World-Spirits Online Guide Abo – order now

Klippenziege: New era in the world of gin

In December 2015, four friends captured the ‘spirit’ of an idea: they were thinking about gin. Nearly a year later a small batch was bottled by hand. The individuality of a gin lies in the combination of the botanicals, in this case it is the exotic selection: mate tea, goji berries, physalis and a hint of rose. The Klippenziege is a New Western Dry Gin, in which juniper plays the main role amongst the other botanicals.

It is produced in the Habbel Distillery, which guarantees excellent quality thanks to its experience – it was established in 1878 and is now in the family’s fourth generation. The former Korn distillery in Sprockhövel with adjoining farmland is now the largest fruit distillery in the Ruhr region, as a traditional manufacturer it stands out with its attention to detail. The entire manufacturing process at Klippenziege can also be observed on-site.

The bottle and the label are also special. Designer Levent Aydin drew it carefully by hand, and then digitalised it before perfecting it. First it is printed, then coated, then stamped and embossed. The elegant result stands for friendship, solidarity and love. Working together in a friendly and familiar atmosphere connects people with a passion for life who share one important belief: that the product should encourage people to slow down, allowing for mindful enjoyment.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Mate Dry Gin.

Bimmerle: A popular product from the Black Forest

In the new production location in Sasbach – in the middle of the sunny Black Forest fruit farms – the family business sets innovative standards in technology, sustainability and environmental protection. As the first distillery in Germany, the entire heating requirements and energy generation is covered by the burning of fruit stones combined with woodchips from the region.

Speaking of the region: “The sun shines for us, as do we for it.” This motto accompanies the preparation and processing of the local fruit from cultivation to the ripening process through to distillation. For the last ten decades the highest quality has been strived for with targeted know-how, high-tech and the traditional art of distilling. As a regional, medium-sized business, in Germany and on the European market, Bimmerle is a leader in the fruit brandies sector, which as ‘evergreens’ are currently enjoying a renaissance and have reclaimed a place on the restaurant and bar scene. This also applies to other segments of the wide product range such as vodka, gin, liqueurs, rum and more. Here, the company also keeps up with the latest trends.

The Master Class Distillery 2019 received gold for Pure Vodka, Lemon Flavoured Vodka, Cucumber Flavoured Vodka, Peach Flavoured Vodka, Ron Rumbero – Cuban Rum – 7 Años, Tartufo Liqueur NERO Cream Liqueur, Tartufo Liqueur BIANCO Cream Liqueur, RON RUMBERO Cream Liqueur with Rum, silver for Raspberry Flavoured Vodka, SCHWARZWALD Distilled Dry Gin, PINK Distilled Gin, SCHWARZWALD Sloe Gin, SCHWARZWALD Summer Gin – Distilled Dry Gin, Ron Rumbero – Cuban Rum – 3 Años and RON RUMBERO Spiced Rum – Spirits.

Onder de Boompjes – Genever from south Holland

The history of this distillery dates back to the year 1658. At that time, the Steffelaar family began to produce Genever and Korenwijn in Schiedam. In around 1700, herring fishing was finally replaced by the malt spirits industry. Numerous workers from Brabant and Germany flocked to the town in south Holland close to Rotterdam. In 1883, 3,500 inhabitants were dependent on this industry and the town was home to the biggest plants in the world. During this boom period for the Dutch gin, there were numerous mills in and around the town and no fewer than 400 distilleries. ‘Onder de Boompjes’ is continuing this tradition today and only uses the best natural ingredients for its genever, vodka and liqueurs.

The product range includes the young, mild genever ‘Boompjes Premium’ (10% malt wine, distilled 4 times, 35% vol.) and the traditional old genever ‘Bompjes Old Dutch’ (20% malt wine, stored for 3 years, 38% vol.) for which the recipe took a whole year to produce. The range also includes the Oseven vodka, a premium traditionally produced vodka with no additives (3 days of filtration, 40% vol.), the Sylvius gin based on a very old recipe and Generum, a blend of old genever and rum. When it comes to the recipe: the company website includes a few cocktail tips for mixing the spirits as a change to enjoying them straight.

At the World Spirits Award, the ‘classic trio’ of vodka, Genever oude and Genever jonge proved medal-worthy and won three golds.

ERBER Edelbrände – Tyrol’s schnapps culture

The finest distillates have been produced manually at the Erber Distillery for more than 350 years. Following an old tradition, double distillation takes place in copper vats in Tyrol’s oldest copper distillery. The complex, but all the more high-quality distilling method depends on modern technology but especially on the skills and the experience of the master distiller. In addition, the distillery’s own mountain spring with its purest, Tyrolean spring water plays an important role when diluting down the brandies and spirits to drinking strength.

Christian Schmid began work at ERBER more than 20 years ago in a completely different profession and started on his ‘second career training course’ with a great deal of commitment: he completed the demanding training process to become a master distiller and passed the final exam. Today he is responsible for the entire production process at Austria’s biggest copper vessel distillery – and has received numerous awards for his products along the way. Training to become a fine brandy sommelier was always a priority for him and another milestone in his professional development – after all, a good distiller should know what defines a good product from the viewpoint of the gourmet. Tyrol brandy sommeliers see themselves as ‘ambassadors for their region and for Tyrol’s schnapps culture’. Schnapps is a traditional cultural product in the Alpine regions which has now become an Alpine lifestyle product and one of the more sophisticated indulgences.

Classified as a World Class Distillery 2018 and Master Class Distillery 2018, there was double gold for the coffee spirit, blackcurrant brandy (World Spirits Award 2018), as well as 8 times gold and 8 times silver.