World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Clint Wilfred & Sons – Good taste for rapidly expanding markets

Clint Wilfred & Sons Ltd brings a carefully selected portfolio of drinks to the Gulf region and Southeast Asia. The young company targets fast-moving products in the HORECA – Hotel/Restaurant/Café and Hotel/Restaurant/Catering market segment. It is run by Clint Wilfred, whose family has been in the spirit production and distribution business for over four decades.

One main focus of business activities lies in the United Arab Emirates. To offer new products on this rapidly growing market is a great challenge, as the demand for premium and niche products is constantly increasing and customers’ wishes are very diverse. The range, therefore, also includes non-alcoholic and carbonated soft drinks, still and sparkling water, ready-to-drink teas, energy sport drinks and other New Age drinks. There is also a strong focus on a wide selection of packaging sizes and formats.

One special product in the spirits product category is Count Cristo Blended Scotch Whisky, a premium blend with a high malt content from the Scottish Speyside region and with some lowland malt for added depth and character.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Count Cristo Blended Scotch Whisky.

Revolutionary Brands: Secrets of spirited drinks

Vivek Menon, formerly Brand Manager at Aryen Beverages Private, is the Director of the company Revolutionary Brands founded in 2021, well-known in the spirits and wine industry. The spectrum ranges from the procurement of local raw materials to the production of modern labels, and the portfolio comprises wines from around the world, as well as premium spirits from whisky to rum. Two Revolutionary products have exciting stories to tell …

Lucifer’s Gold is a devilishly good drink for people who are not afraid of the unfamiliar. The mix of Scotch grain whisky and Kentucky bourbon is considered prohibited – hence the name. In an old Italian town, a British Scotch drinker and an American bourbon drinker were gambling. They noticed a change in the taste and texture of their drinks. After the game, they asked the barkeeper ‘Lucas’, who admitted to the mix, and they wanted to come back. The next day they were surprised that nobody by this name had ever worked at the bar …

Viva El Ron was a Cuban white rum whose recipe was developed over more than 150 years that everyone loved. The drink did not need a name, it was just called El Ron. One day the barrels were empty, but nobody knew the recipe – El Ron appeared to be lost. Sometime later, a young man found a box full of diaries, with stories spanning generations. The secret of El Ron was scribbled on the margins. He therefore kept trying until he succeeded in restoring the ‘white gold’. Viva El Ron!

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to Lucifer’s Gold and Viva El Ron De Cuba.

Windspiel: From the field to the bottle

At the Weilerhof farm in the Vulkaneifel region, Sandra Wimmeler and Denis Lönnendonker grow the pota-toes for their down-to-earth spirit, which is all produced by hand: from sorting to attaching the ribbons to the gold ring on the bottleneck. After the harvest, the potatoes are carefully washed, finely ground, added to drinking water and worked into a pumpable paste. This is heated to destroy any germs, and the transfor-mation from starch to sugar begins. After slowly being cooled down, a special yeast is added and the mash ferments in a tank. After three rounds of distillation, the basis for all the products is finished – an alcohol with a delicate mildness and characteristic potato note.

For the Premium Dry Gin juniper, lemon peel, coriander, lavender blossoms, ginger and cinnamon are added (the rest remains a secret). The Reserve is stored for many months in oak barrels and is exceptionally mild with its 50 percent alcohol by volume – perfect for enjoying on the rocks. The Navy Strength with 57 percent alcohol by volume is rounded off by ingredients from the routes of the colonial rulers from the past. For the Sloe Gin, hand-selected sloes from the Eifel region are preserved in 70 percent Premium Dry Gin, before the macerate is mixed with the 47 percent gin, sloe juice and sugar. The 30 percent juice adds a subtle sweetness to the bitter note – an ideal sundowner. The product range is completed by barrel matured vodka and a herb spirit.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Windspiel Premium Dry Gin, Windspiel Premium Dry Gin Navy Strength, Windspiel Premium Sloe Gin and Windspiel Premium Dry Gin Reserve.