The German capital of Berlin also symbolises the reunification of the country, which was split in two from the end of World War II until 1990. A number of cultural artefacts have endured to this day from both East and West Germany, of course – and one of them is Dresden-style Worcestershire sauce, which is a flavour that takes many people back to the days of the GDR. The Schmieder family, which relocated from the Spreewald (a forest southeast of Berlin) to Dresden all the way back in 1870, brought renown to Saxony’s capital city by coming up with a modified recipe for this piquant condiment. The Schmieders first encountered the original sauce on a ski holiday in Switzerland, but instead of writing down the ingredients, they experimented with a variety of components upon returning to Germany and came up with a concoction all their own.

The art of distillation goes hand in hand with chasing aromas and rendering them in liquid form – although alcohol is merely the medium, not the actual goal of the process. Meanwhile, the world of spirits is divided into categories rather than sensory components and the possibilities associated with them. It’s a form of conditioning that stands in contrast to our obsession with variety and innovation. Why do distillates and spirits have to fit into a particular category? What’s wrong with forging down other paths, challenging current technologies and traditions, and contemplating the world of aromas from another perspective? To answer these specific questions, we've expanded our facilities to include the Monkey 47 Booze Lab.

The purpose of the Booze Lab is to push the envelope of what's possible in sensory terms by continuing to explore diverse aromas and ways to capture them in alcohol with alternative distillation and culinary techniques. In our new Experimentum Series, we’ll be bringing to market some of these experiments in extraordinary “spirit blends” based on Monkey 47 several times every year in editions that will be limited to no more than 500 bottles each. These blends will combine cutting-edge vacuum distillation with alternative methods of aroma extraction, making each of them an authentic flavour experience that defies categorisation.