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Engelszell monastery liqueurs: A secret recipe

The Cistercian monastery of Engelszell was founded in 1293 by Bishop Wernhard von Prambach of Passau and abolished in 1786 under Emperor Joseph II. In 1925, the Engelszell estate became a monastery again when the Trappists bought the former monastery including the dilapidated buildings. The renowned diligence of the ‘silent monks’ helped them back to their former glory. In the search for the necessary funds, an offer from a Swiss pharmacist proved to be the stroke of luck they needed: his excellent herbal recipe was the start of liqueur production in 1929. The proceeds from the sale of the homemade spirits made an essential contribution to the preservation of this cultural heritage.

The original recipe for the bitters, which is still kept top secret, is well protected in the monastery archives. Brother Reinhard, head of liqueur production, doesn’t give much away: 42 different herbs, roots and spices form the basis, including galangal, buckbean and St. John’s wort. Further liqueurs have been developed over the many years of liqueur history. 15 monastery liqueurs of various flavours are currently in the treasure chest of the Trappists of Engelszell. The work is carried out according to both old recipes and, since 1929, also according to recipes the monks have developed themselves. Brother Reinhard watches over every single new herbal extract to ensure quality and taste. This is how the monks ensure the excellent quality of the spiritual drinks. Since 2021, the regionality has been greatly increased by using domestic ethyl alcohol, AT-BIO-902.

Engelszeller Eierlikör (egg liqueur) and Engelszeller Magenbitter (bitters) won Gold at the World Spirits Award 2025.

Mack Brands: Finvara – Irish Whiskey

Finvara is produced by master distiller David F. Hynes and his team at the Great Northern Distillery (GND) in Dundalk. The town has access to the purest water from the nearby Cooley Mountains, which is why brewing and distilling has been carried out in the region since the late 17th century. Dundalk’s large municipal distillery was in operation between 1708 and 1926. Two historic buildings still exist and are now home to the County Museum and Dundalk Library.

Only Irish malted and unmalted barley is used for the Finvara brand whiskey. The mash is traditionally distilled three times in classic copper pot stills and matured in different types of cask, including American white oak bourbon casks and Spanish sherry casks. The name Finvara goes back to the legendary king of an enchanted kingdom. As a master of transformation, he could take on any form he wanted. His image on the label leads you off on a mystical journey into bygone times and mysterious worlds.

Conte Camillo offers ready-to-drink Negroni – perfect for the fast pace of life in the city. Its origin lies in the northern Italian Alps, where master distiller Alessandro Francoli is responsible for the harmonious combination of gin, vermouth and bitters in a small mountain distillery in the Aosta Valley. Each component is made separately with regional ingredients. The gin is based on mineral-rich water from the Acqueverdi waterfall, combined with juniper from 2,400 metres above sea level, gentian, wild mallow and mountain roses. Herbs such as the small-flowered mountain mint and the aromatic mountain thyme are used for the vermouth. In Bitter Artigianale, wormwood, gentian and elderflower join other aromas such as orange peel and liquorice root.

Bimmerle: Know-how meets regionality and trend awareness

At the production site in the Black Forest town of Sasbach, which was opened in 2015, this family business sets innovative standards in technology, sustainability and environmental protection. For the last five decades, Bimmerle has strived for the highest quality, with focussed know-how, modern high-tech and the traditional art of distilling. This is the first distillery in Germany where all the heating requirements and power generation are covered by the burning of fruit stones combined with woodchips from the region.

In Germany and on the European market, Bimmerle is a leader in the fruit brandies sector with the Lörch brand. In order to make the ‘playground’ more interesting, the brand identity was modernised in 2024 and will be extended in 2025 by a fruit brandy range matured in wooden casks. Needle Black Forest Gin is among the top 5 most widely sold gins in Germany. The portfolio has been expanded since 2018 with WOOD STORK Spiced Rum and the EVERMANN Black Forest whiskies Theo & Wilhelm introduced in 2022. The Black Forest distillery has enriched the liqueur and aperitif market with as many as five exciting creations under the DON PASQUALE brand.

The World Class Distillery 2025 & Distillery of the Year 2025 – Bronze (Bitters & Liqueurs) received Gold for Don Pasquale Limoncello Liqueur, Zünftler Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Wood Stork Spiced Rum, Lörch Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Lörch Vanillekipferl Sahnelikör (vanilla cream liqueur), Needle Gin Green, Don Pasquale Aperitif Bitter Liqueur, Don Pasquale Espresso Martini Liqueur, Don Pasquale Hazelnut Liqueur and Lörch Linzertorte Sahnelikör (Linzer tart cream liqueur). Silver was awarded to Kronenhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Zinselhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Altes Schwarzwälder Zwetschgenwasser (damson spirit), Needle Blackforest Distilled Dry Gin, Needle Gin Rosé, Don Pasquale Pistachio Cream Liqueur, Lörch Bratapfel Sahnelikör (baked apple cream liqueur), Zünftler Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Lörch Williams Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (pear spirit aged in a wooden cask) and Lörch Marille Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (apricot spirit aged in a wooden cask), and Bronze to Lörch Obst Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (fruit spirit aged in a wooden cask).

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.