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Stock Polska – Prestige products with history

Polmos Lublin (known today as Stock Polska) was founded by the industrialist Emil Plage in Lublin in 1906 and was able to survive both world wars and the communist state leadership. The company was nationalised in 1948 and re-privatised in 2001. It traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange until 2005 and was sold in 2006. The new owners, Oaktree Capital Management, purchased the spirits division from Eckes Stock in 2007 and thereby laid the foundations for the current Stock Spirits Group. The company has its headquarters in Luxembourg, its service centre in Great Britain and its production sites in the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland.

Stock dates back to the year 1884 when Lionello Stock founded a beverages business in Trieste. He purchased a distillery in 1920 in what is currently part of the Czech Republic with the aim of tapping into new markets. This was followed by distilleries, bottling plants and warehouses in Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia. In the 1920s, Stock was one of the biggest companies of its kind in Europe.

After an absence of 70 years, Stock returned to Poland and began to manufacture at the historic site of Lublin, 150 kilometres south-east of Warsaw. Intensive investment led to the creation of the most modern distillery in Poland and a leadership position on the vodka market. Poland’s most popular flavoured vodka is produced here: Zoladkowa Gorzka.

Lots of Stock products are produced by traditional recipes. These classical brands appeal to connoisseurs all over the world. In return, work is constantly being done on innovations that correspond to modern tastes and new drinking cultures. Quality standards are constantly upheld in both areas, of course.

The quality of the products was recognised at the World Spirits Award with a gold medal for the Orkisz Spelt Vodka.

2B Hemp Gin: Styrian gin experience

Two visionaries, Armin Breinl (doctor, drink creator, musician) and Wolfgang Thomann (gin maker), have created a completely new gin experience with real hemp powder: 2B HEMP GIN (inspired by AEIJST). On 17th November 2018, the two invited guests to the first tasting of 2B HEMP GIN in the AEIJST GIN distillery in St. Nikolai in the Sausal Valley.

Made from organic juniper berries, this innovative gin has an impressive, mild and fruity taste and a typical hemp note. Due to its unique aroma, it not only tastes good neat, but also creates a ‘wow’ effect in cocktails – as proven in the long drink Styrian Pale Gin AEIJST refined with 2B HEMP.

For thousands of years, hemp has been grown as a valuable plant, be it for rope, fabric, paper or as an active ingredient in ointments and tinctures. Hemp has always been highly valued for its medicinal properties, yet recently has been demonised as an addictive drug and has suffered under its ensuing prohibition, originating in the USA. These days hemp is regaining importance and is being used more as a luxury food as well as in medicine as a therapeutic agent.

The Lifestyle Trading company, run by Armin Breinl, is an innovative beverage producer, which is already known amongst trade professionals for its sugar-free ‘func- tional fruit drinks’. The drinks have a high fruit content (more than 50 per cent) and additional natural, vital substances and have an energising, relaxing and regenerative effect.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for 2B HEMP GIN.

Herman Jansen Beverages: A global player for genever, gin, and more

Genever, a predecessor of gin, has been produced for centuries in the southern Dutch city of Schiedam near Rotterdam. This is where Peter Jansen founded his distillery in 1777. Following an eventful history and several mergers, the business has grown into a global network. Today, the family company is run by Diederik Jansen in its seventh generation. Craftsmanship, quality and innovation still set trends. The master distiller, two product developers and three beverage manufacturers make up the core team who together have more than a hundred years of experience.

Herman Jansen is an expert in the development and production of spirits and related products and uses his know-how to offer custom solutions. Sustainable partnerships are pursued, whereby in business to business the full-service approach pays off – both sides benefit from the 240 years of experience in distillation and years of knowledge of the market. The wide selection of modern products ranges from local specialities like Dutch genever, Friesian bitters and liqueurs to international rums and a wide range of vodka and gin brands.

As a representative of the cult drink genever, which can hold its own against the popular gin wave through constant effort and striving for a contemporary adaptation, the company received the World Spirits Award 2022 for lifetime achievement. Gold was awarded to Herman Jansen Master Distiller's Choice 2013.

Wachauer Privatdestillerie Hellerschmid: Apricots and lots more

In 1948, Franz Hellerschmid founded the private distillery in Krems with the aim of producing fine brandies and liqueurs from the Wachau apricot. The product range mostly included heavy and very sweet liqueurs, which were almost exclusively sold within the region. In 1970, Hardt Hellerschmid took over the company, completely modernised it and considerably expanded the product range and delivery area and, in 1972, set a milestone in the history of the company with the ‘B’soffene Marille’ (‘tipsy apricot’). As a representative of the third generation of the family, Bernhard Hellerschmid has been running the company since 2008.

More than twenty different spirits and non-alcoholic specialities are produced, whereby the recipes remain true to the time when the business was established. Complemented by process-optimised production processes, typical Austrian specialities have been created. With each new generation there have been innovations and changes, but over the years the handed-down recipes and the focus on local raw materials sourced from up to 50 kilometres around the town of Krems have always remained constant. The diverse product range encompasses fruits in alcohol, clear spirits, bitter schnapps, fruit liqueurs, emulsion liqueurs, alcohol-free, sweet and savoury, as well as sparkling and refreshing drinks.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Mohn-Eierlikör (poppy seed and egg liqueur), gold for walnut schnapps, blueberry brandy and raspberry spirit, and silver for apricot brandy.