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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.

Diageo – From London to the whole world

Approximately 33,000 employees are employed worldwide at Diageo, the market leader in premium spirits, with Smirnoff (vodka), Johnnie Walker (whiskey), J&B (Scotch whiskey), Baileys (liqueur), Captain Morgan (rum), Cuervo (tequila) and Tanqueray (gin), Guinness beer and branded wines. Production takes place all around the world: from Great Britain and Ireland, Italy, Spain and Africa, to the USA, Canada, Latin America, Australia, India and the Caribbean. The global corporation emerged in 1997 from the merger between Guinness and GrandMet. 180 markets around the world are handled from its London headquarters.

A lot of work and lots of attention to detail go into creating the in-depth product descriptions on Diageo’s website. Information and analysis is provided about issues ranging from detailed descriptions of the production down to the most minute ingredients. Finally, they are aware of the size of their company and also of their responsibilities as a supplier of alcoholic products. The name Diageo was also deliberately chosen – it represents their agenda. Put together from ‘dia’ (the Latin word for ‘day’) and ‘geo’ (the Greek word for ‘world’), it means that every day people are celebrating all over the world with products from their company. These products open up possibilities never dreamed of for special days and nights, marking special life events and even making the smaller things in life feel magical.

Participation in the World Spirits Award was magical: there was double gold for Tanqueray No. 10 (Spirit of the Year 2016), gold for Gordon’s London Dry Gin and Tanqueray London Dry Gin, as well as silver for Tanqueray Rangpur.

Nordbrand Nordhausen: Special spirits from Thuringia

Nordbrand Nordhausen was founded in 1948 upon the ruins of four former Korn distilleries. The oldest, the Friedrich Degen distillery, goes back to the year 1776. Until 1990, formerly small distilleries were added on, including Brennerei Seidel. Today it is the traditional distillery of the well-known Echter Nordhäuser brand. Gins and caraway are distilled in this historical area. The famous Roggenkorn (rye) is made in a distillery that was built in the 1920s as a German spirits reutilisation centre and has also been part of Nordbrand Nordhausen since 1948.

The market leader in Germany in various segments has a wide product range (over 100 different variants). A line of premium spirits and premium liqueurs under the brand Echter Nordhäuser Traditionsbrennerei are distilled by hand. These include Feiner Alter Doppelkorn with at least three years of barrel maturation as well as Meisterstück, a Korn brandy (grain distillate) matured in the barrel for 25 years, which came onto the market in September 2020 as a one-off. The portfolio also includes various gins of the Echter Nordhäuser brand, including Violet Gin. A specific recipe was developed for this that merges a juniper distillate with one made of hibiscus, lavender and mallow blossoms. The harmonious brandy is rounded off with oranges and raspberries, which are added in an aroma basket for distillation. In this way, experienced Korn master distillers can always keep creating modern and fresh innovations.

At the World Spirits Award, silver was awarded to Meisterstück, and bronze to Violet Gin.

Landmanufaktur Königin von Biesenbrow: Apple paradise in Uckermark

Yvonne and Mathias Tietze are following their vision in the sleepy village of Biesenbrow: to research a wide range of apple flavours and to preserve them in exceptional products. Perseverance, the love of experimentation, and passion are the prerequisites for their creations from special fruit types. The apple aromas come from over 600 varieties, of which, over 230 are grown in their own orchards.

This diversity is reflected in the wide range of products: from single-fruit direct juices to apple crémant à méthode traditionnelle to chocolates and an aperitif. Following the Solera method, the apple wines made from over 400 varieties are matured for two
years in used Spanish sherry barrels. As the next step, matured apple juice from a special variety is added and then the last step of the maturing process in glass containers can begin. After a period of at least three years, the exceptional aperitif is ready for sale.

“When we decided to make our hobby our profession, we knew that the selection of the apple varieties would be decisive. What we didn’t know was that these varieties can hardly be found anymore. However, we were able to get the expert advice of the Müncheberg Fruit Research Institute and we hand-grafted and planted 1,500 trees in 2015. Exceptional, old, international apple varieties have found their way to us. Since then, we have been closely looking after and expanding our orchard. It is not just the protection of the trees that’s important to us, but also the entire ecosystem. We currently have 3,500 trees and have already brought in our first harvest.”

Classification: World Spirits Award participant in 2020