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Domaine du Coquerel – Calvados with character

In 1937, René Gilbert decided to make use of one of the most important products from Normandy: apples. He initially founded a production site for cider and a distillery in Fontenay and subsequently purchased Coquerel, which had established itself as a leading producer of calvados over the years. In 1971, the company merged with Asbach Germany, triggering an important period of growth. In 1990, the Domaine du Coquerel went to Diageo. In September 1996, the company got its independence back, when Jean-François Martin purchased it. His son Pierre has also been working in the company since September 2014. The company is currently the largest independent calvados producer in France and employs 19 people.

The company has held the ‘Normandie Qualité Tourisme’ recommendation since 2002 meaning that it is accessible to the public and offers guided tours where guests can learn all about the production of cider and calvados. In addition to more than 100 awards for the products themselves, they have also received the French President’s distinction for the most attractive calvados cellar.

From September to November, 5,000 to 6,000 tons of apples are harvested from an area of 15 km around the plant, in accordance with AOC regulations. 200 tons can be processed each day in the cider production facility. 48,000 hectolitres of apple must are stored in stainless steel tanks until they have fermented (60 to 90 days). The distillation process takes place from January to May, then the distillates mature in small barrels made of French Limousin oak for at least two years. Investments are constantly being made to replace the barrel stock – at present, some 2,500 small wooden barrels are in use to ensure the optimal maturation of the calvados. 60% of the production is exported (to more than 20 countries all over the world). The primary markets are Belgium, the Baltic states, Spain, Japan, Italy, the USA, Denmark and Finland.

The Calvados XO won gold at the World Spirits Award.

Kesselbrüder: World-first from Vienna

At the beginning of December 2018, Florian Koller, Thomas Tirmantinger and Achim Brock presented ‘Klimt Wien Gin’. They wanted a memorial for the Art Nouveau painter and to capture the way of life at the turn of the century in a bottle. “We have the philosophy, we have the ingenious product and we have the patron saint of the creative Viennese eroticism: Gustav Klimt.” This is how Achim Brock describes the idea behind the gin creation. Florian Koller continues: “Gustav Klimt represents the intellectual, charming, creative, deca-dent and erotic Vienna from the past and the modern day. We absolutely wanted to focus on that.” Thomas Tirmantinger enthuses on the effect of the superplants involved: “Lady’s mantle is one of our favourites, this plant that is indigenous to Europe has a relaxing effect on the female lower abdomen, the stinging nettle stimulates blood circulation in the genitals, and the superplant, the bishop’s cap cactus from Japan, increases libido and semen production in men.”

13 months of intensive product development were necessary to create the first ‘functional erotic gin in the world’. Eight highly dosed, strongly aphrodisiac botanicals were added to the basic recipe using a special mac-eration procedure whereby the gin gains in maturity, potency, expression and eroticism. The mostly indige-nous botanicals can be clearly recognised, produced in a special infusion procedure.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Wien Gin and Klimt Wien 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.

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’.