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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.

Silent Pool Distillers: Creators of handmade premium spirits

Silent Pool Distillers are located in the Surrey Hills on the Albury Estate of the Duke of Northumberland to the south-west of London. The distillery is near the legendary Silent Pool, an old source that is fed from an aquiferous layer of chalk. The crystal-clear water for their gin production is taken directly from it. The plant substances processed in the spirits come from the region as much as possible. The hardwood for the customised still also comes from the Albury Estate.

Even though the products clearly differ, they are united by a common aim and a shared vision. Each recipe is a symphony of aromas that complement each other. Instead of relying on one unique ingredient, each serves a purpose without dominating the palate. The balancing is a long, laborious process every time. The distillers have experimented with hundreds of flavour combinations over the years before finding the perfect recipe. When comparing the products, it becomes evident that they share the same DNA: handmade, multilayered and full of complex aromas that unfold during tasting. There are many ways to produce gin, most of them simpler than the four-tier procedure used here, but the additional effort is worth it.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Silent Pool Rare Citrus Gin, and silver for Silent Pool Rose Expression Gin and Silent Pool Gin.

Hödl Hof: Quality for generations since 1542

Alfred Dunst has been running the family business since 1993. His greatest passion is product development. “For me, the skill of distillation is an art form when it is carried out with experience and love. Inspiration is offered by nature that surrounds us. We see it as our duty to only produce our specialities with natural, high-quality ingredients that are carefully selected. We want to provide our customers with the same pleasure in drinking it as we have in making it,” he says.

45 hectares of organically farmed orchards and woodlands provide the raw materials for distillation, wood for heating, as well as for some of the storage barrels and, in addition, ingredients for the products, such as fir tips, wild fruit, mushrooms, roots, etc. Soft water with a low mineral content comes from their own spring in the protected area of the Rabenwaldkogel. Double distillation is carried out in copper vats following an old Styrian tradition. Only the ‘heart’ is extracted and matured in wood, glass or stainless steel.

As a special customer service, the product range is also available in 20 ml bottles. So it is possible to get an idea of the whole range or organise a tasting at home. For over 25 years, an informative schnapps trail has led through the orchards and woodlands, informing visitors about the various fruits, and the manufacture and storage of the products.

The World Class Distillery 2021 (Distillery of the Year 2021 – Bronze) received double gold for Stone Vodka (Spirit of the Year 2021), gold for Stone Red, The Original 1542 Old Classic, Troad Single Cask, Blended Single Malt Whisky and Stone Oak Vodka, and silver for The Original 1542 London Dry Gin Old Oak and Hödl Hof Feuerholz.