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Berentzen Group: 250 years of cultured distilled spirits

Berentzen Group is an innovative beverage company that boasts a wide portfolio and develops, produces and markets varied and fashionable drinks concepts. The portfolio includes spirits, alcohol-free beverages and fresh juices. With over 260 years of experience, they are one of the oldest national manufacturers of spirits and have a market presence in over 60 countries to date, with brands such as Berentzen and Puschkin as well as reasonably priced private label products.

In April 2023, Norden Sea Salt Gin was launched on the German market under the Doornkaat brand. It is a speciality on the gin shelf, as selected North Sea botanicals create an extraordinary and intense taste experience: juniper provides the spice, sea buckthorn and rosehip the fruity tartness. Norden Sea Salt Gin is rounded off with a pinch of sea salt. This spirit spreads the genuine nature and authenticity of the North Sea coast throughout Germany. It is versatile and can be enjoyed neat, on ice or mixed as a long drink or cocktail.

Tres Países Premium Rum combines distillates from Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic. After being stored for up to eight years in American white oak bourbon casks, they come to Europe for refinement by the master blender. The characteristics of the countries provide the taste profile: vanilla and butterscotch, elegant fruit, banana and chocolate. It is also available in a port cask finish, which is refined in aged casks for another six months.

At the World Spirits Award 2025, there was Gold for Doornkaat Norden Sea Salt Gin and Tres Países Premium Rum.

Garagenbrenner Wöhrer – Expertise and continuity

Some 35 years ago, Manfred Wöhrer started out as an amateur schnapps distiller, using rented equipment. Today, this ‘garage distiller’ and quality fanatic is one of the great masters of the distillery scene. In the past, he has applied his profound expertise to producing high-quality brandies in national and international tasting sessions as a former taster and valued member of the jury.

Manfred Wöhrer pursued his career as a master builder until 2010 when he handed over the construction firm to his son, Christoph. Now retired, he has more time to dedicate to distilling – and with growing success! Based on a secure foundation, he has built up a wide range of expressive distillates which are typical of their varieties and all bear his unique signature. No nonsense but classy, free from fancy names or marketing gimmicks.

Master distiller Manfred Wöhrer monitors all of the work processes in person, supported by family and friends: from the selection of the fruits and identification of the right time to harvest, to the selective determination of the distillery process, filling and packing. Annual production totals approx. 4,000 bottles, distributed across 16 to 18 different products. Particular emphasis is placed on the quality increase of the traditional brandies: apple, Williams pear, apricot, damson and cherry. Manfred Wöhrer has been working at a new distillery since 2005 – a bright room for working, tasting and shopping, where visitors can acquire first-hand knowledge at distilling demonstrations and tasting seminars.

Classified as a World Class Distillery 2018, there was double gold für Zwetschke 48 Reserva fassgelagert (barrel-aged damson) (Spirit of the Year 2018), gold for apricot and damson, and silver for yellow Williams pear, red Williams pear and sour cherry.

Gin of Hearts: Social project as a homage to Ghana

The former German national football team player Gerald Asamoah launched a gin project in autumn 2021 along with Michaela Habbel and his friends Timo Marner and Jens Conrad. The name Gin FOURTEEN is a reference to Gerald’s jersey number 14, which has a great significance for him. Due to his professional career, especially at FC Schalke and as a football manager, Gerald Asamoah feels a close bond with the Ruhr region. He wasn’t actually a gin drinker, but he came into contact with the subject through a thank-you project for donations to his foundation for children with heart conditions. The foundations of Gin FOURTEEN were laid back then and positive feedback led to the idea of making it accessible to a wider public.

The production avoids artificial aromas and additives, using ingredients from responsible and sustainable cultivation. Mango and papaya are typical fruits for Gerald Asamoah’s home country of Ghana – the gin is a homage to his homeland and Africa. It is made at the Heinrich Habbel Distillery in the southern Ruhr region. Every bottle supports social projects, including the ‘my Boo Ghana School e.V.’, which enables children in the Ashanti region to attend school and was created by staff at my Boo GmbH, which along with the Yonso Project in Ghana makes bamboo bicycles in Ghana and Kiel.