World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Stock Polska – Prestige products with history

Polmos Lublin (known today as Stock Polska) was founded by the industrialist Emil Plage in Lublin in 1906 and was able to survive both world wars and the communist state leadership. The company was nationalised in 1948 and re-privatised in 2001. It traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange until 2005 and was sold in 2006. The new owners, Oaktree Capital Management, purchased the spirits division from Eckes Stock in 2007 and thereby laid the foundations for the current Stock Spirits Group. The company has its headquarters in Luxembourg, its service centre in Great Britain and its production sites in the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland.

Stock dates back to the year 1884 when Lionello Stock founded a beverages business in Trieste. He purchased a distillery in 1920 in what is currently part of the Czech Republic with the aim of tapping into new markets. This was followed by distilleries, bottling plants and warehouses in Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia. In the 1920s, Stock was one of the biggest companies of its kind in Europe.

After an absence of 70 years, Stock returned to Poland and began to manufacture at the historic site of Lublin, 150 kilometres south-east of Warsaw. Intensive investment led to the creation of the most modern distillery in Poland and a leadership position on the vodka market. Poland’s most popular flavoured vodka is produced here: Zoladkowa Gorzka.

Lots of Stock products are produced by traditional recipes. These classical brands appeal to connoisseurs all over the world. In return, work is constantly being done on innovations that correspond to modern tastes and new drinking cultures. Quality standards are constantly upheld in both areas, of course.

The quality of the products was recognised at the World Spirits Award with a gold medal for the Orkisz Spelt Vodka.

Zwack – Hungary’s number one

Hungary’s ‘national drink’ Unicum was first produced in 1790 by a doctor to the royal court of Emperor Joseph II. This was the start of a success story which continues to the present day. The company was founded in 1840 and József Zwack & Co. established itself as a renowned manufacturer of beverages, exporter and purveyor to the court around the turn of the century.

In World War II, the factory was destroyed and after reconstruction in 1948, it was nationalised under the Communist regime. The Zwack family lost everything and had no choice but to leave Hungary and flee to the USA – along with the secret recipe for Unicum. In 1988, during the communist era, Peter Zwack (a representative of the fifth generation) was the first entrepreneur to return to Hungary and re-bought the distillery. A year later, Hungary was the first country in Eastern Europe to experience the fall of the Iron Curtain and the borders were open again.

In 2008, Peter Zwack handed the management of this family business on to the next generation following two decades of successful work building up the company. His son Sandor is the new chairman and his youngest daughter Izabella is a member of the company management. Today, Zwack along with his flagship product Unicum (a reclaimed cultural possession of the country) and other exceptional products have been classed as a “truly outstanding company” (Forbes Magazine).

This also confirms the company’s success at the World Spirits Award: Zwack was classified as a First Class Distillery 2012 and there were three golds for the Kalinka Vodka, Zwack Unicum and Unicum Szilva.

Bonner Manufaktur: Small yet exquisite

The Bonner Manufaktur was born from a dream that originated in 2015 – a dream to produce something unique and handcrafted. Specifically, it was about a spirit, produced with passion and dedication following traditional methods. In the beginning it was the naked GiN, which has since won several national and international awards, joined in 2018 by Mr. Williams pear brandy and Mrs. Williams pear liqueur. The same applies for this pair: quality and tradition are the greatest priorities.

The finest ingredients and gentle distillation methods bring the pear out of its slightly dusty niche, as Daniel Wartacz, founder and ‘number one’ in the company, charmingly remarks. In the sub-Mediterranean climate by Lake Constance, the pears can develop their typical aroma on the tree until the very last moment, before being transformed into liqueur and brandy. What that tastes like can be sampled since 2018 in the Wohnzimmer - drinking office on Bonn’s Theaterstraße, the new home of these spirits and slightly unusual tasting evenings. This combination of shop, event room and office is open on Thursdays and Saturdays for those wanting to stock up on special wine and spirit specialities.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Mrs. Williams – finest Williams Christ pear liqueur, and silver for Mr. Williams – finest Williams Christ pear brandy.