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Skiclub Kampen: Purism from the North Sea

In 1989, Pius Regli and Jörg Hinck founded the Kampen ski club whilst enjoying an excellent, home-distilled vodka on the island of Sylt. From then on they competed against each other every year in a ski race in Zermatt, and the winner became the club president for the following year. In 2012, Ulrich Graf, a businessman from Dortmund and manager of Skiclub Kampen GmbH, developed the spirits and designed the unique bottle for North Sea, the premium brand name for gin, vodka and vodka-based drinks. The demands are high for this handcrafted alcohol from Germany. The basis for all the spirits is the vodka, five-times distilled and filtered extremely slowly through a silver dust filter.

After intensive observation of the market, Ulrich Graf only saw the chance to make their mark amongst the global players and established brands with a unique bottle: “The bottle should be recognisable from 15 to 20 metres distance from across the club.” The bottle design of a French manufacturer convinced them: it underscores the purity of the content with its purist form – inspired by the clear countryside of the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. After six months’ development, an all-over coating was found which felt warm and soft, and from which condensed water rolled off. Every flavour has its own colour which corresponds to the colour of the drink (for example, a bright, strong red for blood orange with vodka), sending out a clear message.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for North Sea Gin and North Sea Vodka.

Konkani Distillery: Handcrafted gin with Indian roots

The team at the young distillery in Petershausen were inspired for this gin while on holiday in Goa on the west coast of India – a place to unwind, with dream beaches. The fresh and fruity mango drinks that you can buy on every corner are part of this. This taste experience prompted the creation of a distillate that gives everyone a holiday feeling for a while – a modern New Western Dry Gin with an ‘Indian profile’. The ingredients include tamarind, Litsea cubeba and turmeric, angelica and of course juniper, rounded off with mango and a tangy, fruity touch. The botanicals are processed by hand at Destille Kaltenthaler in Westhofen. You will not find industrial mass goods here, it is about filling dedication and lightness into bottles and providing them to people looking for an individual product.

Since language is the essence of communal living, the language of Goa became the namesake of this gin: Konkani. A mandala was chosen for the bottle design, taking up and representing the essence of botanicals, spices and fruits. In summary, this gin with Indian roots is intended to accompany the moments in life when we are gripped by yearning for a getaway, no matter whether it is on a fun evening, at a garden party or as a guest gift. One can always find an excuse to leave everyday stress behind and to switch off for a while.

At the World Spirits Award, bronze was awarded to KONKANI GOA INSPIRED DRY GIN.

Limomacher: Regionally produced – socially labelled

Limomacher is a young Bregenz enterprise, according to their own definition “excellent in graphics, design, customer service, lemonade production, social involvement and coffee drinking”. However, a look at the brief biographies of the four-person team reveals quite a bit about their wide-ranging qualifications. All lemonades are produced regionally in Vorarlberg according to their own recipes. Short pathways right up until labelling – also labels for private customers and companies on request – reinforce sustainability, along with filling exclusively in glass bottles. The labelling, as well as the whole warehousing, are handled by Lebenshilfe Vorarlberg, a support organisation for people with disabilities. This is an indication that social thinking has been of great importance from the beginning.

At the beginning of 2018, the ‘Franz von Durst’ brand started in Spar shops, followed by the start-up shelf at Metro. The company developed a gin along with a tonic water for this purpose, as the first manufacturer in retailing that offers both as a one-stop shop. The gin that is also regionally produced goes perfectly with the tonic water and its animating and aromatic concept offers an exceptionally fruity drinking experience. Aside from the juniper base, five further botanicals play a role: angelica root provides a slight tanginess and supports the homogenous taste; orange peel is characterised by a range of aromatic substances and a fine hint of citrus; liquorice provides a complex sweetness with a slightly earthy note; elderberry has an intensive and refreshing taste; and hops gives it a special something.

“We are delighted that the Vorarlberg locals have received our gin so well and that we can expand step by step also into other provinces,” say the two young entrepreneurs.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was achieved by Franz von Durst Gin, and silver by Franz von Durst Dry Gin Wild.

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).