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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.

MBG International Premium Brands – Brands with added value

“We Love Liquids.” This slogan has accompanied MBG on its worldwide path of success since it was founded in 1993 under the name P.O.S. Marketing + Vertrieb GmbH: Strong brands have been established around the world in nearly 60 countries, with innovative own brands, renowned retail brands, great ideas and a lot of energy. With over 250 employees, the MBG Group currently generates over € 200 million and, every year, more than a million hectolitres are produced. The portfolio in Germany includes 12 own brands and 6 retail brands (from non-alcoholic drinks to low proof drinks to wines & spirits) for 90,000 customers.

“Our recipe for successful brands is the mixture of passion, conviction and knowledge of the market. If all goes well, names and products become new worlds which consumers love. Success is not always predictable, which means that courage is needed above all. The right moment has to be found and hard work put in, just like with a hit single: some are one hit wonders while others become classics.” Little can be added to this definition from Managing Director Andreas W. Herb. From the MBG Group headquarters in Paderborn, a great deal of expertise makes successful brands, tailored to the respective target group and the market segment. Many brands that are well known on shop shelves and in the gastronomy sector have played a role in the history of the company.

Participation in the World Spirits Award yielded gold for Dos Mas Nasty Nuts Shot.

Eifel-Destillerie: Herbal specialities from Eifel

In 1925, Peter-Josef Hubert Schütz and his sons set up a Korn distillery, run by a standing high-pressure steam boiler which was heated with coal. This was replaced by an oil-heated steam boiler in 1969 and the current high-speed steam generator was installed in 1989, with lower energy consumption and less heating time needed for the required steam pressure. Since 1998, Peter-Josef Schütz has been running the company and continuing its success. His philosophy is to “create enthralling products for our customers with natural ingredients and top-level art of distilling”.

Since the foundation of the company, spirits have been produced from the distilled alcohol, initially from Korn (grain) and double-Korn, double-juniper and ‘Schütz Boonekamp’. ‘Eifelgeist’, the speciality of the company made from 42 select herbs, was registered as a protected trademark in 1949. Herbal spirits then became the focus of the product range of high-quality liqueurs and brandies. Using Eifel in the name underlines the appreciation of the region it calls home. A valuable contributor to product diversity is the distillery’s ‘herb chamber’. Here, over 100 medicinal herbs, blossoms, seeds, barks and roots from all around the world are stored in wooden containers.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was awarded to Raspberry Liqueur, Eifelgold and Eifelgeist, and silver to Bitto. Werner Gin (a product made of vermouth from Weinmanufaktur Ellermann-Spiegel in Kleinfischlingen) also received gold.

Mar Azul: Top tequila from Jalisco

Mar Azul Tequila is owned and run by Susana Sutton, who has given tequila a new look. The Mar Azul brand grew from the idea of producing an affordable premium tequila that met high international demands but would be based on a family recipe with natural ingredients, without artificial additives or sugar. More than a decade ago the vision began to take shape, in which every step from cultivation to bottling is strictly controlled by the family. The first agave fields were planted in Jalisco, the historical birthplace of tequila, with ideal conditions for the blue agave. Eight years later the first harvest took place, and thus began their dream of an excellent tequila.

The brand’s standards apply to the individual production steps as much as they do to the broad taste spectrum and innovative marketing, especially in terms of the imaginative bottle design. Only the ‘heart’ of the agave is boiled in stainless steel ovens (autoclaves), the distillate passes through an ultra-filtration process and a customised ageing process in white oak barrels from Kentucky. The product range includes traditional and flavoured tequila, with Añejo, Reposado and Blanco on one side, and coffee, almond, chocolate, banana, coconut, mint and pomegranate flavours on the other. These are sweetened with agave nectar, which further emphasises the unique taste.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Mar Azul Tequila Añejo, silver for Mar Azul Banana Tequila, Mar Azul 100% Agave Azul Chocolate, Mar Azul Tequila Pomegranate and Mar Azul Tequila Coconut.