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Rhumerie de Chamarel - Rhumerie de Chamarel – A newcomer with vision

This high-quality rum from the island of Mauritius is produced in line with ecological guidelines. The products are distributed in Austria by the company Wind GmbH, based in Traiskirchen (www.wind-plast.at).

The road leads through extensive pineapple plantations and fields of sugar cane up to the distillery at an altitude of 300 m in the South-West of the island. Designed by a renowned architect, the building is elegant and authentic and a fine example of modern construction with its natural materials such as wood, stone and water. The comprehensive concept also incorporates the L’Alchimiste restaurant where up to 80 guests can savour the sophisticated regional cuisine. At the “Sugar Cane Spirit” boutique, various types of rum are on offer (White Rum, Le Coeur de Chauffe (fine brandy), Rum Paille (stored in wooden casks), Rum Arrange (flavoured with fruits and spices) as well as an exclusive clothing range, hand-made products and a small jewellery collection.

The location and climate of the fertile valley promote the growth and quality of the sugarcane. The sugarcane is harvested by hand in the early hours of the morning and processed at the mill within four hours. The fields are not normally burnt, as is usually the case, to make harvesting easier. Even when distilling at the highest modern levels of technology, nothing is wasted: the bagasse – the fibrous remnants of the sugar production process – is burnt to obtain energy. The chimney contains the very latest smoke filters and the ash is used to fertilise the fields.

The company yet again impressed at the World-Spirits Award, with one gold and four silvers.

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’.

El Negocio Tequila: An exciting combination of two worlds

El Negocio combines the expertise of a Napa Valley winemaker and the traditions of the tequileros in Jalisco to produce top tequila. The producer is committed to tried and tested methods, natural variations and craftsmanship. Master distiller Chava Rosales has a wealth of expertise that has been honed over three generations.

Mature Tequilana Weber agave from the mineral-rich Zona Valles is cooked in stone ovens, extracted using traditional techniques and processed in the open air with artisanal precision. After fermentation, the tequila is double distilled in a copper pot still and stored in stainless steel to preserve its purity. This tried and tested process takes into account natural variations and avoids additives, so that each harvest is a reflection of the essence of the agave, similar to vintages of fine wines. Aged varieties go into once-used French oak barrels from the renowned Memento Mori winery in Napa Valley, which were used to produce a 100-point Cabernet Sauvignon. In Jalisco, the barrels are medium-roasted and refilled with wine, which ensures depth and complexity. The finely grained French oak is perfect for enhancing the nuances that lovers appreciate in tequilas from the valley. El Negocio is proof of what tequila can be when craftsmanship and tradition merge: an authentic spirit that combines the nuanced restraint of winemaking with the unbridled spiciness of tequila.

At the World Spirits Award 2025, there was Gold for El Negocio Tequila Blanco and El Negocio Tequila Joven, and Silver for El Negocio Tequila Reposada.