World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

MBG International Premium Brands – Brands with added value

“We Love Liquids.” This slogan has accompanied MBG on its worldwide path of success since it was founded in 1993 under the name P.O.S. Marketing + Vertrieb GmbH: Strong brands have been established around the world in nearly 60 countries, with innovative own brands, renowned retail brands, great ideas and a lot of energy. With over 250 employees, the MBG Group currently generates over € 200 million and, every year, more than a million hectolitres are produced. The portfolio in Germany includes 12 own brands and 6 retail brands (from non-alcoholic drinks to low proof drinks to wines & spirits) for 90,000 customers.

“Our recipe for successful brands is the mixture of passion, conviction and knowledge of the market. If all goes well, names and products become new worlds which consumers love. Success is not always predictable, which means that courage is needed above all. The right moment has to be found and hard work put in, just like with a hit single: some are one hit wonders while others become classics.” Little can be added to this definition from Managing Director Andreas W. Herb. From the MBG Group headquarters in Paderborn, a great deal of expertise makes successful brands, tailored to the respective target group and the market segment. Many brands that are well known on shop shelves and in the gastronomy sector have played a role in the history of the company.

Participation in the World Spirits Award yielded gold for Dos Mas Nasty Nuts Shot.

Shede Spirits: Spirit of China

Shede Founder’s Tribute is the result of a partnership between Camus International and the Chinese spirits manufacturer Shede Spirits, a leading company in the premium Baijiu segment. Production takes place in the southern Chinese province of Sichuan, in a well-maintained ecology park where the traditional Tai’An workshop is located, a part of Chinese culinary heritage – the oldest fermenting pits date back to the Ming Dynasty.

Cyril Camus lived in China in the middle of the 1990s, where he got to know Baijiu. Convinced of the potential of the ‘national spirit’, he launched Kweichow Moutai on the market. The search for new taste profiles signified the birth of the brand ‘Spirit of China’ and Shede was chosen – Founder’s Tribute is its international debut.

In the selection of the raw ingredients – sorghum, rice, sticky rice, wheat, barley and maize – sorghum, the main component, provides the characteristic aroma while the others add complexity and round it off. After the harvest, the grain is steeped and steamed with hot water to open the husk. After cooling, qu is added to aid in fermentation. Fresh grains are pressed into bricks with qu and stored in warm cellars, where microbial cultures flourish. After the fermentation, the grains are removed in layers and distilled by steaming. The basic spirit matures in terracotta containers and is then mixed with 15-year-old vintage Baijiu. In accordance with the principle of ‘sacrifice to gain’, 98% of the raw distillate is sacrificed to preserve the essential 2%. The largest reserve of premium Baijiu in the world is stored in the maturation cellars – over 120,000 tons.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to Sichuan Strong Aroma Baijiu – Shede Founder’s Tribute.

Kamill – Top spirits with a golden shine

High quality spirits have been refined at Kamill using a special method since 2009. The core products are vodka, brandy and whisky, but there is also raki and apricot brandy, to which 23 carat gold flakes are added. When it comes to bottling, imagination and creativity are also evident in the 3D label and the unusual bottle shapes. The ‘golden idea’ behind all this: “In the Middle Ages, gold was the symbol for the human heart and the power of God, which is why gold tinctures were used for healing purposes. Research has shown that the structures of this element transport medicines into the body perfectly. So why shouldn’t we also use this for more enjoyable products?”

In the ‘workshop’ at Kamill everything is done by hand. The vodka, for example, is filled into 10 litre canisters and clarified in a four-week procedure (using a special agent made from protein and edible gelatine), whereby the essential oils sink to the bottom. After being filled into other containers, the pure alcohol is brought to -20°C. This mixture is filled into yet another container, so that the remaining essential oils can be removed from the liquid. The final product from these processes is a pure, neutral-tasting vodka which can be further refined. After filtering, edible flakes of gold (E-175) are added and the shiny final product is filled into bottles. ‘Austrian Gold Savran Vodka’ gets its special flair from high quality organic Marchfeld saffron from the Schartner family’s farm.

The ‘treasures’ impressed the judges at the World Spirits Award: they won double gold for Baku, and gold for Oligarch Gold Vodka Saffron and Azerbaijan Gold Vodka.