Our story

It all started with a crazy idea, the dream of having our own gin. But ideas are only worth something if you actually do it and give it a try – a magical moment. A lot has happened in the meantime and we are very grateful that we can live our dream. We have collected some of our personal milestones for you:

2013

The first attempt

Driven by pure curiosity, we created a so-called “Bathtub Gin” in April 2013. Unlike a classic gin, the botanicals are not distilled, but just placed into alcohol.

The thought of Siegfried, or even a company, was not even in the offing. Although the result was still barely drinkable, it was clear that it was basically possible to produce one’s own great gin with a lot of hard work and effort.

Without this realisation, Siegfried would probably never have come into being a year later…

2014

THE FINAL TASTING ROUND – 40%, 42% OR 44% VOL?

Time jump. Almost 1.5 years after the first attempts, we finally had the final recipe for today’s Siegfried Rheinland Dry Gin, or Siggi for short. Linden blossom, juniper and orange have always characterised the signature taste.

The final step followed on 24.09.2014. Only the final amount of alcohol had to be determined. This is an important step, because it allows the flavour of the recipe to be fully appreciated. Since we couldn’t quite decide between 40% and 42%, we chose the glorious middle: 41% vol.

THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF TODAY’S SIEGFRIED LABEL

To match the uniqueness of our taste, we naturally needed the right look and feel. The decisive design draft came from Bence, a Hungarian graphic designer. Even though the label has changed and developed a lot since this first version, the three-line SIE GFR IED is still the key visual for our brand.

At this point, we would also like to thank dear Phil, who accompanied the further steps with a lot of love for detail.

CRAFTSMANSHIP = MANY HANDS AT WORK

In the early days, we took craftsmanship more than literally. The first batches, such as our very first with the name “Early Bird”, were all labelled by hand, packed and brought to the post office. As there was no office or storage space yet, it all happened in our living room. A great time!

Fun Fact: Since we didn’t have our own cardboard boxes yet, we got some used Hendrick’s Gin boxes from a friend’s waste paper and used them for a good cause. A pinch of pragmatism never hurt.

2015

DOUBLE GOLD AKA THE HIGHEST AWARD EVER RECEIVED BY A GERMAN GIN

We submitted two of our first bottles to the World Spirits Award.

And it wasn’t just a dream, because just a few weeks later we received the news that our gin had won the Double Gold Medal – pure goose bumps; especially as it was the highest score ever won by a German gin in this competition. A spirit award was still something very special in 2015. The presentation of the medal took place at Copenhagen. And of course we joined the award ceremony.

SOME THINGS MONEY CAN’T BUY

Some things money can’t buy – we don’t mean our products, but special moments.

One of these moments was when an Edeka retailer saw no other option than to limit the quantity per shopping trip because of the rush on our Siggi. It was pure goosebumps and somehow it was clear to us that we had hit a nerve.

DID SOMEONE SAY “BEST GIN” IN HONG KONG?

A little later in the year, gold medals continued. To be more precise, Siegfried was awarded best gin at the renowned Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition. Here, too, we did not miss the opportunity to accept the award in person at the ceremony and the subsequent gala.

Fun Fact: The trophy presented in the form of a bottle may look a bit kitschy, but it was hand-painted on the inside, i.e. inside the bottle – craftsmanship at its best!

Mama, we made it into Playboy magazine!

We are really very grateful that there have already been so many reports about us and our Siggi. Secretly, the double page in Playboy magazine is one of our milestones.

By the way, the story behind it is amusing: A good friend is a doctor and treated the management of the publishing house at the time. During small talk they came across us and our successes and the spark was ignited. Thanks to Arne Banane (that’s an insider).

PS: The pages in the FAZ and Wirtschaftswoche were also quite ok ;)

2016

April’s Fool prank

The April Fool’s prank of 2016 had definitely more of an impact on us than we thought at the time. The idea came spontaneously on the morning of that day: “Let’s present an alcohol-free gin”. No sooner said than done. Of course, it was a joke through and through, but the response impressed us. Instead of the obligatory laughs and boos, we received numerous enquiries about when and where it could finally be bought. It was immediately clear to us that there was great potential, but we were still in the middle of building up our small company and let the idea rest for a while – 2 years to be exact.

Our first company car!

We were proud as punch of our first major purchase in the early summer of 2016. Since then, the VW Transporter has served us faithfully and does what a Transporter is supposed to do: Drive from A to B. Also in the picture: Heinz, our Employee No. 1.

Having FUN IS A MUST!

Yes, a little fun never killed nobody. Maybe because we are Rhinelanders, but maybe also because we have kept a bit of the child in us. Of course, this didn’t just start in 2016 and certainly didn’t stop in 2016. Always true to the motto “Life is serious enough already”.

HALLOWEEN – OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL POST SO FAR

Inspired by a post on the news portal Reddit, we came up with the idea of dressing up a Siegfried bottle as a Gordon’s ghost. Sure, you don’t really make fun of others, but in this case we were hoping for an exception, because Gordon’s may not be in our quality league, but it is undoubtedly one of the most successful spirits brands.

