Skip to main content
The cart is empty

World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

he ultimate guide through the world of spirits - with current ratings of the best distilleries and commercial enterprises.
Order it now on-line: for Euro 72.- per

Destillerie

Company:
Scheible Bräu & Spirituosen GmbH
Address:
Hauptstraße 52
Place:
86733 Alerheim
Country:
Germany
Products:
  • Gin
  • Bitter-Kräuter
Krater Spirits: 400 years of tradition in Nördling

In the year 1621, the Alerheim innkeeper Caspar Beck received the entitlement from the ruling count at Oettingen ‘to brew beer and to run a brandy house’. This inheritance was continued by the family and supplemented by a herb liqueur with ginger and peppermint, which was launched on the market in 2013. The name ‘Kraterfeuer’ (Crater Fire) is due to its warming pungency. In 2015, Bavarian Krater Noster Distilled Dry Gin was added, for which wild juniper berries from the wild heath Rieser Heide were used, selected by hand on the edge of the crater that was formed 14 million years ago with the impact of a meteorite.

Since 2020, there is also Full Moon Krater Noster Distilled Dry Gin, a homage to the Apollo astronauts who trained here in 1970 for their voyage to the moon. NASA had sent them to Bavaria to prepare them for their mission in similar geological conditions. The suevite rock in the Ries region was fby that meteorite‘s impact – like the moon craters visible from Earth. Therefore, the Full Moon edition was composed with wild juniper berries from the edge of the crater and beguiling moon plants such as sweet-tart meadowsweet.

Krater Spirits has become a family project involving everyone. Sustainability as forethought for the forthcoming generations is practised in everyday life: the energy for manufacturing the products and heating the buildings comes from renewable sources.

At the World Spirits Award, double gold was awarded to Kraterfeuer, gold to Bavarian Krater Noster Distilled Dry Gin, and silver to Full Moon Krater Noster Distilled Dry Gin.
AwardsPointsSpiritEventDetail
Double-Gold 95.3Kraterfeuer2022Details
Gold 90.3Bavarian Krater Noster Distilled Dry Gin2022Details
Silver 89Full Moon Krater Noster Distilled Dry Gin2022Details

Destillerie

Company:
Azienda Agricola A. Riggio
Address:
Via Barreca,15 / C.O. Via Sabin n°4/B
Place:
90015 Sant'Ambrogio
Country:
Italy
Products:
  • Bitter-Kräuter
Antonino Riggio - The Wonderful World of Plants

Antonino Riggio founded his company only in 2005; the business grew out of an extensive passion for lupins. The plant with its large, colourful flowers grows wild in Central Europe and elsewhere in the world, and they make a favourite meal for bees. Gardeners employ lupins to improve the soil, cattle farmers know them to be valuable fodder plants. The cultivated species are referred to as sweet lupins; they contain fewer alkaloids than their wild counterparts. The seeds, which contain almost 50% protein, would seem to provide a successful alternative to soy. Clinical studies have shown other positive medicinal effects; substances derived from lupins can protect cells and counteract cancer, as well as help control cholesterol levels.

Plant amateur Riggio followed this up with another innovative idea in 2006. He developed a bitter named "Ginseno", processed from ginseng, aromatic herbs and medicinal plants. Ginseno is available in different flavours; Naturale, Amabile, Alla Menta, and Alla Manna. The latter contains a sap extract from the Manna Ash (Fraxinus ornus), which grows in Madonie, a nature reserve near Castelbuono. The dried sap contains mannite, a sugar substitute also used in pharmacology.

In future, Riggio plans further Ginseno variants, flavoured with Agrumi di Sicilia (oranges and mandarins), almonds and cactus fruit. All products are labelled "APLCEFALU" which refers to their origin: the town of Cefalù on the Northern coast of Sicily.

