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Spezialitäten-Brennerei & Whisky Destillerie Liebl: Distilled with passion

The roots of the family business go back to the year 1935 and the small grocery store of grandmother Maria Liebl. Following the difficult war years, a wine and spirits trade was added to the business. In 1970, they began with their own production of traditional, regional specialities such as Bärwurz.

The purchase of a distillery in 1990, with the rights for distilling 300 litres, laid the foundation for the current technology. In January 2006, the first whisky distillery in the Bavarian Forest was created. In 2013, the product range was extended with Bavarian Dry Gin, Bavarian Premium Vodka and Bavarian Rum. As well as apple, pear and damson, the focus is on wild fruits such as wild cherry, yew, hawthorn and juneberry, but the repertoire also includes Sicilian blood orange and tangerine.

Tradition, nature, time and the desire to create something special are the principles on which top class spirits have been produced here for many years. Nature provides the benchmark and thus also the motivation for Gerhard Liebl to transform fully ripe fruit into ‘liquid diamonds of the art of distillation’ every year.

The World Class Distillery 2022 received gold for Williamsbirne Edition Lena (pear), Jahrgangsbrand 2020, Bergkirschbrand (cherry), Rote Williamsbirne (pear), Elsbeerenbrand (wild serviceberry), Spänlingbrand (plum) and Espressolikör (espresso liqueur).

BillionBars: From a bartender to a drinks developer

Robert Pölzl is one of the best-known bartenders in Austria, the bar is his world and his vocation. Travelling around the world, he entertains, advises and serves, sometimes shaking and sometimes stirring. He transforms classic drinks into new creations using modern methods and flavours. Because for him the possibilities of working with drinks and spirits is endless, he chose the name BillionBars. For people looking for a bar concept and innovative drinks, they are definitely in the right hands with Pölzl. His aim is to identify what the customer wants and needs.

He himself has already sampled and mixed hundreds of gins, and has now developed his own creation. According to the motto: Small Batch, Big Taste, Great Gin. As a bartender, he has made it his task to keep conjuring new drink experiences into the glasses of guests. For his own gin he perfected the various botanicals. In his words: “Eye – nose – palate”.

With the master distiller Patrick Marchl, he found the missing building block for realising his vision. The high quality standards are reflected in the choice of exclusively organic botanicals. Distilling was undertaken by Rick Gin in Styria, with traditional ingredients such as juniper berries, complex pepper aromas and fine lemon and cardamon, creatively rounded off with a fine hint of truffle. The New Western Style category was therefore the right platform for reinterpreting creativity and the courage to ‘be different’.

At the World Spirits Award, bronze was awarded to BillionBars Trüffel Dry Gin.

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.