Golden start to the year at the ISW: cognac, grappa, fruit brandy,
liqueurs & co.
The first of three themed tasting panels at the Meininger's International Spirits Award heralded the start of the new tasting year: Wine and marc brandies, fruit brandies and fruit spirits, as well as liqueurs of all kinds were the focus of the January tasting. A total of 620 spirits were blind tasted and evaluated by the expert jury, of which 187 were awarded a medal - 14x Grand Gold, 170x Gold and 3x Silver.
In addition, 15 special awards were presented to the best products in their category. These are briefly presented here.
For the first time this year, there will be a festive awards ceremony at the new ISW Discovery Bar by ProSpirits at ProWein in Düsseldorf which will take place on Sunday 10 March at 4 pm in hall 5 - A 15.
Cognac of the Year 2024
Camus Borderies VSOP
Borderies is the smallest of the six Cognac crus and rarely comes close to the renown of Grande or Petite Champagne. Wrongly so, as this single estate bottling from Camus shows. The predominant terroir of limestone and clay produces a fabulously soft Cognac with delicate floral aromas, while the ageing in red oak provides creamy vanilla and the freshness of orange peel.
Brandy de Jerez of the Year 2024
Lustau Solera Gran Reserva Finest Selection
What makes Bodega Lustau world-class in sherry also helps it to produce unique brandies. The Gran Reserva matures for around 15 years in a solera, which previously contained Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry for a long time. The successful combination of nutty-dry and fruity-sweet immediately enchants and shows what Brandy de Jerez can offer.
Bas-Armagnac of the Year 2024
Domaine Tariquet 18 ans Plant de Graisse
Quality prevails - sometimes more than once! The first-class Armagnac from Domaine Tariquet can defend its title from last year. A top class aromatic wine that impressively demonstrates what Armagnac has to offer: exciting grape varieties, old stocks and powerful flavours for anyone looking for uniqueness.
Brandy of the Year 2024 national
Asbach 8 Jahre gereift
Already honoured as "Brand Spirit of the Year" last year, now rewarded with the title for the best German brandy. The Asbach "Privatbrand" is the flagship of the traditional house from Rüdesheim am Rhein and makes it clear that even supposedly young brandy can embody finesse: the Limousin oak provides ripe fruit, chocolate, leather and vanilla in great harmony.
Pomace Brandy of the Year 2024
Psenner Grappa Barique Riserva
The marc from the South Tyrolean grape varieties Vernatsch, Gewürztraminer and Blaufränkisch is distilled and aged in stainless steel and for some time in barrique barrels.Delicate floral notes with hints of fresh citrus fruit are paired with a cosy, warm spiciness of liquorice and cinnamon. The heart of the wine's flavour remains elegant and leaves you wanting more.
Fruit Brandy of the Year 2024 national
Lantenhammer Rote Williamsbrand unfiltriert
The Williams pear is considered the king of fruit brandy distillation, but the red variant of the top pear is comparatively unknown.The fruit comes from old trees in Bolzano and Verona - its subtle flavour is fantastically captured in the brandy and pleasantly enhanced by the absence of filtration: fragrant, ripe fruit in its purest form, as is rarely experienced.
Fruit Brandy of the Year 2024 international
Studer Himbeere
Hand-picked Valais raspberries form the basis for this powerful raspberry brandy from the Swiss distillery experts at Studer. In contrast to a raspberry "Geist", a huge amount of fruit is required for a raspberry "Brand", as the berries have little sugar for fermentation. Long storage in stainless steel results in absolute fruit harmony on the nose and palate.
Fruit Spirit of the Year 2024
Ziegler Waldhimbeergeist
Ziegler distillery is an aromatic repeat offender in the best sense of the word. The wonderfully fruity forest raspberry spirit already won the "Fruit Spirit of the Year" award in 2022 and has now managed to secure the title once again. A fantastic and, above all, pure aroma of fresh raspberries beguiles the nose and fills any room, no matter how large.
Liqueur of the Year 2024
Walcher Noisetto
There are countless nut liqueurs, but Walcher Noisetto manages to stand out from the crowd effortlessly. Precious hazelnuts from Piedmont are roasted and flavoured with Caribbean rum. Nut nougat with that certain something extra hits the palate and continues in the long finish. Great South Tyrolean liqueur gold!
Fruit liqueur of the Year 2024 national
Birkenhof Gingero Ingwer-Orangen Creme
The deep, complex aroma of ginger is absolutely on trend and is used by the Birkenhof distillery in this harmonious liqueur with a fruity orange flavour. The orange skilfully plays around the subtle spiciness of the ginger - the sweetness is finely integrated. A great result of the creative experimentation of the Westerwald distillery experts from Birkenhof.
Fruit liqueur of the Year 2024 international
Védrenne Creme de Mure de Nuits-Saint-Georges
A fruity, intense flavour reminiscent of jam that lingers long in the memory of the connoisseur. The sweetness is pleasantly counterbalanced by the light acidity of fresh blackberries. Around 500g of fruit are used to make one litre of liqueur and the aroma is fully asserted. A great liqueur for all applications, which also shows its full power in cocktails.
Herbal liqueur of the Year 2024 national
Echter Nordhäuser Wildkräuter
This fine herbal liqueur from the Nordhäuser distilling experts is the absolute price-performance winner of the January tasting. With its traditional recipe made from carefully selected 40 herbs, it can easily compete with larger brands. The gigantic range of distillation giants from Nordbrand truly leaves nothing to be desired.
Herbal liqueur of the Year 2024 international
Gurktaler Der Milde Alpenkräuter
Another title defender! Gurktaler Mild Alpine Herbs from the Carinthian Alps is reminiscent of the most delicious medicine imaginable. Especially fresh herbs from the organic herb garden of the Gurktaler monastery favour the unique aroma. Experience and craftsmanship are decisive for the fine liqueur that the Gurktal valley gives the world.
Egg liqueur of the Year 2024
Raritas Eierlikör verfeinert mit 5% Orangengeist
After 2021, the Raritas from the Lantenhammer creative experts once again makes it to the top of the egg liqueur podium. The secret of its fruity flavour lies in the finest orange spirit from Sicilian oranges, which is used to refine it. Only fresh egg yolks provide the wonderful creaminess - produced in small batches of just 200 litres.
Spiced liqueur of the Year 2024
Krink Liqueurs Lakritzlikör
Liquorice is a flavour that has friends and foes, but hardly anyone can resist this fine variant from the POTT.STIL speciality distillery. The pure extract of liquorice root with a good pinch of salmiac salt is complemented on the palate by subtle notes of fennel, aniseed and a mineral freshness. A hint of caramel supports the full-bodied sweetness.
The next tasting for 2024 will take place on 23 + 24 April. In April, the focus will be on the wide world of gin and juniper spirits, aperitifs and vermouth as well as specialities such as agave spirits, aquavit and absinthe. Samples for April and June (whisky, rum & co.) can already be registered via www.register-sample.com.
Are you a guest at ProWein in Düsseldorf?
Then why not visit us at the ISW Discovery Bar by ProSpirits (Hall 5 - A 15).
At the ISW Discovery Bar you will find a carefully curated selection of spirits honoured by Meininger's International Spirits Award ISW and can sample to your heart's content in a relaxed atmosphere. Experienced bartenders will recommend your next favourite distillate from over 500 products that won awards last year. We will also be happy to refer you to the producer's or importer's stand afterwards, which you can then contact directly at ProWein.
