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Stiegenhaushof – A remarkable distillery

Johann Fankhauser, the great-grandfather of the present-day farm owner Martin, was a “Jack of all trades”. In addition to being the mayor and looking after the farm and animals, he also found time to build staircases for his neighbours – hence the name “Stiegenhäuserhof” (staircase farm). In those days, it wasn’t just apples, pears and damsons from the garden that were distilled, but also masterwort from the alpine pastures of the Ahorn area. Martin Fankhauser was a dairy farmer until 2005, who also kept sheep and chickens. After taking a distillation course, he produced his first Williams brandy and won silver in provincial competitions. That was the start of his distillation career: these days over 30 brandies and liqueurs from regional fruits are distilled in his modern licensed distillery.

As a real full-time farmer in the Zillertal Valley, Martin creates his brandies to perfection with passion and skill, and since March 2010 he also holds the title of ‘brandy sommelier’. In 2012 the cowshed was converted into a public-access distillery, with lots of room for tasting sessions, and a view into the sheep shed – after all, the master distiller is also an award-winning sheep farmer and has been breeding Tyrolean mountain sheep since 1996. Kathrin Fankhauser, mother and farmer with heart and soul, devotes herself to Zillertal Valley traditions on the farm, in the distillery and in the kitchen. Her specialities are the sweet liqueurs. “My grandmother took a lot of time to show us all about the preparation of the berries. We used to love the jams and jellies from cowberries, cranberries or red elder. This is how my passion for liqueurs came about, as they are full of fruity flavours down to the last drop.”

In everyday life, three generations live together in the traditional way – naturally and authentically. And this “authenticity” runs through the whole farm. The trademark of the products is the perfect mixture of tradition, region and passion. “Everything which is perfect in the eye or feelings of the beholder, is sexy. Why shouldn’t that also apply for brandies and liqueurs? Our schnapps is a real experience – really sexy. The tastes of the liqueurs capture the sweetness of life – really sweet.”

At the World Spirits Award, the Stiegenhaushof made a very strong showing: as a World Class Distillery 2014 with the title of “Distillery of the Year SILVER 2014”. The Yellow Williams Pear (Spirit of the Year 2014 & World Spirits Award 2014) and Red Williams Pear won double gold. There was gold for Muscat Grape, Fruit Schnapps Cuvée and Damson, and silver for Sloe.

HeHo Distilling: The spirit of excellence

Born out of a moment of inspiration and with the idea of developing a modern aperitif, TIRÉH was created; a ‘handmade symphony of first-class vermouth and fine fruit brandies’. The golden colour and harmonious texture based on thirteen specially selected botanicals are the result of purely natural ingredients, without additives or colourants. The spirit originates in the southern part of the German Wine Route, where great importance is attached to the use of regional raw materials during production. The cuvée for the vermouth comes from vineyards in the Palatinate, a blend of Müller-Thurgau, Kerner and Scheurebe, matured in neutral wooden barrels. The botanicals include wormwood, hibiscus, lemongrass, chicory roots, rose petals and blackberry leaves. Having finalised the recipe, the first bottling in high-quality bottles followed in 2022. TIRÉH is best enjoyed neat on ice, as a spritz or with tonic water.

As part of the collaborative RETHINK MARKET ENTRY! project, TIRÉH Premium Aperitif emerged under the direction of Timo Holtappels, co-founder of the company, and René Heß, co-founder and lecturer at the Brand University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg. Strategies were developed for the market launch in Germany, from which they derived recommendations and concrete steps for further marketing activity. In other words, the modern approach matches the modern product. More on the various ideas and recipes can be found at https://tireh-aperitif.com.

TIRÉH Premium Aperitif won silver at the World Spirits Award.

Family of Hounds – Sought and found

Andrea Frigerio and his English wife, Lina, live in Monaco with their two dogs, Spot and Magda, two wonderful additions to the family. Since they started taking the two for walks in town, they have made many new friends. Andrea and Lina used to be red wine drinkers, who spent their holidays in the wine hills of Italy and France. It was only in 2013, while visiting a country estate in England, that they discovered their love for a good G & T. This developed into a passion, and their discussions soon revolved around what it would be like to create their own gin.

They tasted intensively, discarded aromas they didn’t like, and extracted the aromas they did. Together with the master distiller in an old distillery in Piedmont, they created their recipe for the gin: juniper, lemon and orange peel, pink grapefruit, lavender, thyme, cardamom, ginger and coriander. The first three ingredients come from Italy, the rest from Asia. “The juniper is really loud, like a brightly lit disco floor, and the other botanicals dance around it. Together, they are like a lively, attention-seeking dog that can’t sit still.”

In the future, they are looking to establish a small family of spirits, from gin to vodka and from grappa to vermouth – unmistakable in taste, but accessible to everyone. The core of the philosophy is going out with good friends, enjoying a good meal and even better spirits. The first step has already been taken …

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Family of Hounds Gin.

2B Hemp Gin: Styrian gin experience

Two visionaries, Armin Breinl (doctor, drink creator, musician) and Wolfgang Thomann (gin maker), have created a completely new gin experience with real hemp powder: 2B HEMP GIN (inspired by AEIJST). On 17th November 2018, the two invited guests to the first tasting of 2B HEMP GIN in the AEIJST GIN distillery in St. Nikolai in the Sausal Valley.

Made from organic juniper berries, this innovative gin has an impressive, mild and fruity taste and a typical hemp note. Due to its unique aroma, it not only tastes good neat, but also creates a ‘wow’ effect in cocktails – as proven in the long drink Styrian Pale Gin AEIJST refined with 2B HEMP.

For thousands of years, hemp has been grown as a valuable plant, be it for rope, fabric, paper or as an active ingredient in ointments and tinctures. Hemp has always been highly valued for its medicinal properties, yet recently has been demonised as an addictive drug and has suffered under its ensuing prohibition, originating in the USA. These days hemp is regaining importance and is being used more as a luxury food as well as in medicine as a therapeutic agent.

The Lifestyle Trading company, run by Armin Breinl, is an innovative beverage producer, which is already known amongst trade professionals for its sugar-free ‘func- tional fruit drinks’. The drinks have a high fruit content (more than 50 per cent) and additional natural, vital substances and have an energising, relaxing and regenerative effect.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for 2B HEMP GIN.