World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

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.

Säly Edelbrände & Gin: Voralberg newcomer with a passion

Patrick Säly, born in 1971, lives in Tschagguns in Montafon. The professional photographer started distilling in the autumn of 2020 as a COVID-19 project and has been working with gin since March 2021. As a newcomer, he works hard on perfection through perseverance. He does everything himself, from planting the trees to labelling the bottles. “My aim is to offer a clean, tasty and chemical-free product with a clear conscience. I myself am also a critical consumer and would like to pass this on as a producer!”

Priority is given to the regionality of the raw materials. His working principles are thoroughness, accuracy and cleanliness. Almost 100 percent of the fruit comes from the region, some of it from his own young trees, but most of it collected from mainly old, rare varieties. In 2022, over five tons of fruit were harvested by hand. The gin also contains many botanicals from the region, some from higher altitudes, such as wild rowan berries, Swiss stone pine cones, larch needles, gentian roots, cranberries, blueberries and more. Around 25 brandies, spirits, liqueurs and gin are produced in small quantities. Distillation takes place in a 76-litre column with water bath and agitator, operated with 12 kW of electricity. The company supplies the region’s top restaurants and has seven sales outlets in addition to the farm shop.

At the World Spirits Award 2025, Gold was awarded to Montafoner Zwetschkenbrand (damson brandy), Rote Pichlbirne (red pear), Roter Enzian (red gentian), Montafoner Obst- und Gemüsebrand (fruit and vegetable brandy) and Schindla Gin. Silver went to Montafoner Kirschbrand (cherry brandy), Montafoner Kräuterlikör (herb liqueur), Montafoner Dörrzwetschken Likör (prune liqueur), Heubluama Gin (hay flower gin), Montafoner Zirben Likör (arolla pine liqueur) and Montafoner Latschenlikör (dwarf pine liqueur).

Destillerie Josef Hofer: The finest stone pine schnapps

In the Styrian Enns Valley, at the foot of Mount Grimming, lies Irdning-Donnersbachtal. The Josef Hofer family business has been on the main square since 1797, now in the eighth generation. The stone pine schnapps plays an important role in the production of spirits and liqueurs. Since 2005, the Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur has been exported to the best resorts in the United States.

A stone pine spirit in its original form only needs pure alcohol and some sugar. 35 percent alcohol by volume gives an ideal combination of flavour and sharpness. The colour is typical with light blue-violet tones. Picking the cones is a risky job, as they hang on the outermost branches. And it has to be done quickly, because, due to the exothermal fermentation processes, the resin begins to seep out, leading to a bitterness which makes the cones unusable. Production begins after visual inspection of the cones: perfect examples are red throughout when cut open. They are left in a mixture of alcohol and water, depending on temperature and maturity, for two to three weeks. Once the sugar has been added, the alcohol content is regulated and, after a short resting period, the filtration and bottling follow.

‘Zirbenz trifft Barrique’ (Zirbenz meets barrique) is matured for six months in a new barrique made of American oak. The reddish-brown colour evokes whisky, while the aroma brings together stone pine with kiln-dry notes, hints of rum, tobacco and wood. A schnapps with strong bitter aromas from the roots of yellow gentian, which are washed and set in pure alcohol for two weeks, is a rarity.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Zirbenz, as well as silver for Zirbenz trifft Barrique and Enzian (gentian).