The anniversary figures were not encouraging. Between 12 and 14 October, only around 11,000 trade visitors and just over 400 exhibitors gathered at the Berlin Exhibition Centre. The previous year had seen 12,100 visitors (2024: over 15,000) – and the number of exhibitors had stood at 566, with one additional exhibition hall. At least the fair has become more international again; this year, visitors from 94 countries – rather than 50 – made their way to the German capital. The organisers themselves spoke of the “considerable economic pressure facing the drinks and hospitality sector” and are now planning a two-day programme for 2027, rather than a three-day one.
Long-standing visitors missed classics this year such as Humbel from Switzerland or the Hanseatische Weinhandelsgesellschaft. This was reportedly due, in part, to the high stand costs. There were once again slightly more still and sparkling wines on offer than in previous years, such as the champagnes from Abelé, including a fine Blanc de Blancs. I particularly enjoyed the Barolo Chinato Tipo Esportazione from Giulio Cocci. The Asti-based estate had re-released this as a special edition to mark its 130th anniversary. It is based on a Barolo DOCG from a single cru, pressed in the 2016 vintage at the vineyard of the Bava family, who own the Cocci estate. Subsequently, the mere 1,200 bottles were infused with cinchona bark and spices – hence ‘chinato’. Highly complex and a stylish glimpse into the fascinating past of the Langhe. Below are eight spirits highlights from this year’s BCB:
1. Cognac Audry Très Ancienne Réserve Aristide
‘The best Cognac you’ve never heard of’ is how “Time Magazine” once described the Maison, founded in 1878. This was due in no small part to the fact that Audry did not sell any cognacs for decades. After the first two generations of the founding family had built up the house’s reputation with its own cellar and laboratory, a break occurred in the third generation. Aristide Boisson, the husband of Odette Audry, died very young in 1950. It was to take over three decades before his son Bernard Boisson revived the house – today, with Anne and Renaud Boisson, the fifth generation of the family is on board. In Berlin, Mathieu Vanhalst, the current managing director, presented primarily the Art Audry collection. It consists of a VS, a VSOP and an XO, which focus primarily for the bar scene.
Audry has, however, earned its reputation with its aged cognacs. These are mostly blends of base wines from Petite and Grande Champagne. Apart from the recently launched range of vintage cognacs under the name ‘Collection’, Audry now brings these together in the ‘Timeless’ range. This comprises a sextet, which is also available as a tasting box containing six 50 ml bottles, which Mathieu Vanhalst had brought with him to Berlin. Even the opening release, the Napoléon, made from 15- to 18-year-old eaux-de-vie (50% PC | 50% GC), displays great class. The Réserve Aristide, the only one of these made exclusively from Grande Champagne, is aged for at least 50 years. Here, the now rare, unique rancio aroma – which actually laid the foundations for cognac’s unique reputation – is truly captivating.
2. Cognac Leyrat X.O. Elite
Francis Abecassis, who made his fortune growing rice in the Rhône Delta, has built up a small cognac empire since 2000. His group is committed to the philosophy of single-estate cognacs and aims to produce ‘cognac by winegrowers’. Today, alongside its own brand ABK6 (short for Abecassis, more here) and the ‘Grands Domaines’ range, the Reviseur and Leyrat houses feature independently in the portfolio. Cognac Leyrat is a former family-run business in the Fins Bois with its own vineyards. There are now two X.O.s on offer: the X.O. Hors D’Age and the more expensive, higher-quality X.O. Elite. The latter tastes smooth, quite complex and has good length, with aromas of dried fruit, leather and walnuts. A distinctive ‘Extra Old’ at a realistic price. The leap up to the older ‘Glory’ and ‘Passion’ grades, which I was unable to include in the prize draw, is, however, quite a significant one.
3. Calvados Christian Drouin Expérimental #14 Kilchoman Angels 23 ans
Christian Drouin from Normandy was, if I’m right, possibly the last remaining fruit-processing eau-de-vie distiller at the BCB. The house, which began marketing its products in 1979, is one of the leading producers of Calvados in the department of the same name. From the very beginning, the house’s aim has been to allow its spirits to mature for long periods in a variety of casks and to produce the very highest quality (more here). Under the leadership of Guillaume Drouin, the founder’s grandson, the company now offers not only the great classics but also a highly noteworthy ‘Expérimental’ range. Brand new this year was the 23-year-old #14 Kilchoman Angels. This had spent the final ten months of its maturation in single malt casks from Kilchoman on Islay. This, as it were, reinforces the latent maritime character of this brand from Normandy. Above all, it imparts a distinctly peaty note, so that the classic aroma of a very old Calvados appears here like a hint of smoked apple. Borderline, but fascinating.
4. Ron Centenario 30 Anos Edicion Limitada
Costa Rica was not actually a country that produced any significant amount of rum. That was until drinks giant Seagram founded a company there in 1969 called Seagram de Costa Rica. It wasn’t until 1985, however, that the company launched its first rum: the Añejo Especial 7. Following the collapse of Seagram, the site came under the ownership of Pernod Ricard until 2002. The bottler and exporter was then renamed Centenario Internacional. Since 2026, the company has been owned by the Costa Rican UDG Group. Ron Centenario cultivates an accessible, ‘Spanish’ style. It is also said that the region’s fertile volcanic ash lends the sugar cane used here a particular sweetness. In any case, the brand soon rose to become one of the global market leaders.
