Liviko is an Estonian distillery, Baltic distributor and one of the largest alcohol companies in the Baltics. [1] [2] Liviko was established in 1898. [3] [2] Liviko has its production and head office in Estonia along with distribution offices in Riga, Latvia, and Vilnius, Lithuania. [1] [2] Liviko exports its own products to 60 markets. [2] The company's most well-known brands are Viru Valge vodka, Vana Tallinn liqueur, Crafter’s London Dry Gin and Crafter's Aromatic Flower Gin. [4] Liviko produces more than 70 alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. [5]
Liviko represents a number of producers in its home markets, including Brown-Forman, Rémy Cointreau, Bacardi, Fentimans [1] and a number of well-known wine brands [6] such as Hardy's, Louis Jadot, Marques de Caceres, Saint Clair, Rocca delle Macie, Carmen, Marani and Canti. [3]
The company's turnover in 2019 was 137 million €. [7] The Liviko group employs more than 270 people. [1] [2]
Approximately one-third of Liviko's production is marketed on export markets worldwide. Liviko's 100% shareholder is NG Investeeringud OÜ, an Estonian investment company. NG Investeeringud has major ownership in several companies in the fields of industry, retail trade and real estate management.[ citation needed ]
To mark its 120th anniversary, Liviko launched excursions around its production facilities for visitors who register in advance. [8] Each tour comprises three parts: a walk around the production facilities to see the production from selecting the raw ingredients to bottling the finished products; a visit to the interactive museum; and the chance to take part in a tasting or drinks lesson in Estonia's most modern bartender training class, LAB (the Liviko Academy of Beverages). [8] [9]
Sommelier competition Vana Tallinn Baltic Sommelier Grand Prix has been organized since 2006 AS Liviko in cooperation with the Sommelier Associations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The competition for the best sommelier in the Baltics was named after Liviko’s Vana Tallinn liqueur. [10] The competition has a mixture of theoretical and practical examinations. [11]
On 25 September 1898, the cornerstone was laid for the state vodka warehouse Kroonu Viinaladu No. 1, which marked the beginning of the history of Liviko. The main building of the company, which houses Liviko's production facility to this day, was constructed in 1898–1900. The architect was Rudolf Otto von Knüpffer. It was built from limestone and decorated with neo-Romanesque elements. [12]
The oldest drink in Liviko's product portfolio is the crystal liqueur Kännu Kukk, which has been manufactured using a heated bottling process since 1900. [12]
Triple sec is an orange-flavoured liqueur that originated in France. It usually contains 20–40% alcohol by volume.
Pernod Ricard is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis. The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produces several other types of pastis.
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Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a variety of other distilled spirits.
Liquor or distilled beverages are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include spirit, spirituous liquor or hard liquor. While the word liquor ordinarily refers to distilled alcoholic spirits rather than beverages produced by fermentation alone, it can sometimes be used more broadly to refer to any alcoholic beverage.
Vana Tallinn is an Estonian brand of liqueur manufactured continuously by Liviko since 1960. The recipe contains Jamaican rum and a variety of herbs and spices.
Kümmel, kummel or kimmel, is a sweet, colourless liqueur flavoured with caraway seeds, cumin and fennel.
Altia Oyj was a Finnish state-owned corporation based in Helsinki, which produces, imports, exports and markets alcoholic beverages. It operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia. Altia has production plants in Koskenkorva and Rajamäki in Finland and in Tabasalu in Estonia. Altia's strategy is based on two complementary cornerstones – building own brands and providing a leading Nordic and Baltic service platform for partners to develop their business. The largest imported brands are Drostdy-Hof, Two Oceans and Jack Daniel's.
Rémy Cointreau is a French, family-owned business group specialized in the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages. The group's products include cognac, triple sec (Cointreau), the Greek spirit Metaxa, rum, brandy (St-Rémy), gin and whisky. The group, whose origins date back to 1724, was formed in 1990 after the merger of Rémy Martin and Cointreau. Rémy Cointreau also owns the fragrance company Maison Psyché.
Davide Campari-Milano N.V., trading as Campari Group, is an Italian company active since 1860 in the branded beverage industry. It produces spirits, wines, and non-alcoholic apéritifs. From its signature product, Campari, its portfolio has been extended to include over 50 brands, including Aperol, Appleton, Cinzano, SKYY vodka, Espolón, Wild Turkey, Grand Marnier, and Forty Creek whisky.
Korn, also known as Kornbrand or Kornbranntwein, is a German colorless distilled beverage produced from fermented cereal grain seed. The production of Korn uses only five grains: most of the production is based on rye or wheat; barley is mainly used to obtain the required malt for the brewing process; oats and buckwheat are rarely used. The addition of food colorings, flavorings, or sweeteners is not permitted. Korn is distilled to lower alcoholic proofs and less rigorously filtered than vodka, which leaves more of the cereal grain flavor in the finished spirit.
Lucas Bols N.V. is a Dutch public company in the business of production, distribution, sales and marketing of alcoholic beverages. It claims to be the oldest distillery brand in the world. Its brand portfolio consists of Bols, Galliano, Vaccari, Pisang Ambon, Gold Strike and a large group of Dutch genevers and liqueurs. It produces about 3 million cases a year, with yearly revenues exceeding 95 million euros.
Sazerac Company, Inc. is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionaire William Goldring and his family. As of 2017, it operated nine distilleries, had 2,000 employees, and operated in 112 countries. It is one of the two largest spirits companies in the United States, with annual revenue of about $1 billion made from selling about 300 beverage brands.
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Watershed Distillery is a microdistillery in Columbus, Ohio, United States, founded in 2010 by business partners Greg Lehman and Dave Rigo. The distillery was the second distillery opened in Central Ohio after prohibition, and Watershed brought to market the first legally distilled bourbon whiskey in Central Ohio post-prohibition in 2012. The distillery offers tours to the public and was the first distillery in Ohio to open a restaurant on-site in February 2017, following the passage of Ohio House Bill 351 in 2016. The distillery offers six spirits: vodka, two types of American style gin, bourbon, nocino and a bottled Old Fashioned cocktail.
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Beer has been brewed in Estonia for over a thousand years. The first written reference to beer in what is now Estonia dates to 1284. In Estonian, beers are often described as hele (pale) or tume (dark).
Crafter's is a Nordic gin brand that includes classic London Dry Gin and Aromatic Flower Gin produced by Estonian distillery Liviko. Both gins are handcrafted in Estonia, copper-pot distilled and made in small batches. In 2018 Liviko exported Crafter's gin to 25 countries. The juniper berries used in the making of Crafter's gin are reused in the Re-crafted Crafter's handcrafted beverages, as the berries retain a valuable part of their flavour even after distillation. Liviko was nominated to World Beverage Innovation Award in 2019 for its zero-waste product innovation that lead to a new category of drinks.
The Lakes Distillery is a distillery based in the Lake District that is owned by Nyetimber and provides a variety of products including whisky, gin and vodka.