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St. Nicolaus – Specialities from Slovakia

The St. Nicolaus Corporation is the market leader in Slovakian spirits and has been producing traditional and popular spirits and distillates from first-class raw materials for nearly 150 years. Production is linked to the tradition of spirit production in the Liptau region, where the master of spirits, Armín Štark, founded the first spirit refinery in the town of Liptovský Mikuláš in 1867.

The portfolio includes dozens of brands, the most important being Nicolaus Vodka, Demänovka herb liqueur, fruit spirits Jubilejná and Spirituosen Klasik. In addition, there is a broad range of gin, rum, brandy, liqueurs, fruit and bitter spirits and juniper brandies. The Slovenské Vinice brand represents Slovakian wines from popular grape varieties, which are selected by an international commission of experts. As well as domestic production in Liptovský, Mikuláš and Leopoldov, St. Nicolaus also has a brandy distillery and liqueur factory in Vásárosnamény, Hungary, where top quality fruit spirits are produced under the brand name St. Nicolaus Exclusive Edition. The corporation is also sole distributor for the brands Soberano, Lepanto and the premium gin The London No.1. The company also has sales agencies in the Czech Republic and in Hungary, and their products are distributed in many countries all over the world.

At the World Spirits Award there was gold for Nicolaus Extra Jemna Vodka and Nicolaus Platinum 78 Vodka.

Dolleruper Destille: Regional products from Northern Germany

Near to Flensburg, Germany’s most northern distillery can be found in a timbered house, surrounded by quince and apple trees. The copper equipment, with which distillates from various fruits have been manufactured since 2003, is the showpiece of the building. In 2014, Dr. Axel Hartwig and Werner Sauer took over operations. Originally from the brewery business, they developed a great passion for distilling and developing new products, so now also whisky, rum, gin and other spirits are available. Unusual ingredients also find their way into the distilling vat for products such as carrot brandy and cocoa spirit.

Because an environmentally-friendly procedure is important for the distillers, many distillates are organically certified. As members of the FEINHEIMISCH network and the Nature Conservancy Foundation, regional production is paramount. The ingredients used are (as far as available) harvested in the Schleswig-Holstein countryside. The hand-bottled distillates can be tasted and purchased in the Bioland-certified on-site shop. Show-brewing and distilling seminars offer deeper insights into the subject. The young team has expanded due to increased production, whereby innovation and university knowledge meet many decades of experience – the perfect foundation for creative, high quality recipes in tune with the latest trends.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Dolleruper Hazelnut Spirit, and silver for Dolleruper Molt Whisky Type Smoke and Dolleruper Cocoa.

Kweichow Moutai: Chinas Staats-Schnaps auf dem Vormarsch

Moutai ist das bekannteste alkoholische Getränk in ganz China und genießt einen ähnlichen Status wie Wodka in Russland oder Tequila in Mexiko. Die Wurzeln gehen über 2.000 Jahre zurück in die Zeit des Kaisers Han Wu. Heute wird das Nationalgetränk bei allen Staatsbanketten serviert und als offizielles Geschenk verwendet. Die geschützte Herkunft ist das Dorf Maotai im Südwesten der Provinz Guizhou an den Ufern des Chishui, des Roten Flusses. Erst vor knapp 30 Jahren wurde Maotai ans Straßennetz angeschlossen, sodass der Hafen an Bedeutung verlor. Die Schnapsproduktion aber erreichte ungeahnte Höhen. Heute werden vom 53-Prozentigen jährlich 25.000 Tonnen erzeugt – mit enormen Steigerungen.

Gebrannt wird nach traditionellen Methoden aus regionalen Rohstoffen: Mohrenhirse, Weizen und Wasser. Die Gärung findet bei hohen Temperaturen statt. Während des nahezu ein Jahr dauernden Herstellungsprozesses werden die Kessel zweimal mit frischem Getreide beschickt, dann folgen Koch- und Fermentierungsvorgänge. Im Laufe der jahrelangen Lagerzeit entwickelt sich ein feines Soja-Aroma. Master Blender sorgen dafür, dass der charakteristische, volle Geschmack erhalten bleibt. Das Geheimnis liegt im feuchten Klima und am verwendeten Wasser des Chishui, aber auch in der Brenntechnik.

Beim World-Spirits Award gab es Gold für KWEICHOW MOUTAI – Legendary China Collection, Edition Dufu.

Lambay Irish Whiskey Company – Welcome to the whiskey world

Two modern entrepreneurs from renowned families got together to create a brand-new product: their vision was an innovative Irish whiskey, inspired by the island of Lambay (Alexander Baring, 7th Baron of Revelstoke’s ancestral seat), rounded off with the technologies and the expertise of Maison Camus. This is the ancestral seat of Cyril Camus, the 5th generation of the French family, famous worldwide for its cognac.

The partnership between Camus Wines & Spirits and the Baring Revelstoke Trust was presented at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes in 2017 – a ‘global showcase’ for premium brands. LIWC Managing Director, Jean-David Costerg, is confident of future success, because the partnership of both companies can reach a new generation of whiskey consumers who are looking for exclusive, authentic, handmade products, positioned in the premium price category: Lambay Small Batch Blend, the flagship brand, and Lambay Whiskey Single Malt.

Lambay Small Batch Blend and Single malt are both finished in carefully selected Cognac Oak cask from the Camus cellar, wehereas the Lambay Single Malt is then taken to the island of Lambay – a natural paradise off the coast of Dublin, which has belonged to the Baring family since 1904 – and once there, are left to the fresh sea air in ‘The Sea Cask Room’ to bring maritime notes to the whiskey. The whiskeys are rounded off with the island’s Trinity Well water.

At the World Spirits Award, both products received gold: Lambay Whiskey Small Batch Blend and Lambay Whiskey Single Malt.