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Wachauer Privatdestillerie Hellerschmid: Apricots and lots more

In 1948, Franz Hellerschmid founded the private distillery in Krems with the aim of producing fine brandies and liqueurs from the Wachau apricot. The product range mostly included heavy and very sweet liqueurs, which were almost exclusively sold within the region. In 1970, Hardt Hellerschmid took over the company, completely modernised it and considerably expanded the product range and delivery area and, in 1972, set a milestone in the history of the company with the ‘B’soffene Marille’ (‘tipsy apricot’). As a representative of the third generation of the family, Bernhard Hellerschmid has been running the company since 2008.

More than twenty different spirits and non-alcoholic specialities are produced, whereby the recipes remain true to the time when the business was established. Complemented by process-optimised production processes, typical Austrian specialities have been created. With each new generation there have been innovations and changes, but over the years the handed-down recipes and the focus on local raw materials sourced from up to 50 kilometres around the town of Krems have always remained constant. The diverse product range encompasses fruits in alcohol, clear spirits, bitter schnapps, fruit liqueurs, emulsion liqueurs, alcohol-free, sweet and savoury, as well as sparkling and refreshing drinks.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Mohn-Eierlikör (poppy seed and egg liqueur), gold for walnut schnapps, blueberry brandy and raspberry spirit, and silver for apricot brandy.

Organic Juniper: Purism for true gin lovers

Sometimes it seems as though many distillers have forgotten what gin is all about. Why else would we have all these complicated aromas that don’t just sing, but shout? This is the view at Juni Gin Lab in Nottingham, the place to be for dedicated gin fans – an exclusive location with a carefully stocked bar. As well as their own Juni gins, there are innovative cocktails, wines, beers, ciders and alcohol-free drinks to choose from.

The ‘lab’ can tell you about the history of gin, about Juni 93 and its home in Serbia, as well as offering an insight into distillation techniques, mixing and harmonising botanicals for home recipes that can be produced in traditional copper stills. Of course, there are also tastings and even a Cocktail Master Class.

With Juni 93, Alyasir Mendly, Sales Manager at Organic Juniper, together with the Master Distiller, Tom Masters, has put an original London Dry made entirely with natural ingredients on the market. Made with hand-selected, Serbian organic juniper berries from their own land in the highlands of Pest at nearly 5,000 feet above sea level. And, instead of transporting the berries all the way to England, they have settled in Serbia to meet the locals and to get involved in all the work, from picking to sorting to distilling.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Juni 93 London Dry Gin and Juni 93 Cask-Aged Gin.