The older expressions are particularly noteworthy (with the ratio of molasses to sugar cane varying depending on the cuvée). These are produced using the solera method and matured partly in used bourbon casks and partly in Scotch whisky casks. Incidentally, the year numbers refer not to the age of the youngest, but of the oldest spirit in the blend. The Gran Reserva 25 Aniversario is, in any case, beautifully spicy and offers excellent value for money. The flagship of the range, 30 Aniversario Edición Limitada, is very smooth and displays lovely nutty aromas.
5. El Dorado Single Still Port Mourant 2009 Rum
However, rum has a much longer tradition in Guyana, where the Dutch first began cultivating sugar cane around 1640. Of the 300 distilleries that existed here in the 18th century, only four remained by 1970. In 1976, the two English companies, Booker Rum Company and Diamond Liquors Limited, merged to form the Guyana Liquor Corp., which was renamed Demerara Distillers Limited in 1983 and launched the El Dorado brand in 1992. Today, the company produces a range of top-class molasses rums (21 yo!), including special high-ester blends.
At the same time, the company upholds Guyana’s unique distilling tradition with its Single Still range. Alongside the Enmore and Versailles bottlings, the Port Mourant 2009 fascinated me particulary. It comes from a double wooden pot still – that is, a still made not of copper but of wood – the oldest and only one of its kind still in operation today. Very spicy, with a hint of smoke, vanilla and candied fruit. The distillery also describes it as ‘flambéed banana’, which sums it up quite well.
6. Slyrs Single Cask Amarone Finish Whisky
I hadn’t really had the Bavarian whisky distillery Slyrs on my radar until now. Perhaps because, as a young man, I focused exclusively on Scotch whisky for far too long. Meanwhile, the ‘Bavarian Mountain Whisky’ is now over 25 years old. The company grew out of the Lantenhammer distillery on Lake Schliersee. Its co-owner, Florian Stetter – a trained brewer and maltster – caught the whisky bug in Scotland in 1994, which is why he founded Slyrs in 1999. Since relocating to Neuhaus am Schliersee in 2006, the entire production process has been carried out in-house.
I tasted two whiskies here: first, the classic Single Malt Whisky Aged 12 Years, which was impressive but almost a little ‘too perfect’ – an effect I’ve experienced, for example, with the whiskies from Koval in Chicago. However, the new Limited Release Single Cask Single Malt Whisky Amarone Cask Finish made a huge impression. This cask-strength spirit (53.2 per cent) was distilled in 2019 and bottled in 2026. Contrary to the cliché of sweet, fruity, raisin-like Amarone, the whisky is spicier and less opulent than expected. Furthermore, the oily texture on the palate and the very long finish are quite remarkable.
7. Catoctin Creek Barrel Select Rye Whisky
Fortunately, a number of US whisky distilleries had returned to Berlin. Once again, the US state of Virginia – the cradle of American whisky – took centre stage. Alongside regulars such as Reservoir (more here), Catoctin Creek – founded as recently as 2009 and led by President and Master Distiller Becky Harris – was among the exhibitors. Harris proudly refers to her company as ‘The Virginia Rye Whisky’, and it has indeed earned a fine reputation in the whisky world in a short space of time. This artisan distillery from Purcellville, Virginia, produces three permanent rye whiskies: an 80, a 92 and a ‘pre-Prohibition-style’ cask proof, all made from 100 per cent local rye and distilled in small batches in copper pot stills. For me, the highlight was the limited-edition Barrel Select Rye Whiskey. It was finished in used ‘Black Friday Barrels’ from ‘Crooked Run Fermentation’, a craft beer brewery in Virginia. A hint of grain, banana chips, pear and a touch of hops: a rather wild, yet exciting blend of flavours.
8. Homareiroha Katsutori Shochu 17 yo
Fortunately, the Japan Pavilion had also found its way back to the Spree – a reason in itself that makes a visit to the BCB worthwhile. This time, a department store chain was also presenting a selection of products. However, this was Hankyu Department Stores, whose flagship store in Osaka – alongside the one in Kobe – boasts a truly sensational food and drink department. The company also stocks exclusive products, produced to the highest standards by local artisan workshops in close collaboration with the company. The prices Hankyu charges for these products are simply jaw-dropping. For instance, a bottle of the 25-year-old Katana Soguha shochu (named after a Japanese short sword), distilled from sweet potatoes, costs just under 3,000 euros – before tax. It reminded me of a very pure ‘Klaren’ from northern Germany. ‘The perfect marriage of alcohol and water through the medium of time,’ as the staff member at the stand explained to me.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t particularly impressed by the 25-year-aged Homareiroha Daiginjo sake either. Such long ageing is certainly very rare. But I simply couldn’t grasp its purpose from a sensory perspective (as opposed to, say, young high-end sake). Finally, the Kombucha Awa Bancha from Tea Tsuboichi in Sakai – the home of the legendary tea master Sen no Rikyū – was a world apart. This green tea, fermented using a kombucha culture, was (of course) alcohol-free, yet exceptionally complex in aroma. But at a four-figure price? A truly unique drink – a category all of its own, so to speak – was the Homareiroha 17-year-old Kasutori Shochu, distilled from sake yeasts derived from the ‘Yamada Nishiki’ rice variety, the king of sake rice, and then matured in wooden casks. A marriage of two worlds that creates something entirely new here, for which the taster is still at a loss for words. That said, it also comes with a price tag of 800,000 yen (excluding tax), which in turn seems like a bargain compared to the 1.5 million yen for the Homareiroha sake. Feel free to convert that if you like …
Image credits
Image of Homareiroha Katsutori Shochu: © Hankyu Department Store. For fear of theft, only a dummy bottle featuring the actual design was on display at the stand.
All other images: Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
