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Fassbind – The spirit of five generations

Fassbind is the oldest distillery in Switzerland. Gottfried Fassbind I – a descendent of Dutch coopers who had immigrated to Switzerland in the 13th century – founded the ‘Alte Urschwyzer Brennerei’ distillery in the municipality of Oberarth, at the foot of the Rigi mountains in 1846. As long ago as 1856, Napoleon III, emperor of France, honoured the exceptional quality of the fruit distillates with a gold medal. The long tradition, combined with craftsmanship and innovation, is the basis of worldwide recognition.

The fruit brandies are produced by hand from Swiss fruits of the highest quality. Gently distilled, they mature in stainless steel tanks in the historic cellars, until the aroma has developed perfectly. The finest products from the most valuable fruits distilled in small quantities carry the title ‘Les Trouvailles’. The best brandies mature in wooden barrels for the ‘Les Fûts Uniques’ and ‘L’Héritage de Bois’ series. Each barrel is unique and gives the eau de vie its special character. The features such as bottle, cap, label and neck decoration come from the best manufacturers in Switzerland and Europe.

At the World Spirits Award, the Distillery won gold for Schwyzer Honig-Chrüter, Les Fûts Uniques Kirsch Port Cask, Vieille Prune Barrique, L'Héritage de Bois Poire Williams and Les Fûts Uniques Kirsch Umburana Cask. There was silver for Vieille Framboise Barrique, L'Héritage de Bois Prune and Vieille Poire Barrique.

Corralejo – Top tequila from blue agave

Tequilera Corralejo, also known as Hacienda Corralejo, was founded in 1775 by Pedro Sánchez de Tagle and was one of the first commercially producing distilleries for tequila in Mexico. The site is open to the public and today also houses the Museo del Vino y la Botella, a wine and bottle museum. The historic significance of the site highlights the fact that the ‘Father of Mexican independence’ was born here 220 years ago – the priest, scholar and revolutionary Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. The premium products of the company are also typically Mexican and are exported to more than 77 countries across the world, in particular Asia, Europe, America and the Caribbean: Tequila Blanco, Reposado and Añejo and the special Triple Destilado and Gran Corralejo.

The basis for the tequila is blue agave (Weber Blue Agave) with its lengthy growing cycle of 8 years. It is produced in specific controlled areas and harvested by hand once fully ripe. The hearts of the agave (piña) weigh approx. 80 to 100 pounds. After checking the quality and sugar content, they are sliced and slowly cooked under steam in the stone oven for 30 hours. The agave juice is then extracted as part of a shredding process and fermented with yeast developed especially for the company. Distillation takes place in a copper vessel before the distillate is stored in French oak casks and bottled in traditional bottles with a special colour code for each product such as the Blanco in white.

The Corralejo Tequila Blanco and Los Arango Tequila Blanco were awarded gold at the World Spirits Award.

Rhumerie de Chamarel - Rhumerie de Chamarel – A newcomer with vision

This high-quality rum from the island of Mauritius is produced in line with ecological guidelines. The products are distributed in Austria by the company Wind GmbH, based in Traiskirchen (www.wind-plast.at).

The road leads through extensive pineapple plantations and fields of sugar cane up to the distillery at an altitude of 300 m in the South-West of the island. Designed by a renowned architect, the building is elegant and authentic and a fine example of modern construction with its natural materials such as wood, stone and water. The comprehensive concept also incorporates the L’Alchimiste restaurant where up to 80 guests can savour the sophisticated regional cuisine. At the “Sugar Cane Spirit” boutique, various types of rum are on offer (White Rum, Le Coeur de Chauffe (fine brandy), Rum Paille (stored in wooden casks), Rum Arrange (flavoured with fruits and spices) as well as an exclusive clothing range, hand-made products and a small jewellery collection.

The location and climate of the fertile valley promote the growth and quality of the sugarcane. The sugarcane is harvested by hand in the early hours of the morning and processed at the mill within four hours. The fields are not normally burnt, as is usually the case, to make harvesting easier. Even when distilling at the highest modern levels of technology, nothing is wasted: the bagasse – the fibrous remnants of the sugar production process – is burnt to obtain energy. The chimney contains the very latest smoke filters and the ash is used to fertilise the fields.

The company yet again impressed at the World-Spirits Award, with one gold and four silvers.

Aldi Ireland: Gin and whiskey in retail

Aldi Ireland has several top products in its spirit range: Boyle’s Gin from the Blackwater Distillery and Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery, in addition, Mo Chara Passionfruit & Mango Gin from the Old Carrick Mill.

The Blackwater Distillery has been an Aldi partner since 2016 and developed the private label Boyle’s Gin exclusively for the Irish and British retail market. The product volume of the Blackwater Distillery for Aldi has risen strongly in recent years, whereby 140,800 bottles of the gin series were sold in 2018. The successful gin brand is manufactured in Blackwater Valley, West Waterford, with selected imported ingredients as well as regional apples, blackcurrants and elderflower. CEO Peter Mulryan – former TV producer and author of the book ‘The Whiskeys of Ireland’ – explains, “The partnership with Aldi has helped us to increase turnover enormously, and also to have the security to invest and expand. This includes on-site bottling facilities and a visitor centre.” Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery got its name from the region in County Cork where the malted barley comes from, and is only manufactured in small batches. The business was founded in 2003 by childhood friends who started out with only two small stills they had bought in Switzerland. Now the largest distillery in the country, it currently employs over 80 staff and exports to around 70 countries.

At the World Spirits Award, there was Gold for Ardfallen 10 Year Old Whiskey and Boyle’s Gin, and Silver for Boyle’s Sloe & Damson Gin and Ardfallen Whiskey.