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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).

Kunstwerk Premium London Dry Gin: Precise – authentic – satisfying

With great attention to detail, this one is made by hand in the little town of Rösrath near Cologne. Since the beginning of 2020, Marcus Ritter has been distilling his gin at the small family distillery in the town. He is now filling the fifth small batch of his ‘gin work of art’, with just 200 bottles per distilling batch – and more will follow.

It all started with a gin seminar in Austria in 2016, where the trained carpenter and qualified architect got a taste for it. He sampled gins from around the world, but since only a few products impressed him, he made the firm decision that “One day I will bring a really good gin onto the market myself!” For him it was important to create a London Dry Gin, which can also be drunk neat, so he tinkered with the recipe for a long time. After four years, he had found the perfect mix of botanicals: aside from juniper (“a strong colour tone on our palette”), there are fresh organic lemons, rosemary, lavender from Provence, cardamom from Guatemala – and some secret ingredients.

Then just the presentation was missing. The inspiration for the label came with the first painting by his then two-year-old son in March 2020 – a work of art! “Thanks to the young artist, we not only had a strong image but also a brand name: Kunstwerk (Work of Art) Gin was born.” This basis of the current design was refined in a specially held competition. And the detailed bottle design comes from the inventor’s own pen. The development of the fine spirit took several years until it was ready for the market. Enjoyed at room temperature, neat and without ice, its aromas and botanicals unfold one after the other as a taste experience. A gin that deserves its name!

Kunstwerk London Dry Gin achieved gold at the World Spirits Award.

Sauerland Distillers: Regional botanicals in distinctive packaging

“The characteristic, woody and lively Sauerland botanicals distilled at Navy Strength (57.15% by vol-ume) turn the best gin we have ever produced into now also the strongest gin we have ever produced. Pure enjoyment with a strong character that lingers on the palate, refines cocktails and puts even the strongest tonic water in its place. Olaf Baumeister, TV chef and owner of Hotel Seegarten in Sundern, designed the recipe to create a balanced gin with the same botanicals, which can be enjoyed straight, as a long drink or in a cocktail.” This is how Managing Director Moritz Dimde, who is responsible for all administrative and financial matters, describes the WOODLAND project.

The artwork for the bottle design and the elaborate packaging comes from fellow partners, Till Brauckmann, Matthias Czech and Gregor Biedrzycki. Andreas Schulte and Johannes Bitter-Suermann take care of distribution and logistics, with each of them contributing their skills and professional ex-perience. Sauerland Distillers GmbH uses local, soft water for distilling. The botanicals are individually cold macerated and then mixed in, unfiltered, after distilling. To intensify the authenticity of the gin, the labels have been reduced to the essentials: a plain, high-quality typography. The gin is filled in 500 ml bottles in the no-frill style of chemist bottles.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Woodland Sauerland Dry Gin (Spirit of the Year & World Spirits Award 2019).