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Seven-Spirits – Attractive products with tradition and a future

Under the umbrella of Seven-Spirits there is already a collection of the finest spirits, and the portfolio is constantly being expanded to offer customers a broad choice of well-known brand-named products from all over the world. The main focus is on the search for attractive products for the future as well as reliable partners, as company director Dirk Verpoorten points out. With HirschRudel, a herb liqueur has come onto the market which has its roots with his grandmother, Elly.

In a large suitcase from her estate he found a poetry album in which she had carefully written down the recipe. Fascinated by his discovery, he tried it out and was thrilled with its taste, which is based on a unique mix of 31 different herbs. These are only macerated cold for four weeks, to retain all aromas. Maturation takes over six months – unusually long for a herb liqueur. The bottles are filled and labelled by hand and are sold in limited very small amounts.

At the World Spirits Award, the herb spirit received a gold medal.

The Ziegler fine fruit distillery is one of the sales partners of Seven-Spirits, and with their excellent products they also held a strong hand at the World Spirits Award: double gold was awarded to Aureum 1865 Cask Strength, there was gold for G=in³ Classic, and silver for Aureum 1865.

Nobilis Pálinka – Hungarian tradition paired with innovative technology

The Vértes Mountains are located in the north-west of Hungary at the heart of the Transdanubian region. The southern slopes of the mountains are home to a Mediterranean-like climate. The Nobilis ‘Pálinka farm’ extends over 300 hectares close to rural villages and protected natural forests. The production of Pálinka has been regulated by law since 2008. Beverages can only be labelled as Pálinka if they are made from fruits picked in Hungary and if both the fermentation and distillation also take place in this country.

Kristóf Nobilis manages a team of ‘maximalists’ who work at the ultra-modern plant, applying the highest levels of precision craftsmanship. Only the best quality raw materials are used to make the distillates and at least 2.5 kg of fruit (primarily apricots, plums, pears, apples and sour cherries) are used to make just one bottle. The water used to ensure the optimal alcohol content comes from the Vértesalja karst spring. The first series of Nobilis schnapps was bottled in 2010 and bears the symbol 10n.

The innovative company is also renowned for its special ‘Pálinka Dispenser’ which was installed in the VIP lounge at Budapest airport as part of Hungary’s EU presidency. This presented an opportunity for members of the international delegations to relax with a glass of ‘Pálinka’ after a busy day’s work and get to know Hungarian traditions in the form of these aromatic fruit brandies. The male visitors favoured the plum version while the women preferred the peach.

The Pálinka products also found favour with the jury at the World Spirits Award. The company was classed as a Master Class Distillery 2014. There was gold for the Plum and Grape Irsai Olivier, and silver for the Pear Williams Yellow, Quince, Cherry Sour and Apricot.

Okanagan Spirits – Fresh wind from British Columbia

Okanagan Spirits, founded in 2004, has been producing award-winning spirits for more than ten years and, under the direction of Senior Distiller Peter von Hahn, has become a world-class distillery. The Okanagan Valley, the largest fruit growing region in Canada, offers a reliable basis for brandies and liqueurs with its abundance of fruit qualities. In addition, local grain types for the production of Single Malt Whisky come from fertile farmland that surrounds the distillery. The entire portfolio – from fruit brandies and liqueurs to aquavit, gin and vermouth to vodka and whisky – is made from 100 percent local raw materials. In recent years, the ‘Laird of Fintry, Single Malt Whisky’ has been established as a new flagship product, produced in limited amounts of around 1,000 bottles a year.

2015 was an exciting year for Okanagan Spirits because the new distillery in Vernon opened in March: with new, larger facilities, which have made the enlargement of the fruit brandy range and an increase in whisky production possible. The effort and care that went into the competent work carried out here can be followed at www.okanaganspirits.com – photos were taken of every step.

Classification as a Master Class Distillery 2017 came with six times gold, one silver medal and three times bronze.