Unmissable spirits at ProWein 2016
Spirits professionals in their thousands will flock to Düsseldorf, Germany, this month for ProWein 2016.
More than 600 exhibitors will be showcasing their spirit brands at ProWein 2016Approximately 600 spirits brands will be ready manning their stands as the annual trade show opens its doors from 13-15 March to welcome 53,000 trade visitors.
A combination of ProWein regulars and newcomers alike will be eagerly showcasing their portfolios, from Cognacs, rums and whiskies to gins, vodkas and liqueurs.
For frequent ProWein exhibitors, the show is a chance to reconnect with existing distributors and importers to reaffirm current relationships, while also being on the lookout for exciting new opportunities.
For first timers, the show provides a vast global platform to grow their brands, with 81% of visitors hailing from Europe.
Making its debut appearance at ProWein this year is agricole rum brand, Trois Rivières, which hopes the show will bring an opportunity to expand outside of its existing core markets of Western Europe, Italy, Switzerland and Belgium.
Marie Hammer, Trois Rivières sales export manager, said: “Agricole rum is one of the fastest growing spirits categories and what we are seeing nowadays is sophistication within the category.
“We are looking to develop internationally with a step-by-step approach. The great thing about ProWein is that we are able to target a number of countries with one exhibition.
“It seems to be very dynamic with a growing area for spirits, and you cannot wish to be an international brand and not be at ProWein.”
For those keen to tap into the most up-to-date cocktail trends, the FIZZZ lounge will once again be open with a focus on the ‘shim’ (lower-alcohol cocktails) trend. An esteemed team of bartenders will be available to divulge details of modern techniques and how ingredients such as shrubs, liqueurs, vermouth, syrups and amaro are being used to drive the ‘shim’ trend.
Don’t forget, this year’s opening times have been revised and the exhibition floor will be open from 10am to 7pm.
For the complete list of exhibitors at ProWein 2016 and where you can find them, visit the trade fair’s website at www.prowein.com.
Click through the following pages for a snippet of spirits producers who will be showcasing at this year’s event.
Product: Rhum Clément Single Cask
Company: Rhum Clément
Stand: Hall 12, B130
Rhum Clément will be bringing its complete collection of single cask expressions to this year’s ProWein show in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The range comprises three expressions: 10-year-old single cask 100% Canne Bleue, eight-year-old single cask Vanille Intense, and five-year-old single cask Moka Intense.
Rhum Clément cellar master, Robert Peronet, will be behind the stand to welcome visitors eager to explore the brand’s “distinctive profile”, and how this is affected by different sugarcane varieties and “aromatic profiles” of the barrels.
Furthermore, J.M. Rhum will also be showcasing its selection of expressions at the show this weekend.
What they say: “Distilled only from our best variety of sugarcane, the ‘Blue Cane’, this exceptional rum patiently aged for eight long years before being selected by our cellar master. With a sharp attack and complex palate, balanced rum offers us woody, spicy, dried fruit and almonds.”
Product: Relicario Supremo
Company: Beveland
Stand: Hall 12, D56
Beveland is returning to ProWein for another year with a “more premium” stand in an effort to communicate “more relevance” about the products on offer.
The company will also be offering additional areas for guests, such as a chill out zone, a bar space with a bartender mixing the brand’s products into cocktails and areas for both formal and informal meetings.
Beveland hopes to attract both existing clients and importers to its stand during the show, while also forging relationships with new distributors who will be able to hone in on the firm’s strategic brands and build those products into their markets.
A new product will also be unveiled at ProWein – Relicario Supremo, an extra-aged Dominican rum. This will be showcased alongside new packaging for the Glen Silver’s Scotch whisky collection.
What they say: “This year it’s an important year for us because we changed our strategy to a concept that we worked [on] and we put as a claim: Beveland, a world of sensations. This is a change of strategy to targeting products with added value of the company.”
Brand: Trois Rivières Rhum
Company: Bellonnie & Bourdillon Successeurs
Stand: Hall H12, B80
Agricole rhum brand Trois Rivières will be making its debut appearance at this year’s ProWein show, as it endeavours to tap into a wider European market.
