round off the distillery’s portfolio. With the motto ‘Preserve traditions, break conventions’, the distiller Nico Petri guarantees consistent quality and is constantly working on new creations.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Kräutzeller and Rosa Thyminest, and silver for NimmDry.

Blue Liquors – Blue Mauritius Gold

The name brings luxury to mind, as it actually refers to the legendary postage stamp which was issued in the British Crown Colony in 1847. It took 165 years for Blue Mauritius Rum to come on the market – yet rum production in the island kingdom in the middle of the Indian Ocean actually goes back even further. The first sugar cane plantations had already been set up by the French East India Company in the 18th century. Nearly 90 percent of the farmland of Mauritius is used for the cultivation of sugar cane.

Blue Mauritius Rum is produced using a basis of local sugar cane molasses, which is fermented for 36 hours before distillation. The alcohol obtained is reduced to 60 percent by volume and then stored in South African port wine barrels. Processing and blending is carried out in small quantities, filled in small batches, in striking, square bottles made of heavy French glass. A wooden stopper, with a seal in the form of an old coin and a suede strap and, of course, the ‘stamp-blue’ label round off the elegant outfit. A velvet-covered gift box is also available in this royal colour.

At the World Spirits Award, Blue Mauritius Gold received a gold medal.