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Pernod Ricard: 200 years of Beefeater

Pernod Ricard was founded in 1975 through the merger of Ricard and Pernod and has developed steadily through organic growth and acquisitions. One of the most renowned portfolios in the sector is present on over 70 markets worldwide – including 19 brands among the world’s top 100.

Beefeater is the most prize-winning gin brand and the only classic gin that is distilled in London. The first seat of the brand, the Chelsea Distillery, was built in 1820 and bought in 1863 by James Burrough. The first Dry Gin in the London style was made there, and became known worldwide as Beefeater. The recipe has remained practically unchanged to this day, tried and tested by the master distiller Desmond Payne. Beefeater Dry is the world’s leading premium gin, Beefeater 24 is a super premium gin with Japanese and Chinese teas catering to the trends of contemporary cocktail culture. The range is rounded off by Beefeater Pink Strawberry, Beefeater Blood Orange and Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve, a handmade gin from an oak barrel.

The new bottle design – timeless and high-quality – evokes historical London brick. It brings together established and modern elements, as well as sustainability: the bottle is 100% recyclable, the plastic top is replaced by an aluminium cap, saving 410 tons of plastic a year.

Gold was awarded to Beefeater 24 and silver to Beefeater London Dry at the World Spirits Award.

Johann Zauser – The pleasure of the senses with fruit in a glass

Even in his younger years, Johann Zauser busied himself by practising with time-honoured copper distillery equipment at his family’s small farmhouse in Fluh above Bregenz. In 1992, he created a distilling device with a water bath for his “Brennhüsle” distillery, located behind a townhouse. With top-quality brandies made from berries, as well as pomaceous and drupaceous fruits, he went on to be named distiller of the year in Vorarlberg ten times in the period from 1993 to 2003, and he also achieved great success at national and international tastings.

The annual quantities produced remained low, as distilling was only a part-time occupation. However, a significant amount of his free time was invested in fruit growing and distilling. Over time, his participation in quality contests reduced and took only place at certain intervals for the purpose of assessing the quality of his products. There was no need for marketing as the majority of the brandies were quickly sold to regular customers in the region and it was not even possible to meet demand.

The company has been closely collaborating with Pfanner since 2009 “in search of all things new and sophisticated, combined with quality and tradition,” as they both stress. The Zauser product range comprises 18 distillates from pear to Muscatel brandy. These are still distilled under the direction of Johann Zauser. The plant in Fluh was adapted to meet the highest technical standards in 2010. “We are very pleased to be able to utilise his extensive expertise and that he continues to monitor his life’s work with such conviction. At the same time, we see this as a commitment to the future,” explains Walter Pfanner.

A great success at the World-Spirits Award: 10th place as a World-Class Distillery in the fruit brandy category with five golds and two silvers.

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).