The trip to Carinthia to the World Spirits Award paid off: the bitter Ginseno alla Manna received a gold medal.
AwardsPointsSpiritEventDetail
Gold 90Ginseno alla manna2008Details

Handel

Company:
DBC PR - Jim Beam Suntory
Address:
1027 33rd St NW
Place:
20007 Washington
Country:
United States
Products:
  • Spirituosen Wiederverkauf
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.
AwardsPointsSpiritEventDetail
Gold 93.7Knob Creek Rye Whiskey Small Batch2016Details
Gold 93Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon2016Details
Gold 91.7Knob Creek Straight Bourbon2016Details

Handel

Company:
Bimmerle KG Private Distillery
Address:
Önsbacherstraße 40
Place:
77855 Achern
Country:
Germany
Products:
  • Spirituosen Wiederverkauf
  • Destillerie
Bimmerle: Know-how meets regionality and trend awareness

At the production site in the Black Forest town of Sasbach, which was opened in 2015, this family business sets innovative standards in technology, sustainability and environmental protection. For the last five decades, Bimmerle has strived for the highest quality, with focussed know-how, modern high-tech and the traditional art of distilling. This is the first distillery in Germany where all the heating requirements and power generation are covered by the burning of fruit stones combined with woodchips from the region.

In Germany and on the European market, Bimmerle is a leader in the fruit brandies sector with the Lörch brand. In order to make the ‘playground’ more interesting, the brand identity was modernised in 2024 and will be extended in 2025 by a fruit brandy range matured in wooden casks. Needle Black Forest Gin is among the top 5 most widely sold gins in Germany. The portfolio has been expanded since 2018 with WOOD STORK Spiced Rum and the EVERMANN Black Forest whiskies Theo & Wilhelm introduced in 2022. The Black Forest distillery has enriched the liqueur and aperitif market with as many as five exciting creations under the DON PASQUALE brand.

The World Class Distillery 2025 & Distillery of the Year 2025 – Bronze (Bitters & Liqueurs) received Gold for Don Pasquale Limoncello Liqueur, Zünftler Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Wood Stork Spiced Rum, Lörch Waldhimbeergeist (wild raspberry spirit), Lörch Vanillekipferl Sahnelikör (vanilla cream liqueur), Needle Gin Green, Don Pasquale Aperitif Bitter Liqueur, Don Pasquale Espresso Martini Liqueur, Don Pasquale Hazelnut Liqueur and Lörch Linzertorte Sahnelikör (Linzer tart cream liqueur). Silver was awarded to Kronenhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Zinselhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand (pear brandy), Lörch Altes Schwarzwälder Zwetschgenwasser (damson spirit), Needle Blackforest Distilled Dry Gin, Needle Gin Rosé, Don Pasquale Pistachio Cream Liqueur, Lörch Bratapfel Sahnelikör (baked apple cream liqueur), Zünftler Alte Williams Christ Birne (pear brandy), Lörch Williams Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (pear spirit aged in a wooden cask) and Lörch Marille Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (apricot spirit aged in a wooden cask), and Bronze to Lörch Obst Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert (fruit spirit aged in a wooden cask).
AwardsPointsSpiritEventDetail
Gold 95Don Pasquale Aperitif Bitter Likör2025Details
Gold 94Lörch Linzertorte Sahnelikör2025Details
Gold 94Wood Stork Spiced Rum2025Details
Gold 92.7Don Pasquale Espresso Martini Likör2025Details
Gold 92.3Zünftler Waldhimbeergeist2025Details
Gold 92.3Needle Gin Green2025Details
Gold 92Don Pasquale Limoncello Likör2025Details
Gold 92Don Pasquale Haselnuss Likör2025Details
Gold 90Lörch Vanillekipferl Sahnelikör2025Details
Gold 90Lörch Waldhimbeergeist2025Details
Silver 89Needle Blackforest Distilled Dry Gin2025Details
Silver 88Don Pasquale Pistazien Sahnelikör2025Details
Silver 87Zinselhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand2025Details
Silver 87Zünftler Alte Williams Christ Birne2025Details
Silver 85Lörich Bratapfel Sahnelikör2025Details
Silver 84Lörch Williams Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert2025Details
Silver 83Lörch Altes Schwarzwälder Zwetschgenwasser2025Details
Silver 83Kronenhof Alter Williams Christ Birnenbrand2025Details
Silver 83Needle Gin Rosé2025Details
Silver 82Lörch Alte Williams Christ Birne2025Details
Silver 81Lörch Marille Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert2025Details
Bronze 79Lörch Obst Spirituose im Holzfass gelagert2025Details
We use cookies

Utilizziamo i cookie sul nostro sito Web. Alcuni di essi sono essenziali per il funzionamento del sito, mentre altri ci aiutano a migliorare questo sito e l'esperienza dell'utente (cookie di tracciamento). Puoi decidere tu stesso se consentire o meno i cookie. Ti preghiamo di notare che se li rifiuti, potresti non essere in grado di utilizzare tutte le funzionalità del sito.