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Brennerei Alfred Legenstein: Fine brandies from the Tyrolean Oberland

“Fine brandies from different fruits and berries, predominantly from the Tyrolean Oberland, are my great passion. I strive to bring the full aroma of selected and fully ripened fruits to the distillate, without the use of any additives.” Alfred Legenstein knows what he is talking about – he has his own small distillery in the cellar of his house. The mash is stored at a constant 16°C in a cool room to ensure controlled fermentation, and then it is distilled using either the column distilling or double distilling methods. In the comfortable lounge there is enough room for tasting (by appointment, for up to 10 people).

The fruity product range includes apple, damson, Williams pear, cherry, apricot, mulberry, Mirabelle plum, gentian, raspberry, plum, rowanberry, sour cherry and fruit brandy. There is also damson liqueur and raspberry liqueur. Anyone looking for a special gift can choose distillates in a wooden case with a personal inscription. SIGNUM is a special distillate: a joint product of Tyrolean fine brandy sommeliers, a cuvée of 17 different domestic apple varieties, matured in oak barrels.

The World Class Distillery 2023 (Distillery of the Year 2023 – Silver, 100% Distillates) received double gold for Aronia Brandy, gold for Quince Brandy and Cherry Brandy, and silver for Gentian Brandy and Blackberry Brandy.

Erste Dresdner Spezialitätenbrennerei – Strong stuff from Saxony

A distillery was set up in the 13 metre long vaulted cellar of the former Dresden-Klotzsche vineyard in 2001. Today, it has six employees and is both a primary occupation and a calling for Swiss-born Georg Schenk. High-quality products form the focal point here: in addition to fine liqueurs, over 50 different types of brandy are produced as well. At the heart of the selection are the traditional aromatic varieties including Adersleber Calvill and Zuccalmaglio Renette apples. A visitor centre was established in autumn 2010 where tasting sessions bring the wide range of flavours to life.

‘Augustus Rex’, the company’s rather grand-sounding sobriquet, is reminiscent of Augustus the Strong who was omnipresent in Saxony: he had orchards planted to promote healthy nutrition of his people. The area around Dresden is a traditional fruit-growing region with a large number of old meadows with mixed fruit trees. Harvesting has to be carried out by hand, and the care of the large trees, some of which are more than 80 years old, is time-consuming and laborious. In any one meadow, there is only a small number of trees of the same variety, so the quantities are limited from the word go.

The list of customers of this Dresden-based specialist is impressive: from Berlin (Hotel Adlon, Hotel Bristol, KaDeWe) to Hamburg (Alsterhaus and The Private Business Club Hanse Lounge), Sylt and Munich (Feinkost Käfer, Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski).


The company added yet more awards to its collection of over 80 prizes at the World Spirits Award, including classification as a First Class Distillery 2013, gold medals for the Apfel Champagner Renette (apple), Freiberger Bockbierbrand (bock beer brandy) and Dresdner Gin and silver for the Zuccalmaglio Renette and Stanley Pflaume (plum).

Aldi Ireland: Gin and whiskey in retail

Aldi Ireland has several top products in its spirit range: Boyle’s Gin from the Blackwater Distillery and Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery, in addition, Mo Chara Passionfruit & Mango Gin from the Old Carrick Mill.

The Blackwater Distillery has been an Aldi partner since 2016 and developed the private label Boyle’s Gin exclusively for the Irish and British retail market. The product volume of the Blackwater Distillery for Aldi has risen strongly in recent years, whereby 140,800 bottles of the gin series were sold in 2018. The successful gin brand is manufactured in Blackwater Valley, West Waterford, with selected imported ingredients as well as regional apples, blackcurrants and elderflower. CEO Peter Mulryan – former TV producer and author of the book ‘The Whiskeys of Ireland’ – explains, “The partnership with Aldi has helped us to increase turnover enormously, and also to have the security to invest and expand. This includes on-site bottling facilities and a visitor centre.” Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery got its name from the region in County Cork where the malted barley comes from, and is only manufactured in small batches. The business was founded in 2003 by childhood friends who started out with only two small stills they had bought in Switzerland. Now the largest distillery in the country, it currently employs over 80 staff and exports to around 70 countries.

At the World Spirits Award, there was Gold for Ardfallen 10 Year Old Whiskey and Boyle’s Gin, and Silver for Boyle’s Sloe & Damson Gin and Ardfallen Whiskey.