Distilled in Martinique, the company will be unveiling a new “very rare and exceptional” product at this year’s show – Trois Rivières Baccarat Millésime 1980.
The expression is being rolled out worldwide in capital cities, luxury bars and hotels. The agricole rhum producer will also be exhibiting the complete collection of Trois Rivières, including Trois Rivières VSOP, Trois Rivières Cuvée Du Moulin Rum, Trois Rivières 1953 Martinique Plantation Rhum, Trois Rivières 5 Year Old Rum and Trois Rivières 8 Year Old Rum.
What they say: “Trois Rivières (French agricole rhums) embodies an art of living that conjugates the high standard of style with the casual lifestyle of its natural heritage, its charter of excellence and its collection of unique vintages with the casualness of the Caribbean, represented by its emblematic turquoise-blue and yellow colour code.”
Product: The Hive
Company: Wemyss Vintage Malts
Stand: Hall 12, E71
Wemyss Malts is bringing its entire portfolio to ProWein for the very first time this year, including the Wemyss Malts blended malts line, single casks, Lord Elcho blended Scotch, Darnley’s View gins and new make spirits from the company’s Kingsbarns Distillery.
The group celebrated its 10th anniversary at the end of 2015 and is now seeking opportunities to expand distribution into new markets and close “one or two gaps” in the firm’s international distribution.
Non-chill-filtered blended malt Scotch The Hive will also be available for guests to sample, which was relaunched as a no-age-statement expression last summer following the discontinuation of the brand’s eight-year-old blended malts range.
What they say: “Velvet Fig was our first blended malt foray into higher strength and non-chill-filtered bottlings and the reception from our customers was extremely positive. Consequently, we felt that the time was right to move our core expressions of The Hive, Spice King and Peat Chimney in the same direction.”
Product: XO Louis Royer
Company: Cognac Louis Royer
Stand: Hall 12, B34
First established in 1853, Louis Royer tells the story of a French family and exudes considerable expertise in the heart of the Cognac region in France.
At ProWein, Louis Royer is ready to welcome guests to discover its award-winning range of products, which are renowned for their quality and “very special personality”.
As the flagship brand, XO Louis Royer is said to be a “masterpiece”, and a “genuinely aromatic, spontaneous and infinite” Cognac.
What they say: “A spirit of openness, curiosity and generosity inherited from its founder and handed down from generation to generation has imparted on our Louis Royer brand of Cognac a unique personality.”
Product: Thomas Dakin Gin
Company: Quintessential Brands
Stand: Hall 12, D74
The latest addition to the Quintessential Brands gin portfolio will be on display at ProWein this month.
Launched in July last year, the new small batch expression is named after the founder of the “world’s first quality” English gin and founder of some of the world’s oldest gin distilleries from the 18th century – Thomas Dakin.
It is distilled in a baby pot still using a secret recipe of 11 botanicals, including juniper, orange peel, English coriander and red cole (also known as horseradish). The variant has an abv of 42% and costs RRP £29.
What they say: “We have created a delicious small batch gin which is juniper-led, with sweet orange and citrus notes on the palate and a smooth, savoury finish thanks to the cubebs and red cole.”
Product: Sauternes finished whiskies
Company: Thompson’s
Stand: Hall 12, A44
Visitors can expect to discover not one, but two new products from Thompson’s at this year’s ProWein show.
The first spirit is a Six Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky finished for two years in Château Labouade Sauternes casks. Bottled at 46% abv and non-chill-filtered, just 3,600 individually numbered bottles of the whisky are set to be released.
The second Scotch is a Six Year Old Speyside Blended Malt Scotch Whisky that has also been finished in Château Labouade Sauternes casks. This particular expression is bottled at 46% abv and is also non-chill-filtered. The range comprises 3,100 numbered bottles.
The Thompson’s spirits range also includes Bordeaux eaux-de-vie, Bordelais Gin and vodka.
What they say: Following in the footsteps of Thompson’s 1996 Isle of Arran, with a nine-month Sauternes finish and a label featuring ‘Thompson Dress Blue’ tartan, the Speyside uses ‘Camel Thompson’ tartan and the Blended Scotch features ‘Thompson Red-McTavish’ tartan.”