Fun Fact: During the shoot, it took the longest time to cut the ghost’s eyes. First they looked too grim, then too KKK – after 6 versions the “googly eyes” were perfect.

2017

Meeting friends in Japan

In May 2017, we exhibited for the first time at a spirits fair in Tokyo, Japan. And since you make contacts quickly as a Rhinelander, we quickly made new friends in the Monkey47 team. After the event, we went to a ramen shop for a midnight snack, which is also where this photo was taken. Better good times at its best!

Since this visit, we have maintained close contact with Japan and our Siggi fans there.

Dōmo arigatō

HURRAY, OUR OWN OFFICE (WITH BAR)

At the beginning of 2017, the time had finally come: we finally got an office. With desks, chairs and a coffee kitchen – just as it should be. As a bonus, we also fulfilled a small dream and set up a bar there. Because it was always clear to us: Siegfried is a brand that you have to be able to visit and experience. From then on, we opened every Thursday evening as a public bar – until the Corona measures forced us to close the bar again. It was a great, exciting time with lots of nice people.

2018

WONDERLEAF – THE NON-ALCOHOLIC ALTERNATIVE

24.08.2018 was a special day, because here we launched Siegfried Wonderleaf – Germany’s first non-alcoholic alternative. In fact, the first brand worldwide that had done something like this under the brand name of an established spirit brand. At that time, there was still a lot of ridicule from all sides. But that didn’t faze us, because it has always been clear to us that the quality of a drink has absolutely nothing to do with the alcohol content. So why not bring the flavours of typical gin botanicals into a non-alcoholic distillate!

We are a little proud of ourselves that we were the first to go down this path and that we have been able to inspire many other brands to this day.

2019

SPECIAL EDITION WITH EDDING

When we designed the label for Wonderleaf in 2018, it was already clear to us that the design was made for a self-colouring variant. The only question was whether to simply do it alone or to implement it together with a partner. The first thing that came to mind was, of course, the iconic brand edding. So we just asked them… It was a perfect match!

2020

OUR OWN LOGISTICS CENTER

There has always been a lot of movement in the shipping of our products. It all began in a start-up-like manner with shipping from our own garage. After a while, this simply became too much, so we commissioned a printing company of friends to pack and ship the parcels. Since summer 2018, we have been doing it completely on our own. First as a subtenant, then since the beginning of 2020 in our own logistics center.

Yes, we even have forklift trucks and high shelves – everything you need.

2021

ART-EDITION with 1UP

In May 2021 we dropped the news. Together with the famous sprayer crew 1 United Power, or 1UP for short, we created a spray-painted art installation made of 361 bottles of Siegfried Gin. These bottles were subsequently sold via our online shop. Due to the heavy rush, this led to a total breakdown of our servers – hallelujah.

Each bottle was hand-numbered and truly unique.

LASER, Baby!

Seriously, who wouldn’t want a laser? Well, we definitely wanted one and so we finally got one. To be more precise, a real industrial CO2 laser. First and foremost, we use it to engrave our corks according to our customers’ requests. But of course it can do much more than that and we are gradually getting to grips with it – after all, it even cuts wooden boards like butter ;)

POP-UP STORE AT COLOGNE-BONN AIRPORT

Almost 100 square metres of concentrated Siegfried power. Thanks to good connections with the team at Cologne-Bonn Airport, we were able to fulfil a very special dream during Corona. Our own pop-up store in the security area, Terminal 1 at Cologne-Bonn Airport – the Rolls Royce of retail locations. In addition to a vending machine, there was a gallery with numerous exhibits and pictures from our history.

Get ready for take-off!

2022

Collaboration with influencer Paul Ripke

We know Paul through a mutual friend and it was love at first sight. When we found out that Negroni (cocktail with gin) is his favourite drink, it was almost clear that we had to do something together. After a Negroni (or two) in California, we started the Pari Drink Club.

Lifestyle, good people, great drinks!

Siegfried Easy – our first aperitif

We have certainly been able to prove by now that we can do alcohol and non-alcoholic. But is the world always black or white? We don’t think so! So it was clear that the golden mean would have to be the “next big thing”. With Siegfried Easy, we launched our first aperitif with light 20% alcohol.

A long drink with Siegfried Easy has the same alcohol content as beer – crazy good, isn’t it?

ON TOUR THROUGH GERMANY IN THE NIGHTLINER

As part of the Pari Drink Club, we travelled across Germany in the Nightliner together with our beloved Paul Ripke to have a good time in bars at a total of four stops. Why? Why not! According to the motto “Since of course not all of Germany can come to Bonn (Siegfried) or Newport Beach (Paul), Bonn and Newport Beach will now simply come to you”.

Thu, 01.12.2022 – Munich (Krake Bar)
Fri, 02.12.2022 – Berlin (Chicago Williams)
Sat, 03.12.2022 – Hamburg (Liquid Garden)
Sun, 04.12.2022 – Cologne (The Grid Bar hosted by our friend Marian)

2023

Life is better in Rosé!

Siegfried Wonderleaf is Germany’s best-selling non-alcoholic premium alternative to gin. Siegfried Wonderleaf Rosé is the ideal light fruity aperitif for non-alcoholic drinks – perfect with tonic water as a long drink!