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Fuchshof – Product diversity from Lake Constance

Fruit is cultivated in the third generation at the Fuchshof Farm on the shores of Lake Constance near Constance, these days on around 25 hectares. The fruity diversity includes apples, pears, cherries, damsons, strawberries, blackcurrants, raspberries and gooseberries. Recent test plantings with apricots, peaches and nectarines are also of excellent quality. Fresh fruit is sold in the farm shop on site, but also processed in many ways: the range includes more than 20 different jams, fruit spreads and jellies, juices and ciders, cakes and gateaux from the farm cake shop – and, of course, brandies, spirits and liqueurs.

One focal point of production are the classic fruit brandies of the region, such as Obstler (fruits), Williams Christ (pear) or Apfelbrand (apple brandy); the specialities include pear brandy made exclusively from the fruit from the surrounding orchards, as well as a wooden barrel aged apple brandy made with the Rubinette variety. Brand-new in the wide range of products is the Dry Fox Gin, with herbs from the region and fruits from the farm. This gin was Benjamin Fuchs’ final project in his training as fine brandy sommelier. His brother Florian and father Heinrich are also trained fine brandy sommeliers.

The farm has had distilling rights since 1928. Originally, they were dedicated to agriculture and dairy farming, but since 1978 the traditional farm ceased to exist and made room for fruit growing. The first strawberries were planted and, in 1984, the first orchard was planted. And, since the end of the 1980s, the farm shop with its wide range is an attractive address for connoisseurs.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for the new product, Dry Fox Gin.

Brennerei Pirker: Masterpieces from Mariazell

Austrian gingerbread and mead production and candle dipping each have a long-standing tradition dating back over 300 years in Mariazell. The Pirker family still practise, preserve and bring to life these fascinating crafts today. Katharina Pirker and Georg Rippel-Pirker run this Upper Styrian model business with lots of enthusiasm and creativity, earning them the Styrian coat of arms. In addition to traditional and local fruit varieties, special fruits are also distilled into organic orange brandy, honey brandy and rice brandy which is sold as far afield as Japan.

At Pirker’s, tradition is combined with zeitgeist: brandies, mead, original Mariazell herb bitter (from local herbs, with no added sugar) and gingerbread liqueur are carefully produced and impressively presented. The company has won numerous awards, confirming its high quality standards – only the very best pure monovarietal fruits, herbs, honey and hand-selected spices are processed and distilled. Pirker’s entire product range is made up of more than 400 homemade specialities, ranging from exquisite brandies, liqueurs and Mariazell honey gingerbread to mead, handmade beeswax candles and high-quality vinegars from their own vinegar production facility.

At the World Spirits Award, the Master Class Distillery 2024 was awarded gold for Gingerbread Liqueur, Blackcurrant, Egg Liqueur, Swiss Pine Spirit, Herb Bitter, Cornel Cherry, Damson and Green Williams Pear, and silver for Orange, Raspberry, Bird Cherry and Rowanberry.

Tradition Mexico – Tequila without compromises

The friends behind Padre azul, the new tequila in the premium segment, stand united on one matter: their passion for Mexico. “We appreciate high quality tequila, and with Padre azul we are bringing an exclusive product to Europe. We searched for the perfect distillery for a long time. At Tres Mujeres in Jalisco in the highlands of Mexico we found what we were looking for.” 100% Mexico – 100% handcraft – 100% agave.

These requirements and quality criteria apply to the whole production process, which is why each bottle also wears the sought-after quality seal from the Mexican authorities, “Consejo Regulador del Tequila” (CRT). There were no compromises when it came to the design of the bottles: they are made by hand and adorned with a 270g skull which represents the skull culture of Mexico.

Padre azul is available in three grades of maturity, depending on the length of storage. The Añejo usually spends eighteen months in French oak barrels to achieve a mature, full-bodied taste. The Reposado needs at least eight months in barrels for its subtle vanilla tone. The Blanco is a clear tequila which is bottled straight after distillation – it is soft and mild in taste. None of the three need salt or lemon – you can enjoy them neat. True to the motto: no compromises.

At the World Spirits Award, the trio was very successful: there was double gold for Super Premium Tequila Padre azul anejo, gold for Super Premium Tequila Padre azul reposado, and silver for Super Premium Tequila Padre azul blanco.

Luding Group: Vodka Tchaikovsky as a high-spirited homage to the famous composer

At the beginning of the 1990s, the modern distillery ‘Fortuna’ was launched in a green field in the south of Russia – in the Krasnodar region, a strip of land with spa resorts and health centres. The distillery has specialised in unusual products, in a region with a particularly green fingerprint. The vodka created in honour of the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky is special. The concept for this exceptional product is comparable with one of his musical scores: the work ‘Swan Lake’ served as an inspiration. Art enthusiasts can thus immerse themselves in the history of Russian estate life in the 19th century. The traditional white and blue colours underline the purity of this vodka.

The technical particularities span a wide quality-orientated spectrum: from the selected wheat, their own well water and the special treatment of the distillate with skimmed milk powder to the crystal-clear filtration with active birch coal. With so much perfectionism and monitoring of the individual production steps, the result is an especially gentle, animating and very typical vodka based on wheat. After the diluting of alcohol and pure distillate, the production process is continued with maturation in steel tanks. The aim is to ‘wed’ both ‘waters’, resulting in an especially harmonious vodka.

At the World Spirits Award 2022, Vodka Tchaikovsky was awarded double gold and honoured as the best vodka with the title ‘Spirit of the Year’.