Product: Writers Tears
Brand: Walsh Whiskey Distillery
Stand: Hall 12, A74
Following its packaging update in September last year, Walsh Whiskey Distillery will be showcasing its new-look Writers Tears Irish whiskey.
A blend of aged single pot still and single malt whiskeys – both distilled in copper pots – the new packaging features the addition of the phrase ‘Copper Pot’ to emphasise the spirit’s distillation.
The extra wording was chosen as “an honour to the age old craft of whiskey production in Ireland”.
What they say: “With additional Writers Tears expressions coming online from the Walsh Whiskey Distillery, we are acting now by introducing a term that will continue to be unique to our current expression of Writers Tears. We see ‘Copper Pot’ as inspiration for our future releases.”
Product: Asbach Fire
Company: Underberg
Stand: Hall 12, A78
Adding a touch of spice to the spirits at this year’s ProWein is Underberg, which will be showcasing Asbach Fire. The liqueur is flavoured with cinnamon and chilli to create a “spicy sweetness”.
With an abv of 30%, the expression has been created to drink either as a shot, aperitif, mixed in a long drink or with sparkling wine.
The nose of Asbach Fire is described as offering aromas of cinnamon with hints of vanilla and chocolate, which lead to an intense taste of cinnamon with the “refined spiciness and fire” of chilli, finishing with a hint of wood.
The product is aimed at millennials and is available in a 1-litre format for RRP €19.90 per bottle.
What they say: “The spicy sweetness of Asbach Fire is a harmonious blend of an intense sweet cinnamon note and the fire of chilli. This brand new speciality from Asbach is manufactured with proven Asbach quality as we know since 1892.”
Product: Le Tribute
Company: Destilerías MG
Stand: Hall 12, E77
It has taken two years of product development but Destilerías MG is now ready to reveal a new product range – Le Tribute. The collection comprises Le Tribute Gin, Le Tribute Mezcal and Le Tribute Tonic Water.
The three products have been created to honour the pioneers, processes and heritage of the company, with an aim to “challenge” consumers’ drinking experiences.
Destilerías MG hopes to meet importers and distributors that specialise in premium brands who would be interested in forging distribution partnerships.
What they say: “‘Old but new’ is our brand proposal, considering avant-garde and tradition as the roots to create a unique liquid, with innovation as the pillar to build differentiation and uniqueness.”
Product: Glen Moray Chardonnay
Company: Bardinet
Stand: Hall 12, A71
Bardinet is bringing its Glen Moray Chardonnay expression to ProWein this year, which forms part of the Scotch whisky brand’s Classic Collection.
Finished in Chardonnay casks, the Glen Moray Classic Chardonnay Cask Finish is said to have added “body sweetness and spice”, combined with the traditional sweet vanilla and light oak flavours of the brand’s Elgin Classic.
The expression is described as offering aromas of apples, pear drops, key lime pie and bubble gum, leading to a cinnamon sugar smell.
On the palate, the whisky has a “soft mouth feel” that ends with a nutty vanilla flavour combined with cinnamon spice and a floral finish.
What they say: “A perfect balance of caramelised fruit, butterscotch and lingering notes of toasted oak.”
Product: Tundra Vodka
Company: Tatspirtprom, JSC
Stand: Hall 12, A82
Having launched a new edition in Russia last month, Tatspirtprom is ready to unveil the new Tundra vodka bottle at this year’s ProWein.
Currently only available in Russia, the company plans to roll out the new edition to additional international markets by the end of 2016.
Tundra Vodka is made using “cutting-edge technologies” based on the “alpha grade spirit” that undergoes a “high-tech purification process”.
The water used in making the vodka is “purified” through silver. Once the water has been added to the spirit, the liquid continued through five stages of filtration to ensure its “absolute purity and exceptionally soft taste”.
What they say: “Exceptionally smooth and fresh on the palate, with peppery notes on the finish. Taste and flavour characteristic to Russian vodka.”
