The Amaro Eremita produced by the Liquorificio Gentile di Carlopoli in Calabria, wins the gold medal at the prestigious World Liqueur Awards 2022 international competition in London. The award, awarded for the herbs section, consecrates the liqueur as one of the best bitters in the world. Great satisfaction, therefore, for the entrepreneur Luca Gentile who started his business over twenty years ago in Carlopoli, a municipality in Catanzaro nestled among the Reventino mountains.
Bitter Hermit
The award comes for the herbal bitters, carefully selected and treated through scrupulous artisan care, within a totally Calabrian supply chain. Hermit it is a name that evokes spiritual meditations, inner solitudes in still uncontaminated naturalistic contexts. The amaro is a perfect one miscellany of aromatic herbs, all from Calabria, which he proposes again an ancient Cistercian recipe. In fact, once upon a time the monks lived in the Ancient Abbey of Santa Maria di Corazzo of which the ruins still exist near Carlopoli.
The friars used to produce herbal preparations collected in the woods around the Abbey.
The liqueur factory, founded in 2000, tries to keep this ancient tradition intact, naturally adding a pinch of innovation to the preparations. We try to preserve smells and flavors together with the genuineness of the product but do not disdain new fragrances. The owners of the artisanal liqueur factory are keen to emphasize that in each bottle "drops of the earth we live in are preserved".
A victory made in Calabria
The podium won by the Liquorificio Gentile at the World Liqueur Awards 2022 in London comes after other important awards obtained over the years by other made in liqueurs Calabria. The Jefferson won in 2018 in the dual categories of "Best Herbal Liqueur" and "Best Liqueur in the World". The Rupes in 2020 was classified as "Best Amaro in the World". Furthermore, it should be remembered MZero Sea Amaro which in 2021 won as "Best Amaro in the World" and "Best Italian Amaro". And with the victory of the bitter Hermit, Calabria excels, once again, in an industry where it is second to none. A victory that, in addition to the skilled craftsmanship of the producers, enhances the high quality of the raw materials, abundantly present in the Calabrian mountains and valleys.
(Photo of Liquorificio Gentile Facebook page)
