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Stock Polska – Prestige products with history

Polmos Lublin (known today as Stock Polska) was founded by the industrialist Emil Plage in Lublin in 1906 and was able to survive both world wars and the communist state leadership. The company was nationalised in 1948 and re-privatised in 2001. It traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange until 2005 and was sold in 2006. The new owners, Oaktree Capital Management, purchased the spirits division from Eckes Stock in 2007 and thereby laid the foundations for the current Stock Spirits Group. The company has its headquarters in Luxembourg, its service centre in Great Britain and its production sites in the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland.

Stock dates back to the year 1884 when Lionello Stock founded a beverages business in Trieste. He purchased a distillery in 1920 in what is currently part of the Czech Republic with the aim of tapping into new markets. This was followed by distilleries, bottling plants and warehouses in Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia. In the 1920s, Stock was one of the biggest companies of its kind in Europe.

After an absence of 70 years, Stock returned to Poland and began to manufacture at the historic site of Lublin, 150 kilometres south-east of Warsaw. Intensive investment led to the creation of the most modern distillery in Poland and a leadership position on the vodka market. Poland’s most popular flavoured vodka is produced here: Zoladkowa Gorzka.

Lots of Stock products are produced by traditional recipes. These classical brands appeal to connoisseurs all over the world. In return, work is constantly being done on innovations that correspond to modern tastes and new drinking cultures. Quality standards are constantly upheld in both areas, of course.

The quality of the products was recognised at the World Spirits Award with a gold medal for the Orkisz Spelt Vodka.

Kweichow Moutai: China’s ‘national schnapps’ on the rise

Baijiu is the most popular alcoholic drink in China and Moutai the most famous brand, with a similar status to vodka in Russia or tequila in Mexico. Its origins go back over 2,000 years to the time of Emperor Wu of Han. These days, the national drink is frequently served at official state banquets and is used as the official state gift. Its protected source is the village of Maotai in the Guizhou province on the banks of the Chishui, the Red River. These days, more than 30,000 tons of the 53 percent alcohol Moutai are produced. In cooperation with Camus, a limited edition was launched as an homage to the greatest poets: after Li Bai in 2013, Du Fu followed in 2018. The elegant bottle showing a painting of a poem is made from the finest porcelain.

Traditional methods are used for the distillation of regional raw materials: organic sorghum and wheat and the best water. Fermentation takes place at high temperatures. During the production process, which takes a year, fresh grain is added twice to the boilers, then several boiling and fermentation processes take place. Every batch of the distillate is separated according to age, production cycle and aroma. It then matures slowly in terracotta containers and, during the storage period of at least five years, develops a fine soya aroma. Master blenders make sure that the characteristic, full flavour is preserved. The secret lies in the humid climate, the water from the Chishui, as well as in the distillation technique and maturing period.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Kweichou Moutai Du Fu Edition.

Wilhelm Horn – Brand name spirits with a local tradition

In 1923, Wilhelm Horn opened a brandy and liqueur shop on Menckestraße in Leipzig, and following successful expansion, HORN’s Weinstuben wine lounge was opened in Südstadt in 1931. By 1933, the company had 46 branches and 75 subsidiaries, to which wine distillery and vermouth production were added. The newly constructed Wilhelm Horn Branntwein & Likörfabrik became a leading company in the German wine and spirits business, with a wide range of brand name products with the slogan “Wine and corn – always from Horn”. Following the disruption of the Second World War, the company was nationalised in 1972 and taken back into private ownership in 1991.

In 2005, Klaus Horn passed on the enormous potential of brand names and recipes in the Leipzig tradition to Wilhelm Horn Markenspirituosen GmbH, founded by Lutz Thielemann and Thomas Schneider. In the spirit of the founding family, they breathed new life into the company and moved to Bayrischer Platz. There they manufacture high proof spirits rooted in the region, such as Echter Leipziger Allasch, Leipziger Kräuter Wilhelm or Long Horn Handcrafted Lipsk Dry Gin. The juniper aroma combines with lavender, coriander and lime blossom – the latter a reverence to the many lime trees in the town of Leipzig, centuries ago known to the Slavs as Lipsk, the ‘lime place’.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for the caraway speciality Echter Leipziger Allasch, and silver for Long Horn Handcrafted Lipsk Dry Gin.

Kreuzritter - Elixirum Digestivum, created by masters

The beneficial effects of herbs have been known for thousands of years - from Chinese and Indian herbal medicine which focused on the digestive system to Arabic medicine and the medicines of the Middle Ages. A modern interpretation of this long-established knowledge, based on medical expertise and nutritional physiology, is offered by a physician, a nutritionist and a spirits expert from the town of Mühlen in Lower Saxony, famous for its horse-riding.

These experts set themselves the task of creating high-quality herb liqueurs and aquavits for demanding consumers using top-quality raw materials from specialist producers and based on elaborate and unusual recipes. The specialists from Lower Saxony base their concoctions of herbs, spices, aromas and essence compositions on natural ingredients.

The key to the "Kreuzritter" digestion elixir is eleven secret herbs, the effects of which were noted centuries ago in the herbal medicines of the Far East. It also contains 47 additional extracts ranging from aloe to white turmeric, renowned for their positive effects in terms of both stimulating digestion and soothing the stomach. The "Dreiling" is a typical aquavit with hints of caraway, anis, geum and the aroma of dill. It also contains a complex mix of herbs including coriander, ginger, lemongrass, fennel, orris root, camomile and mace. Its mild flavour is the result of using high-quality brandies made from wheat, rye and spelt which are stored in oak casks for over eight years. The "Herzdame" (queen of hearts) completes this trio of specialities - a fresh and fruity liqueur.

The Kreuzritter and Dreiling performed well at the World-Spirits Award, securing a silver for Lower Saxony.