The Famous Seed
The seed that would eventually grow to become a distillery was sown in Huholt, a little village with a modest number of grapevines yielding some wine every year. Well, not every year. One summer the wine didn’t turn out as expected. The quality simply wasn’t there, not even for a single bottle. However, the wine was not to be wasted, as it contained a significant amount of alcohol that could easily be distilled and put in barrels. That’s exactly what an inventive son decided to do and later gift his father for his 60th birthday. From the very moment the neat golden drops were tasted, there was broad agreement that the outcome was honorable. It was an outcome that laid the foundation for what we today know as Als Distillery – a name that for some is synonymous with solid craftsmanship, passion and professional pride. En sommer hændte det nemlig at vinen ikke blev som forventet, og derfor ikke, kvalitetsmæssigt, tillod nogensinde at nå en flaske – om end ikke en vinflaske.

Med et betydeligt alkoholpotentiale behøvede vinen nemlig ikke gå til spilde, da den sagtens kunne destilleres, og endda lægges på fad. Så det besluttede en opfindsom søn sig for at gøre, og forære sin far i 60-års fødselsdagsgave. Så snart de prydelige gyldne dråber skulle smages var der bred enighed om et aldeles hæderligt resultat. Et resultat der snart skulle vise sig at være grundstenen til det vi i dag kender som Destilleriet Als. Et navn der, for nogle, er et synonym for godt gedigent håndværk, passion og faglig stolthed. 

From First Batch To First Price
A seed like the one sown in Huholt obviously doesn’t just germinate by itself from one day the to the next. A whole year passed from when the first batch of gin was distilled in 2014 until Als Distillery for the first time received international recognition. However, the international prizes and the wide range of different bottles of gin aside, Als Distillery, in its own opinion, received its hitherto greatest tribute in 2018: The Sønderborg Entrepreneurship Prize. The award is, among other things, an appreciation of initiatives that contributes to Sønderborg – the place where the entire circle of owners was born and raised. En pris der, blandt andet, handler om initiativer der kan bidrage til Sønderborg – hvor hele ejerkredsen er født og opvokset. 

The Future of Als Distillery
The distillery's first series borrows its name from an old Danish word meaning “large amount of something good” and is intended to be just that. Whether in the meticulous process of tracking the maturation of the gin and whiskey or when serving enchanting cocktails and traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches, the so-called smørrebrød, Als Distillery always strives to create a large and lavish festivity. 

Snart vil de festlige ringe i vandet sprede sig restaurenten Karikatur i Sønderborg, hvor der både vil blive budt på smørrebrød i verdensklasse, cocktails og sjusser for enhver smag, men ikke mindst den gode historie.