World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Schwarze & Schlichte – Brand personalities from Westphalia

The family business Schwarze & Schlichte from Westphalia has been representing the highest quality spirits for the last 345 years with a distinct range of national specialities, regional traditional brands and successful international innovations. This top quality is based on a distilling tradition acquired over centuries which has been passed down over twelve generations. Even today, distilling and maceration still take place at the company’s own distillery where plenty of time and skill are invested. The selection and processing of the best raw materials and continuous control of the production process ensure a consistently high quality. One factor for success is the ongoing brand management in accordance with the specific requirements of the various brand personalities.

Three Sixty Vodka is one of the purest and mildest vodkas in the world. A fourfold distillation process ensures tangible softness and exceptional clarity while the purity of the vodka is all down to the time-consuming “Diamond Filtration” process: the finest filters are used, set with crystals like diamond dust, to remove even the smallest of suspended particles from the distillate. Even the packaging is unique: the facet-cut bottle of pure white shiny glass sets off this premium vodka to perfection. A black velvet label completes the sophisticated design.

The Grappa Bianca from Scavi & Ray is characterised by its full-bodied balanced flavour with powerful and intense aromas of marc. This crystal-clear brandy is soft and deliciously balanced thanks to the exquisite skill of the master distillery. The intense and fruity aroma is reminiscent of the sun-soaked vineyards in Italy.

Both products received a silver medal at the World-Spirits.

Family of Hounds – Sought and found

Andrea Frigerio and his English wife, Lina, live in Monaco with their two dogs, Spot and Magda, two wonderful additions to the family. Since they started taking the two for walks in town, they have made many new friends. Andrea and Lina used to be red wine drinkers, who spent their holidays in the wine hills of Italy and France. It was only in 2013, while visiting a country estate in England, that they discovered their love for a good G & T. This developed into a passion, and their discussions soon revolved around what it would be like to create their own gin.

They tasted intensively, discarded aromas they didn’t like, and extracted the aromas they did. Together with the master distiller in an old distillery in Piedmont, they created their recipe for the gin: juniper, lemon and orange peel, pink grapefruit, lavender, thyme, cardamom, ginger and coriander. The first three ingredients come from Italy, the rest from Asia. “The juniper is really loud, like a brightly lit disco floor, and the other botanicals dance around it. Together, they are like a lively, attention-seeking dog that can’t sit still.”

In the future, they are looking to establish a small family of spirits, from gin to vodka and from grappa to vermouth – unmistakable in taste, but accessible to everyone. The core of the philosophy is going out with good friends, enjoying a good meal and even better spirits. The first step has already been taken …

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Family of Hounds Gin.

Plomari – Original ouzo from Lesvos

Plomari on Lesvos is recognised as the home of ouzo, as the location of the island, the sea and the fertile soil offered local producers the best conditions for making ouzo with a special quality. In 1894, Isidoros Arvanitis mixed these ingredients with herbs, which he had gathered all around the world, in a copper distillation flask and the famous recipe for Ouzo of Plomari Isidoros Arvanitis, current market leader in Greece, was born.

The old distillery was located amidst a beautiful olive grove in picturesque Plomari, the village where ouzo has been produced for more than 100 years. Out of respect for tradition it will be used for cultural purposes in future. The increase in export activity made the relocation of the distillery to a larger plant necessary, where traditional distillation and production can be combined with modern bottle filling and packaging. 58.5% of the production is exported.

The traditional way of distillation in small, hand-made copper kettles for nine hours and the high-quality, local ingredients, in conjunction with the strictly secret recipe, give the Ouzo of Plomari its characteristic aroma. The particularly soft water comes from springs of the Sedounta River, aniseed from the company’s own estates in Lisvori, fennel from the north from Evoia. Star aniseed, cinnamon, nutmeg and mastic extract come from Chios, salt from the salt works of Kalloni. Still today, this delicate yet rich delight is filled in a traditional bottle with typical corks.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Ouzo of Plomari Isidoros Arvanitis, and silver for M Dry Mastiha Spirit Drink.

Zwack – Hungary’s number one

Hungary’s ‘national drink’ Unicum was invented in 1790 by a doctor to the royal court of Emperor Joseph II. This was the start of a success story which continues to the present day. The company was founded in 1840 and József Zwack & Co. established itself as an exporter and purveyor to the court around the turn of the century. The factory was destroyed during WW2 and after reconstruction in 1948, it was nationalised under the Communist regime. The family had no choice but to leave Hungary and flee to the USA – along with the secret recipe for Unicum. In 1988, Peter Zwack was the first entrepreneur to return to Hungary and he re-bought the distillery. A year later, the Iron Curtain fell and the borders were open again.

Since 2008 the family business has been in the hands of the sixth generation: Peter’s son Sandor is the new chairman and his youngest daughter Izabella is a member of the company management. Along with the flagship product Unicum (a reclaimed cultural possession of the country), there are other exceptional products, such as Unicum Riserva – a symbiosis of the tangy-tart Unicum and the sensual-refined sweetness of a Tokaji Aszú from the family’s Dobogó vineyard.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Vodka Kalinka Gold, and silver for Zwack Unicum Riserva.