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Full Circle Craft Distillers: Proud of every drop

The distillery at the foot of Mount Makiling, in the lush tropical province of Laguna in the Philippines, was founded in 2018, and has placed the country on the global spirit map. In a certain sense the com-pany is a family heritage from 100 years ago, as the husband and wife team, Matthew and Laurie Westfall, consider Matthew’s grandfather as the inspiration for the project. He arrived in Manila in 1918 to work at the San Miguel Brewery.

With a fully-automatic, 450-litre copper still with state-of-the-art technology in a 5,000 square metre distillery complex, they concentrate on precision, excellence and authenticity. Full Circle is the first distillery in the Philippines to be open to the public, and the production is transparent and honest in every respect. The aim is to improve the standing of the local spirit industry through the involvement and support of true craftsmanship.

The Archipelago Botanical Gin is handmade using 28 botanicals, 22 of which are sourced from differ-ent locations in the Philippines. Emphasis is placed on the supply of local plants, to illustrate the beau-ty of the country – from grapefruits from Davao to pine buds from Sagada and Dalandan oranges from the province of Quezonbis to fresh mangos from the family farm in Dasol in the province of Pangasinan. In many ways the history of this refreshing tropical gin is the history of the Philippines.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Archipelago Botanical Gin and Archipelago Barrel Reserve Gin.

Anton Riemerschmid – Premium Tea Liqueur with a history

The name Anton Riemerschmid – a company of the Underberg Group – refers to a pioneer in the manufacture of spirits. Anton Riemerschmid was an inventive citizen of the world, who devised many specialities or brought them to Germany. He travelled the world for centuries in search of new aromas and new flavour sensations. One such is also TIFFIN, a Premium Tea Liqueur distilled from selected high quality tea varieties.

The story of tea began in China around 2750 BC. Legend has it that as the Emperor Shen Nung sat in the shade of wild tea trees whilst boiling some water, the wind blew some of the tea leaves into the pot, which gave the water an exquisite flavour. Today the delicious flavour of tea is expertly combined into the production of liqueur to create a unique product with a light refreshing taste. TIFFIN tastes equally good neat, mixed or with ice, and is a market leader in Japan.

TIFFIN won Gold at the World Spirits Award.

Ehrenwert GmbH: One recipe – two families

One recipe – two families. Each family has its own carefully guarded secret recipe, and with the Lücke family this remained in the hands of grandfather Heinz and later his son Dieter for many decades. Long enough, thought sons Thomas and Christian. In any case, it is the ‘Felsenfeuer’ herb liqueur that once made the Lücke Distillery one of the most important in Münsterland. After the war they continued the success story which first began in the 18th century, with this herb liqueur, using the recipe that Heinz Lücke worked out. In the 1950s everyone was talking about it, but in the 1960s the era of the distillery and the herb liqueur ended. But not for good – 60 years later it celebrated its resurrection with the ‘Freudenfeuer’.

Whilst searching for a distillery, Thomas and Christian kept to family tradition, as their grandmother was a Sasse, and the Sasses’ fine distillery in Schöppingen is still well known today. Following a traditional recipe from 1947 the new liqueur is distilled in small batches and is bottled by hand after a ten-day rest period. Ready to enjoy: neat and ice cold like in the time of our grandfathers, or smoother, on ice with lightly pressed orange zest, or as a basis for a long drink with tonic water or ginger ale. To old times and new friends!

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Freudenfeuer.