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Edelbrennerei Friedl Mair – Fruit classics from a professional amateur distiller

In the small community of Flaurling in the Inn Valley, between Innsbruck and Telfs, lives a successful amateur distiller. He discovered his love of spirits over 25 years ago – and this has now become his great passion. Friedl Mair started out with a small licensed distillery which has been successively expanded and enlarged over the years. Investment in modern technology has given rise to a high quality bonded distillery. Further training and curiosity eventually transformed a hobby into a profession! Success did not take long to come and Friedl Mair is now the proud recipient of numerous awards for his products – as well as winning the Tyrol State Prize twice.

His product range of around 50 items is based on ripe, high quality fruit: from pip fruits (especially apples, pears and quince) to stone fruits (in particular damson and as a cigar brandy, apricot, cherry, sour cherry, sloe, greengage and Mirabelle plum) as well as berries (cranberry, rowanberry, elderberry, raspberry, jostaberry, strawberry and juniper berry), pomace and grape marc and specialities such as gentian, carrot and Jerusalem artichoke. Following processing and distillation in the distilling column, these ‘treats for the taste buds based on traditional Tyrolean fruit distilling’ are left to mature in glass balloons. The brandies are sold in hand-painted bottles and on request can be packaged in gift boxes and wooden boxes.

Participation in the World Spirits Award brought classification as a Master Class Distillery 2013. There was gold for the quince, berry cuvée and muscatel grape and silver for the Williams red and damson cuvée.

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.

Klippenziege: New era in the world of gin

In December 2015, four friends captured the ‘spirit’ of an idea: they were thinking about gin. Nearly a year later a small batch was bottled by hand. The individuality of a gin lies in the combination of the botanicals, in this case it is the exotic selection: mate tea, goji berries, physalis and a hint of rose. The Klippenziege is a New Western Dry Gin, in which juniper plays the main role amongst the other botanicals.

It is produced in the Habbel Distillery, which guarantees excellent quality thanks to its experience – it was established in 1878 and is now in the family’s fourth generation. The former Korn distillery in Sprockhövel with adjoining farmland is now the largest fruit distillery in the Ruhr region, as a traditional manufacturer it stands out with its attention to detail. The entire manufacturing process at Klippenziege can also be observed on-site.

The bottle and the label are also special. Designer Levent Aydin drew it carefully by hand, and then digitalised it before perfecting it. First it is printed, then coated, then stamped and embossed. The elegant result stands for friendship, solidarity and love. Working together in a friendly and familiar atmosphere connects people with a passion for life who share one important belief: that the product should encourage people to slow down, allowing for mindful enjoyment.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Mate Dry Gin.