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Tenmile Distillery: Ambitious project in America

Tenmile Distillery was founded in Wassaic by John Dyson and Joel LeVangia, with the aim of manufacturing American single malt from agricultural products in the state of New York. They were able to convince the experienced Scottish master distiller Shane Fraser to come to the United States to direct the distillery and supervise production in the Hudson River Valley of New York. The distillery was commissioned to Forsyths of Rothes Scotland at the end of 2019, taking up production in January 2020. Good results were achieved with an innovative range of barrels: apart from bourbon and sherry barrels, they also used wine barrels made of French oak which had previously been filled with Pinot Noir by Williams Selyem, a distinguished wine estate with vineyards in the Russian River Valley.

Sinpatch Vodka is made of 100% wheat and barley from the state of New York, a good choice for vodka drinkers who value traceability in production and high-quality ingredients. The distillery pays a premium to local farmers they know. Listening Rock Gin in a London Dry style is made according to strict regulations on a small 500-litre unit. All the plants come from their own distillery garden.

“We founded our independent distillery to return to traditional methods of whisky production with the right team and high-quality local raw materials, not intended for the mass market, moving away from global production plans.”

At the World Spirits Award, silver was awarded to Sinpatch Vodka and Listening Rock Gin.

ASM – Purist vodka from New Zealand

Artisan Spirits Merchants (ASM) was founded by Julian Moss in Sydney in 2004. Passion and perfectionism inspired him to develop an exceptional product: the purest vodka in the world.

The trice-distilled VDKA 6100, based on whey and spring water from New Zealand, was launched on the market in New York with the support of Robert De Niro. As an investor he was involved in the design, packaging, branding and positioning of VDKA 6100. Incidentally, there are 6,100 miles between New Zealand and the USA – hence the name! The elegance of VDKA 6100 comes down to the purity of the ingredients. This drop is gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free and free from chemical additives.

The company is striving to expand the impressive growth it has achieved in North America and in many other countries of the world. In order to cement its global focus and to utilise the potential of VDKA to the full, Asahi Premium Beverages has taken over the brand for the markets in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for VDKA 6100.

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.