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Roust Hungary: Affordable luxury on the spirits market

Roust was founded in 1992 by the Russian businessman Roustam Tariko and quickly developed into a leading business group in the sale of premium spirits brands. One of the world’s leading vodka producers, the company is present in more than 80 countries. Roust owns production plants and distribution centres in Hungary, Russia and Italy. The comprehensive portfolio includes the flagship vodka brands of Russian Standard, Green Mark, Parliament and Zhuravli.

Thanks to its extensive knowledge in sales and marketing and its commitment to responsible alcohol consumption, Roust Hungary has become the leading supplier on the domestic spirits market. The largest premium spirits company in Hungary also sells the Royal, Zubrówka, Russian Standard, Gancia, Grants, Jägermeister and Metaxa brands.

For years, Royal Vodka has maintained its position as the most popular and well-known vodka brand in Hungary, and also remains market leader in terms of volume and turnover. Royal Vodka is produced using natural ingredients, from the grain to the well water, which contributes to its mild taste.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Royal Original Vodka, and bronze for Royal Raspberry Liqueur.

Gautier-Mückstein: Tradition meets innovation

For generations, the traditional family business Gautier-Mückstein has been pampering people’s palates. The company produces over one million bottles a year and has an impressive portfolio of innovative products such as the ChocoLat range and vegan cream liqueurs, which were converted to plant-based in 2022. Classics such as hazelnut liqueur, the Kaiser-Franz-Josef range or seasonal creations such as punch cake liqueur or summery limoncello complete the range.

The history of Gautier-Mückstein began in 1880 in a small production facility in Vienna’s Schottenfeldgasse. The company has developed steadily since the takeover by Wilhelm Mückstein in 1948 and the integration of the Perchtoldsdorf company Gautier & Co in 1955. Today, the portfolio extends far beyond spirits and, since the integration of Ellinger & Co in 2007, also includes aromas, essences and raw materials for the food industry.

With many years of experience and a wide range of products, Gautier-Mückstein combines traditional values with modern developments and thus contributes to the diversity and quality of the Austrian spirits landscape.

The World Class Distillery 2025 & Distillery of the Year 2025 – Bronze (Bitters & Liqueurs) received Double Gold for ChocoLat Chocolate Chilli Liqueur 15% vol, and Gold for Unsere Haselnuss Spirituose 33% vol (hazelnut), Herbal Liqueur 27% vol, ChocoLat Chocolate Orange Liqueur 15% vol, ChocoLat Chocolate Nougat Liqueur 15% vol and Marzipan Cream Liqueur 15% vol. Silver was awarded to Punschkrapfenlikör 15% vol (punch cake liqueur) and Cherry Brandy Liqueur 20% vol, and Bronze to Hazelnut Cream Liqueur 15% vol.

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.