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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).

Zwack – Hungary’s number one

Hungary’s ‘national drink’ Unicum was first produced 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 a renowned manufacturer of beverages, exporter and purveyor to the court around the turn of the century.

In World War II, the factory was destroyed and after reconstruction in 1948, it was nationalised under the Communist regime. The Zwack family lost everything and had no choice but to leave Hungary and flee to the USA – along with the secret recipe for Unicum. In 1988, during the communist era, Peter Zwack (a representative of the fifth generation) was the first entrepreneur to return to Hungary and re-bought the distillery. A year later, Hungary was the first country in Eastern Europe to experience the fall of the Iron Curtain and the borders were open again.

In 2008, Peter Zwack handed the management of this family business on to the next generation following two decades of successful work building up the company. His son Sandor is the new chairman and his youngest daughter Izabella is a member of the company management. Today, Zwack along with his flagship product Unicum (a reclaimed cultural possession of the country) and other exceptional products have been classed as a “truly outstanding company” (Forbes Magazine).

This also confirms the company’s success at the World Spirits Award: Zwack was classified as a First Class Distillery 2012 and there were three golds for the Kalinka Vodka, Zwack Unicum and Unicum Szilva.

Edward Snell – Whisky from South Africa

Edward Snell founded a trading company in Durban in 1848, from which the oldest spirit company in South Africa developed over 160 years. Following an eventful history, the company is now once again in the hands of the family. Besides their own brands they also sell numerous local and international drink brands, mostly in various markets in Africa and the Middle East.

The wide range of products includes whisky, brandy, vodka, rum, gin, tequila and cognac. One outstanding label is Firstwatch Whisky with its new look, a striking, square bottle design. Consumer demand for a whisky with an American taste profile has been perfected over time and is presented today as a balanced blend of the finest imported rye and grain. Whether pure, on the rocks or mixed – its diversity makes it popular with many different target groups and successful in one of the largest spirit segments in South Africa.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Firstwatch Whisky.