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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.

LACASCARA: Premium aperitif made of the ‘cáscara’

This special product was created on the base of cáscara, grapefruit and raspberries. The Spanish name means ‘skin’, referring specifically to the skin of the red coffee berry. Centuries ago, cáscara was dried on coffee farms and drunk as tea; in modern coffee production, the pulp and skin remain unused – this could potentially create a mountain of around ten million tons of cáscara. It only gained approval as a novel food in 2022. Its use in this aperitif also has a social aspect, as coffee farms receive much-needed additional income.

Behind LACASCARA are Lisah Dietrich, who worked in marketing for many years, and Constantin Müller, owner of an advertising film agency and a camera rental company, and also a lecturer at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences. They source the highest quality cáscara from Colombia and Peru from farms that have left cooperatives to market their own coffee. During the season, the best ripe coffee berries are picked by hand in 4 harvests, before being sorted and dried in the sun for over 40 days. The liqueur is then produced by hand in a small distillery, without artificial additives. Caffeine is only present in small amounts; one glass contains only one to two percent of the caffeine contained in a litre of cola. The taste of cáscara is reminiscent of rosehip, pomegranate and spicy honey. Perfect as a spritz, with tonic water, neat, or on the rocks. With a balance of fruitiness and a slight bitter note, a new, natural taste experience has been created that also meets the needs of an entire generation for high quality, sustainability and naturalness.

LACASCARA Premium Aperitivo won silver at the World Spirits Award.

Morikawaratan: Liqueur specialities from Japan

Takanori Mori, who runs a roofing company, started Goodman Kitchen, a mobile restaurant, in 2018. He travelled through Japan with it and got to know wonderful ingredients in every region. Inspired by these encounters, he founded a factory for liqueur specialities in 2022. He began producing liqueurs, for which he processed agricultural products from all over Japan. The first product, Limoncello, was launched in spring 2023, followed by Arancello, plum wine and Bankan, made from unique citrus fruits. Guided tours of the company are also available for anyone interested.

In November 2023, Limoncello was awarded a gold medal and the plum wine a silver medal at ‘The Liqueur Masters’. This is organised by ‘The Spirits Business’ trade magazine, and spirits are tasted by spirits experts in 14 separate categories. The results can also be found at www.thespiritsbusiness.com, which attracts more than 325,000 visitors from almost 150 countries every month. The products also impressed the WSA expert jury.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Hida Craft Lemoniq (Sweet Award & SoY 2024), gold for Hida Craft Lemoniq Bitter, and bronze for Hida Craft Umeshu Den.