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Oasis Group – Innovation from India

The Oasis business group was founded in 1987 and has made great leaps in terms of growth in the drinks sector – with five distilleries it is currently one of the largest grain distilleries in the country. Its top position in the state of Punjab is made evident by its two state-of-the-art locations in Ferozepur and Bhatiinda, a filling facility in Sandhe Hasham-Ferozepur and a comprehensive sales system in wholesale and retail. In terms of product quality, Oasis is a big player on the emerging Indian spirit market.

At the moment, the Oasis group is active in 18 states in India and also exports to a number of countries in which Indian spirits have market relevance. The classical range includes whisky, vodka, rum, brandy and more, whereby innovative spirits are also dabbled in, such as a ‘healthy’ whisky with aloe vera, ginseng and mangosteen. In the premium product range, you will find a triple distilled vodka, flavoured with apple and orange.

At the World Spirits Award, three products from India were awarded gold: Opm Triple Distilled Vodka, All Season Whisky and 5 Star Walker Golden Reserve Whisky.

Valamo Monastery Distillery – Absinthe from the far North

Distilling has been a traditional part of life in European monasteries ever since the first crusade in the 11th century, when the monks learned the craft in the Middle East. According to documents, the Valamo Monastery dates back to the 12th century and has been at the centre of orthodox culture in Finland for nearly 850 years. The only orthodox monastery in the country lies in the eastern Finnish landscape of South Savo, with extensive lakes and forests. In 2013, the distilling tradition was reawakened, today Valamo is the only monastery in the world which produces its own whisky, gin and absinthe. Liqueurs made from aromatic wild berries also mature in the quiet monastery. The ingredients come from the surrounding countryside – pure spring water, arctic plants and aromatic wild berries create the exceptional taste and quality of the products.

Fascinated and inspired by the mysterious reputation of absinthe, the monks decided to create their own absinthe in 2016. An old French book from the 19th century formed the basis for their extensive experiments. During the development processes, the monks collected information on authentic recipes and indigenous ingredients from around the world. After a lot of hard work, Valamo’s master distiller, Asko Ryynänen, created an absinthe which embodies a long history and mysterious quality – a traditional product with a modern touch, kept in striking ‘medicinal’ bottles.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Valamo Mint and Valamo Gin.

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’.