World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Aeijst: Making gin an experience

Spelt Aeijst, pronounced ‘eye-st’ – the Styrian dialect word for the branches on which botanicals grow. It is actually a London Dry Gin, but the name Styrian Pale Gin describes its own special style. The simple design of the bottle is reflected in its taste: clear and pure, both inside and out. 25 years ago, Wolfgang Thomann discovered schnapps distilling. With an old copper vat, fruit from his own garden and a few helpers he distilled alcohol for the first time. Since September 2018 there has been a new production site in St. Nikolai im Sausal, with a distillery open for tours and rooms for events and tastings. The centrepiece of the former winegrower’s house is a 400-litre copper vat.

Aeijst Gin is stored for one year in a new French barrique from Vosges, and another year in a rum barrel (18-year-old rum). It is bottled into hand-blown and signed bottles from the Viennese glassworks Comploj, limited to 500 bottles. Following this classic barrel aged gin and some experiments, Aeijst Umbra was created, a new definition of gin. “For us it is the spirit par excellence. Made from organic botanicals and natural spring water, slowly distilled in small batches, and unfiltered. An interpretation that breaks with well-known gin tastes.” New to the product range is Aeijst Peat, the first of its kind in Austria. It is a gin made from juniper berries that were smoked over Styrian peat from the Garanas high moor in western Styria.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Aeijst Peat Gin (Spirit of the Year & World Spirits Award 2021).

Weingut Schneeberger: Gin from Southern Styria

At the Schneeberger vineyard in Southern Styria, wine has been produced since 1870, and is now in the hands of the family’s fifth generation. The excellent farmhouse tavern shows off the hosts’ many skills, with diverse regional products and homemade products of the highest quality. These range from farmhouse bread to dry-cured juniper ham. And gin is just the thing to go with it.

As well as traditional ingredients such as juniper, ginger, oranges, pepper and coriander, Styria Dry Gin also contains some very special regional botanicals such as Leutschach hops and Sausal lavender – a total of 27 different herbs, spices and fruits. Some of the ingredients grow in the herb garden on the estate, others grow wild in the countryside. Following several days of maceration, some botanicals are extracted during distillation in copper pots in order to give the gin its typical character. Following distillation, it is stored for a few weeks in stoneware containers. Finally, the gin is diluted to drinking strength with very soft spring water. So as not to endanger the complexity and fine aromas, it does not receive cold treatment, merely a rough filtration before being filled into bottles. “We are a Batch Distillery, which means that each batch that is distilled is bottled separately, without being blended. In this way, there are subtle differences from batch to batch,” explains Johann Schneeberger Jr.

The new Hansi Gin is classical and traditional and is stripped back to the essentials. It is based on ten botanicals, has slightly more alcohol and is perfect for gin & tonic.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Styria Dry Gin, silver for Hansi Dry Gin, and bronze for Williams Pear.

Limomacher: Regionally produced – socially labelled

Limomacher is a young Bregenz enterprise, according to their own definition “excellent in graphics, design, customer service, lemonade production, social involvement and coffee drinking”. However, a look at the brief biographies of the four-person team reveals quite a bit about their wide-ranging qualifications. All lemonades are produced regionally in Vorarlberg according to their own recipes. Short pathways right up until labelling – also labels for private customers and companies on request – reinforce sustainability, along with filling exclusively in glass bottles. The labelling, as well as the whole warehousing, are handled by Lebenshilfe Vorarlberg, a support organisation for people with disabilities. This is an indication that social thinking has been of great importance from the beginning.

At the beginning of 2018, the ‘Franz von Durst’ brand started in Spar shops, followed by the start-up shelf at Metro. The company developed a gin along with a tonic water for this purpose, as the first manufacturer in retailing that offers both as a one-stop shop. The gin that is also regionally produced goes perfectly with the tonic water and its animating and aromatic concept offers an exceptionally fruity drinking experience. Aside from the juniper base, five further botanicals play a role: angelica root provides a slight tanginess and supports the homogenous taste; orange peel is characterised by a range of aromatic substances and a fine hint of citrus; liquorice provides a complex sweetness with a slightly earthy note; elderberry has an intensive and refreshing taste; and hops gives it a special something.

“We are delighted that the Vorarlberg locals have received our gin so well and that we can expand step by step also into other provinces,” say the two young entrepreneurs.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was achieved by Franz von Durst Gin, and silver by Franz von Durst Dry Gin Wild.

Bimmerle: Know-how meets regionality and trend awareness

At the production site in the Black Forest town of Sasbach, which was opened in 2015, this family business sets innovative standards in technology, sustainability and environmental protection. For the last five decades, Bimmerle has strived for the highest quality, with focussed know-how, modern high-tech and the traditional art of distilling. This is the first distillery in Germany where all the heating requirements and power generation are covered by the burning of fruit stones combined with woodchips from the region.

In Germany and on the European market, Bimmerle is a leader in the fruit brandies sector with the Lörch brand. In order to make the ‘playground’ more interesting, the brand identity was modernised in 2024 and will be extended in 2025 by a fruit brandy range matured in wooden casks. Needle Black Forest Gin is among the top 5 most widely sold gins in Germany. The portfolio has been expanded since 2018 with WOOD STORK Spiced Rum and the EVERMANN Black Forest whiskies Theo & Wilhelm introduced in 2022. The Black Forest distillery has enriched the liqueur and aperitif market with as many as five exciting creations under the DON PASQUALE brand.

The World Class Distillery 2025 & Distillery of the Year 2025 – Bronze (Bitters & Liqueurs) received Gold for Don Pasquale Limoncello Liqueur, Zünftler Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Wood Stork Spiced Rum, Lörch Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Lörch Vanillekipferl Sahnelikör (vanilla cream liqueur), Needle Gin Green, Don Pasquale Aperitif Bitter Liqueur, Don Pasquale Espresso Martini Liqueur, Don Pasquale Hazelnut Liqueur and Lörch Linzertorte Sahnelikör (Linzer tart cream liqueur). Silver was awarded to Kronenhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Zinselhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Altes Schwarzwälder Zwetschgenwasser (damson spirit), Needle Blackforest Distilled Dry Gin, Needle Gin Rosé, Don Pasquale Pistachio Cream Liqueur, Lörch Bratapfel Sahnelikör (baked apple cream liqueur), Zünftler Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Lörch Williams Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (pear spirit aged in a wooden cask) and Lörch Marille Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (apricot spirit aged in a wooden cask), and Bronze to Lörch Obst Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (fruit spirit aged in a wooden cask).