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Aura Proizvodi: Delicacies from Croatia

This family business invests a great deal of handicraft and devotion into every product. Aside from jams made of figs, plums, dandelion, cornel cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, apricots, oranges and cinnamon, they offer 29 brandies made from fruits and herbs, as well as four gins. The basis of all these is homemade brandy from pomace, pears or apples. This is used for Biska (mistletoe brandy), Medenica (honey brandy) and Teranino (red wine liqueur), spirits made of figs, carob, cornel cherries, almonds, olives, peppermint, plums, rose blossom, sage, forest fruits, wild apples, wild pears and even more besides. The product range also includes a herb liqueur with wormwood, Millefrutti (made of macerated wild fruits), Biska extra (made of white mistletoe), Limoncello, Orancello, Fernet Amaro 78, the first Croatian aperitif Ora d’Oro and the new Premium Pelinkovac Victoris. The product range is headed by Premium Gin Karbun (made of wheat distillate, juniper berries and 20 spices). The gin is filtered through active carbon that is also offered when serving. The products are sold at wine shops, delicatessens, hotels, restaurants and airports. They have their own shops in Hum, the smallest town in the world, in Buzet, the town of truffles, in Novigrad, in Grožnjanu, the artists’ village, in Porec, Motovun, Rovinj and Pula. They also supply to Rijeka, Split, Vrbnik on the island of Krk and the island of Cres. Starting in 2024, they have opened shops in Slovenia as well.

At the World Spirits Award, this Master Class Distillery 2026 won Gold for Aura Premium Pelinkovac Victoris, Aura Limoncello and Aura Teranino, and Silver for Aura Fernet Amaro 78, Aura Gin Karbun and Orancello.

LIEBELEI: Organic liqueur manufactured in Chemnitz

Juergen Lange and Thomas Rebsch are the creative minds behind the small but outstanding production facility in Chemnitz, where organic egg liqueur is manufactured through careful manual work, 130,000 bottles a year: along with the bestseller ‘Pur’ made of organic eggs and bourbon vanilla, also the creamy ‘Schokokuss’ made with three types of cocoa, ‘Spektakulatius’ with its very own blend of spices and the ‘Flotte Orange’ with a hint of organic orange oil. Natural ingredients are exclusively used, without any aromatic substances, colouring agents or additives.

It all started with a romance across many kilometres, during which homemade egg liqueur was given as mutual gifts by Juergen and Thomas. Over the course of time, the recipes were refined and they decided to let family and friends enjoy them too. This heralded the birth of LIEBELEI LIKÖRE and ‘Pur’ soon developed into the ‘must have’ for enthusiasts. The egg liqueur was offered for the first time in 2017 at the Chemnitz Christmas market and quickly sold out. Four weeks later, online sales were launched. Over the years, its presence and turnover has increased steadily and many contacts were forged, because the markets were an optimal multiplier – until they were all cancelled due to Covid. Luckily, the turnover shortfall could be largely compensated for online. In 2021, production was switched to organic. In the meantime, the products are listed at over 300 retailers and suppliers. The next goals are wholesalers and expansion to Austria and Switzerland. The team is growing and a new production building is being opened.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to the Liebelei organic egg liqueur Pur.

Jim Beam Distillery – Bourbon straight on

Knob Creek is named after a rivulet in Kentucky, the home of President Abraham Lincoln. His steadfast attitude seems to serve as an example for this straightforward bourbon. The square ‘chemist’s bottle’ suits these traditional values perfectly, as does the striking label which is reminiscent of the old tradition of wrapping bottles in newspaper. To this day, a mixture of experience and craftsmanship is the recipe for success for the bourbon from Knob Creek.

The bourbon was at the peak of its success in 1919, when the nationwide prohibition of the sale, manufacture and transport of alcohol began – lasting until 1933. Following this, a new start was impossible for many distilleries; others couldn’t finance the customary long maturing process of the bourbon. This situation motivated Booker Noe to revive the traditional bourbon style from the time before the prohibition: rich in aroma, with discreet sweetness due to year-long maturation in strongly ‘toasted’ wooden barrels from American white oak. In 1950, he joined the family business – his mother was the daughter of Jim Beam, which meant bourbon was already in his blood – and completed his training as Master Distiller. With the small series of premium bourbon he launched, the term ‘batch’ (small) was established and revolutionised the industry. His son, Fred Noe, continues with this clear strategy: “I learnt the business from scratch, listened to my father and learnt on the job. I know what it means to make perfect bourbon. Each bottle is a reflection of my family.” Since 1992, the Knob Creek brand has represented these values with the perfect combination of tradition and top quality.

A golden trio was successful at the World Spirits Award: Knob Creek Rye Whiskey Small Batch, Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon and Knob Creek Straight Bourbon.