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Horvath’s Spezereyen Kontor: Enjoying goodness

Horvath’s Spezereyen Kontor und Lebensmittelproduktion GmbH is an Austrian family business based in Deutsch-Wagram, north-east of Vienna. Its extensive range boasts over 300 different products, such as spirits, food and culinary gifts both for export to third countries (USA, China) and for the European market. In Austria, the company is known especially for classic and creative liqueur specialities. The secret is the combination of fruit juice with milk and cream, resulting in especially creamy and fruity liqueurs. Classics include the Gänserndorf egg cream liqueur, hazelnut cream liqueur or marzipan liqueur, while special creations are also on offer, from strawberry-vanilla to peppermint cream. The selection of spirits includes fruit and cream liqueurs, brandies and schnapps, bitters and absinthe. Vodka made from potatoes (Vodka Kartoff, Vodka Monopolowa) is exported to the USA, Poland (J.A. Baczewski Vodka), Italy, France and Ukraine. Liqueur specialities go to Shanghai, among other places.
70% is destined for export, and Horvath’s is appreciated worldwide for its quality and good value for money. In addition to the retail trade, the company also supplies the restaurant and catering industry and has established itself as a solid partner in the beverage sector.

The World Class Distillery 2025 & Distillery of the Year 2025 – Gold & World Spirits Award (Bitters & Liqueurs) received Double Gold for Wiener Brise Peppermint Liqueur and Gänserndorfer Limoncello Cream Liqueur (Spirit of the Year 2025), Gold for Gänserndorfer Hazelnut Cream Liqueur and Gänserndorfer Egg Cream Liqueur, and Bronze for Horvath’s Zirberl (arolla pine).

Rheinspiration: From an idea on a cruise ship to a new brand of gin

“We love gin. And perfect handicraft. We combined the two in March 2018 to make the dream of our own gin brand come true.” During a cruise, the perfect opportunity arose to lay the foundations: in a workshop on the high seas, the two managing directors, Daniel Reuter and Christian Schillings, developed the basic recipe for their mild DormaGIN. It is now produced with a passion in the Rhenish Köln-Ehrenfeld. The hand-selected botanicals follow the motto ‘less is more’: in addition to lemon peel and ginger, there are also coriander and cardamom, among others, and bergamot provides the distinct citrus note. The premium gin has been on the market since November 2018, in May and November 2019 the family grew: this was when a sloe gin and a barrel-aged variety were introduced into the product portfolio.

There is a story behind the name of the gin. It is, in part, an homage to Dormagen, the hometown of the two men. In addition, there is the bergamot as the leading botanical – a kind of citrus fruit that is mainly grown in Calabria. “This nuance, the lightness of the Italian Dolce Vita and the aria ‘Nessun dorma’ from Puccini’s opera Turandot inspired us to come up with the name ‘DormaGIN’,” say the two creative gentlemen. „‘Nobody should sleep‘, as the translated title of the aria says, but rather enjoy DormaGIN with friends.”

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for DormaGIN and DormaGIN Sloe Gin.

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.