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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.

Evan Williams – Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey with tradition

Evan Williams founded the first commercial distillery in Kentucky in 1783. He was unable to sell his rich cereal harvest due to transport routes and so decided to use the corn to distil whiskey instead. This was easier to transport and the local water, which flows over limestone ground, gives the whiskey its characteristic flavour. Production is based on a traditional recipe including all the details specific to a small distillery. Evan Williams today owns the Heaven Hill Distilleries, the biggest family-owned distillery in the USA which was founded in the 1930s. It offers a wide range of products such as American whiskey, rum, tequila, vodka, gin, brandy, cognac, etc. and is exported to 60 countries worldwide.

The classic ‘Black Label’, the second strongest bourbon in the world, matures for three times longer than is legally required. Combined with the higher alcohol content, an intensive, full and soft flavour emerges. ‘Evan Williams 1783’ is bottled after 10 years of ageing in a limited selection of casks. The ‘Single Barrel’ comes from one single cask with the number and filling date added to the bottle by hand. It is left to mature in white oak casks on the top shelves of the warehouse. Significant temperature fluctuations mean that the flavour varies from cask to cask. The Elijah Craig 12 Y is left to mature for 12 years in American holm oak casks and only 100 casks are filled each year. The company namesake lived during the 18th century and invented the Kentucky Bourbon. Legend states that he burnt down the barn in which his casks were stored. The whiskeys therefore aged more quickly and acquired a special aroma and colour.

Elijah Craig performed well at the World Spirits Award (double gold). There was also gold for the rest: Evan Williams Black Label, Evan Williams 1783 and Evan Williams Single Barrel.

Windspiel: From the field to the bottle

At the Weilerhof farm in the Vulkaneifel region, Sandra Wimmeler and Denis Lönnendonker grow the pota-toes for their down-to-earth spirit, which is all produced by hand: from sorting to attaching the ribbons to the gold ring on the bottleneck. After the harvest, the potatoes are carefully washed, finely ground, added to drinking water and worked into a pumpable paste. This is heated to destroy any germs, and the transfor-mation from starch to sugar begins. After slowly being cooled down, a special yeast is added and the mash ferments in a tank. After three rounds of distillation, the basis for all the products is finished – an alcohol with a delicate mildness and characteristic potato note.

For the Premium Dry Gin juniper, lemon peel, coriander, lavender blossoms, ginger and cinnamon are added (the rest remains a secret). The Reserve is stored for many months in oak barrels and is exceptionally mild with its 50 percent alcohol by volume – perfect for enjoying on the rocks. The Navy Strength with 57 percent alcohol by volume is rounded off by ingredients from the routes of the colonial rulers from the past. For the Sloe Gin, hand-selected sloes from the Eifel region are preserved in 70 percent Premium Dry Gin, before the macerate is mixed with the 47 percent gin, sloe juice and sugar. The 30 percent juice adds a subtle sweetness to the bitter note – an ideal sundowner. The product range is completed by barrel matured vodka and a herb spirit.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Windspiel Premium Dry Gin, Windspiel Premium Dry Gin Navy Strength, Windspiel Premium Sloe Gin and Windspiel Premium Dry Gin Reserve.