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Schwarze & Schlichte – Brand personalities from Westphalia

The family business Schwarze & Schlichte from Westphalia has been representing the highest quality spirits for the last 345 years with a distinct range of national specialities, regional traditional brands and successful international innovations. This top quality is based on a distilling tradition acquired over centuries which has been passed down over twelve generations. Even today, distilling and maceration still take place at the company’s own distillery where plenty of time and skill are invested. The selection and processing of the best raw materials and continuous control of the production process ensure a consistently high quality. One factor for success is the ongoing brand management in accordance with the specific requirements of the various brand personalities.

Three Sixty Vodka is one of the purest and mildest vodkas in the world. A fourfold distillation process ensures tangible softness and exceptional clarity while the purity of the vodka is all down to the time-consuming “Diamond Filtration” process: the finest filters are used, set with crystals like diamond dust, to remove even the smallest of suspended particles from the distillate. Even the packaging is unique: the facet-cut bottle of pure white shiny glass sets off this premium vodka to perfection. A black velvet label completes the sophisticated design.

The Grappa Bianca from Scavi & Ray is characterised by its full-bodied balanced flavour with powerful and intense aromas of marc. This crystal-clear brandy is soft and deliciously balanced thanks to the exquisite skill of the master distillery. The intense and fruity aroma is reminiscent of the sun-soaked vineyards in Italy.

Both products received a silver medal at the World-Spirits.

Waldemar Behn: Unique spirits brands

The slogan ‘Kennen Sie den? Der ist von BEHN!’ (Do you know this one? It’s from BEHN!) is what made this family company from Eckernförde famous. In 1892, Waldemar Behn, son of a Hamburg beer brewer, established a retail store for beverages in Schleswig-Holstein. He initially supplied beer to workers building the Kaiser-Wilhelm Canal, the present-day Kiel Canal. The product range was later extended to include non-alcoholic drinks and spirits of his own production for the catering trade. In 1906, Waldemar Behn bought the Eckernförder Dampfbierbrauerei brewery so that this Baltic resort of Eckernförde became the company headquarters, which it still is today.

After the Second World War, alongside running a specialised beverage wholesale trade, the company concentrated on producing branded items in the spirits sector, including typical products of the region, such as Germany’s most popular anise spirit ‘Küstennebel’, ‘Fischergeist’ and ‘Original Friesengeist’. Starting from the Northern Germany region, the Behn family company developed into a national and international provider with the brand ‘Kleiner Feigling’. With one of the world’s highest awarded cream liqueurs, ‘Dooley’s Original Toffee Liqueur’, the company finally achieved its international breakthrough which was solidified with the purchase of the brand ‘DANZKA Vodka’ in 2013. Today, Behn’s range of products consists of award-winning spirits brands that are available almost everywhere in the world.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Andalö Sea Buckthorn Liqueur, the aperitif of the northern summer.

Tarpa Manufaktúra – Tradition and trend from North Hungary

Tarpa was first documented for its fruits in a chronicle dating from as long ago as 1755. The village in the province of Szatmár on the banks of the river Tisza has a long-standing tradition in fruit processing and its fruit purées, in particular, are legendary. Over time, the fruit-processing began to disappear and the old recipes were quickly forgotten. The manufacturing company Tarpa Manufaktúra was established in 1996 against this background with the aim of re-instating the local culinary tradition, using regional raw materials. Today, the top quality product range includes about 40 organically certified products which are sold in many EU countries: fruit purées made from damson, sour cherry, apricot and quince, acacia honey and nuts, walnut oil, bell peppers and chilli and hearty vegetable products and fruit brandies.

The company only uses freshly harvested fruit based on traditional varieties, some of which are collected in the wild. Fruits are selected, washed, chopped and stirred in copper vessels to the required consistency with many village residents being engaged in these operations. Walnuts are shelled and packaged or pressed to make food oils. The acacia honey extracted by local organic beekeepers is used to flavour the fruit purées and packaged in small jars, either pure or with walnuts. In summer, freshly harvested bell peppers and aubergines are charcoal-grilled and processed to make Sakuska, a rustic spread for bread. All of the products are labelled and carefully packaged by hand. This enables the village to preserve its culinary traditions and helps to secure the existence of the region’s numerous small-scale farmers.

Classified as a First Class Distillery 2015, the Hungarian fruit processors were awarded gold for Apricot, silver for Apple Jonathan, Quince and Wild Plum, as well as bronze for Cherry Sour.