World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

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’.

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.

Bruno Perkonig –Carinthia’s number 1 small distillery

Bruno Perkonig’s career as a distiller started out in 1995 and to date, every product submitted to a competition has received a reward. Bruno Perkonig is a fixed contender at industry events and operates Carinthia’s number 1 small distillery. The limited yet refined annual production totals 160 litres and 15 distillates which are primarily sold to private enthusiasts. Some of the rarest products, based on the philosophy of “less is more”, include berry brandies made from local wild fruits. Fruit brandies and schnapps made from pip and stone fruits complete the selection.

Bruno Perkonig’s main job is as a teacher but his part-time teaching work leaves him plenty of time for schnapps distilling and researching the secrets of nature. Bitters are made from herbs and roots and soothing ointments are concocted. A visit to St. Ulrich near Feldkirchen is certainly worthwhile: a more than 350 years old farmhouse has been painstakingly transformed and restored so that “tinctures and ointments can be produced here”. Bruno Perkonig says with a wink that the building would be perfect for increasing his distilling capacity. The distilling and storage take place in a stone vaulted room and a farmer’s lounge has been adapted for hosting tastings and cultural events.

The results of the World Spirits Award speak for themselves: classification as a First Class Distillery 2012, gold for the apple quince, silver for the raspberry, Knorpelkirsch cuvée (cherry) and Zwetschke Holz (plum) and bronze for the rose apricot.

Rum Enterprise: A new era of Cuban rum

Towards the end of 2020, the French spirits company Moët Hennessy announced the market launch of Eminente Reserva. The rum was developed with César Martí, Maestro Ronero of the Cuban state enterprise Cuba Ron. He experiments with different degrees of maturation of aguardientes, especially aromatic and complex sugar cane distillates, in different surroundings and barrels. Eminente Reserva represents a combination of the two Cuban rum types, the intensive-dry Occidente and the fruity-mild Oriente, inspired by the 19th century, enriched by a mix of different sugar cane distillates that have been stored for years in whisky barrels made of white oak. The proportion of 70 percent by volume aguardientes is one of the highest in the country and sets new benchmarks. Eminente Gran Reserva, a ten-year-old rum that received a three-month finish in French oak barrels, matured in a cellar where water evaporates faster than alcohol, hence the above-average alcohol content.

César Martí grew up amidst large sugar cane plantations. During his chemistry studies, he completed an internship at the central distillery where his interest in the production process started. Later, with the knowledge he gained, he carried out projects and research, developed improvements on his way to being a Master of Rum, and designed new products. In particular, he learned to love rum as an authentic expression of the local culture. In 2009, he was awarded the prestigious accolade of the youngest Maestro Ronero in the country by the management of the Cuba Ron Corporation.

At the World Spirits Award 2025, there was Gold for Eminente Ámbar Claro, and Silver for Eminente Reserva.