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Khemani Group – Big player from India

The Khemani Group, a family business in which three generations work together, is one of the leading companies in India, with more than 30 years’ experience in the distilling and brewery industry. In two distilleries, with a total daily capacity of 65,000 litres of neutral alcohol, grain-based spirits are produced to international standards, and international brand- name products are bottled.

The company was founded under the title ‘Royal Distillery’ in the picturesque surroundings of the former Portuguese colony, Daman, on the Arabian Sea. The aim was to combine the Portuguese and British flavours and traditions in the production of alcoholic drinks. Based on this, they developed their own classic line of excellent products and solid business practices which led to remarkable growth. The original distillery has since been constantly expanding and is now state-of-the-art, always with an eye on international and global quality requirements.

Despite of taking a global leap, the Khemanie Group strives to uphold their committment to quality, which effort has won them international recognition. Having successfully scaled up in capacity, the state-of-the-art distilleries group now proudly offers a wide range of products and packaging sizes, ranging from 50ml sachets to 2,000 ml glass and PET bottles.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Thomas Crown Whisky, and silver for Royal Circle Whisky.

St. Kilian Distillers: Whisky made in Germany following Scottish tradition

Born from the idea of creating the largest whisky distillery in Germany, the owner Andreas Thümmler, the whisky legend David F. Hynes from Dublin and the master distiller Mario Rudolf started converting their plan into reality in 2012. Four years later, their dream was established in Rüdenau near Miltenberg am Main, based on the Scottish model, and within a short time the little village had developed into the centre of German whisky. A willingness to experiment is a top priority. Alongside a wide variety of malts, it also comprises way more than 390 different sizes and types of barrels, where whisky can mature under ideal conditions near the distillery – amid the pristine nature of the Odenwald forest in former NATO bunkers. At St. Kilian, craftsmanship and tradition meet technology and innovation. On Saint Patrick’s Day in 2016, the first distillate for barrel number 1 was created in Scottish washbacks and two 6,000 litre Forsyths copper pot stills from Speyside, helped along with German engineering skills. At the end of 2020, they succeeded in what was no doubt the most successful whisky launch in Germany: the combination of single malt whisky made in Germany with the cult figure Bud Spencer on the label. One year later, two whiskies followed with Spencer’s film partner Terence Hill. In 2021, the first heavy metal edition, ‘Tunes of War’, paid tribute to the German band ‘Grave Digger’, followed by further single malt whiskies and a cooperation with the British band ‘Judas Priest’: single malt whiskies and editions produced with ultra heavily peated barley malt bottled in a 0.7-litre bottle. Since the end of 2022, the core product range comprises two single malt whiskies: ‘CLASSIC – Mild & Fruity’ and ‘PEATED – Rich & Smoky’ made of 100% barley malt from Germany and the Scottish Highlands. Premium liqueurs are also produced in Rüdenau, and range from fruity-fresh and creamy-sweet to gently spicy and smoky-peaty varieties. The liqueurs are bottled in elegant, matte black 500 ml pot still glass bottles.

The World Class Distillery 2025 received Double Gold for St. Kilian Peated Rich & Smoky (Spirit of the Year & Award 2025), Terence Hill The Hero and Celtic Castle 2024, Gold for Bud Spencer The Legend, Judas Priest Invincible Shield, Judas Priest British Steel, Banana Joe Cream Liqueur, St. Kilian Classic Mild & Fruity, Terence Hill Voll auf die Nuss (hazelnut liqueur), Johnny Firpo Homemade Ein Klitze Pistazie (pistachio liqueur), Advocaat Egg Liqueur and Bud Spencer Distilled Dry Gin, and Silver for Signature Edition Fourteen.

Luding Group: Vodka Tchaikovsky as a high-spirited homage to the famous composer

At the beginning of the 1990s, the modern distillery ‘Fortuna’ was launched in a green field in the south of Russia – in the Krasnodar region, a strip of land with spa resorts and health centres. The distillery has specialised in unusual products, in a region with a particularly green fingerprint. The vodka created in honour of the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky is special. The concept for this exceptional product is comparable with one of his musical scores: the work ‘Swan Lake’ served as an inspiration. Art enthusiasts can thus immerse themselves in the history of Russian estate life in the 19th century. The traditional white and blue colours underline the purity of this vodka.

The technical particularities span a wide quality-orientated spectrum: from the selected wheat, their own well water and the special treatment of the distillate with skimmed milk powder to the crystal-clear filtration with active birch coal. With so much perfectionism and monitoring of the individual production steps, the result is an especially gentle, animating and very typical vodka based on wheat. After the diluting of alcohol and pure distillate, the production process is continued with maturation in steel tanks. The aim is to ‘wed’ both ‘waters’, resulting in an especially harmonious vodka.

At the World Spirits Award 2022, Vodka Tchaikovsky was awarded double gold and honoured as the best vodka with the title ‘Spirit of the Year’.

Berentzen Group: 260 years of cultured distilled spirits

Berentzen Group is an innovative beverage company that boasts a wide portfolio and develops, produces and markets varied and fashionable drinks concepts. The portfolio includes spirits, alcohol-free beverages and fresh juices. With over 260 years of experience, they are one of the oldest national manufacturers of spirits and have a market presence in over 60 countries to date, with brands such as Berentzen and Puschkin as well as reasonably priced private label products.

In April 2023, Norden Sea Salt Gin was launched on the German market under the Doornkaat brand. It is a speciality on the gin shelf, as selected North Sea botanicals create an extraordinary and intense taste experience: juniper provides the spice, sea buckthorn and rosehip the fruity tartness. Norden Sea Salt Gin is rounded off with a pinch of sea salt. This spirit spreads the genuine nature and authenticity of the North Sea coast throughout Germany. It is versatile and can be enjoyed neat, on ice or mixed as a long drink or cocktail.

Tres Países Premium Rum combines distillates from Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic. After being stored for up to eight years in American white oak bourbon casks, they come to Europe for refinement by the master blender. The characteristics of the countries provide the taste profile: vanilla and butterscotch, elegant fruit, banana and chocolate. It is also available in a port cask finish, which is refined in aged casks for another six months.

At the World Spirits Award 2026, there was Gold for Tres Países Premium Rum and Silver for Doornkaat Norden Sea Salt Gin.