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WOB Destillerie Wolfram Ortner: 37 Years of Perfection in Taste & Design

This ‘crazy idea’ was launched in 1989 with the premiere of a diva dressed in raspberry-red. Wolfram Ortner has always been committed to fine fruit distillates and has produced them to uncompromising perfection. His penchant for wines matured in wooden barrels led to his first apple brandy being matured in French Limousin oak barrels in 1990. In 2000, apples from the Lavant Valley were stored in Allier, Limousin, Never and Trançais barrels. The first whiskies were produced in 1996, and in 2016 the series of six special rums, fermented with different yeasts and bottled from approx. 40% vol. to cask strength, was launched.

The handling of wood has been perfected over more than three decades, using different types of oak and degrees of toasting. Since 2013, the barrels are no longer toasted, but the wood has been heavily charred. This required significantly longer storage times for the products: Hefe 2014 (yeast) and Apfel 2015 (apple) were bottled at cask strength in 2024, while the Dark 1 and Dark 5 rums were also bottled after around ten years. 2013 also saw the start of the exciting development of recipes for ‘drugs’ made from dried herbs and spices.

On 25 November 2019, there was an explosion at the distillery, and it was not rebuilt. In spring 2024, the last barrels were emptied, twelve products were bottled and the stylish ‘FAP’ line (brandy, rum and whisky) was created. Two apple-wood brandies and a wine yeast-wood product were the fiery finale with the name ‘Omega’. Ortner’s passion hasn’t ended yet, as there are plenty of WOB Spirits in stock, available in the store and at www.wob.at.

At the World Spirits Award 2025, there was Gold for KGB Kräuter-Gewürz Bitter - a true classic in the bitters category.

Evan Williams – Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey with tradition

Evan Williams founded the first commercial distillery in Kentucky in 1783. He was unable to sell his rich cereal harvest due to transport routes and so decided to use the corn to distil whiskey instead. This was easier to transport and the local water, which flows over limestone ground, gives the whiskey its characteristic flavour. Production is based on a traditional recipe including all the details specific to a small distillery. Evan Williams today owns the Heaven Hill Distilleries, the biggest family-owned distillery in the USA which was founded in the 1930s. It offers a wide range of products such as American whiskey, rum, tequila, vodka, gin, brandy, cognac, etc. and is exported to 60 countries worldwide.

The classic ‘Black Label’, the second strongest bourbon in the world, matures for three times longer than is legally required. Combined with the higher alcohol content, an intensive, full and soft flavour emerges. ‘Evan Williams 1783’ is bottled after 10 years of ageing in a limited selection of casks. The ‘Single Barrel’ comes from one single cask with the number and filling date added to the bottle by hand. It is left to mature in white oak casks on the top shelves of the warehouse. Significant temperature fluctuations mean that the flavour varies from cask to cask. The Elijah Craig 12 Y is left to mature for 12 years in American holm oak casks and only 100 casks are filled each year. The company namesake lived during the 18th century and invented the Kentucky Bourbon. Legend states that he burnt down the barn in which his casks were stored. The whiskeys therefore aged more quickly and acquired a special aroma and colour.

Elijah Craig performed well at the World Spirits Award (double gold). There was also gold for the rest: Evan Williams Black Label, Evan Williams 1783 and Evan Williams Single Barrel.

Georg Hemmeter – XUXU, Escorial, SILLA EL FUERTE

Georg Hemmeter – strawberry drinks with exceptional flavour guaranteed

The name Georg Hemmeter – a company of the Underberg Group – stands for innovative spirits, in particular the XUXU range. The fresh and fruity strawberry drink contains 66 percent fruit plus crystal-clear vodka, rounded off with a dash of lime. The harmony between the sweetness of the fruit and just 15% alcohol by volume is created using a special production method. XUXU Ten, the little luxury in a 250 ml aluminium bottle with only 10% alcohol by volume, is dressed to party – it is still relatively new to the market, yet is already at home in all the world’s top party venues.
XUXU can be served in so many different ways: chilled, neat, on crushed ice, as a dessert topping, with sparkling wine or with other mixers – XUXU tastes heavenly and offers fresh and fruity pleasure. Welcome to Berrydise!

Initially the absolute top star in Greece, XUXU is now also number 1 in Russia, and extremely popular in Turkey and Italy too.


XUXU Strawberry & Vodka Drink and XUXU Ten won Gold at the World Spirits Award 2014.