German Whisky

We can now talk about an up-and-coming Whisky scene!

And this is how it started:

When it comes to German whiskies, some people still think of 'Racke Rauchzart' or the 'Blaue Maus' - that was in the 1970s. Whisky had already become popular in Germany before that - the first time was probably through the Americans after the Second World War.

But a lot has happened since then and German whiskies are on the rise. The number of German whisky distilleries is increasing. In the mid-1990s, more and more spirits distilleries, such as fruit distilleries, jumped on the whisky bandwagon. There are now around 200 distilleries in Germany that also produce whisky. But whisky production - and especially maturation - takes time. And there is a lot to consider: Distilling rights, stills and experience. The former takes time to apply for, stills are expensive and experience - like everywhere else - only comes with time.

Even the maturation period is at least 3 years - only then can the distillate be called whisky. German whisky distillers adhere to the same guidelines as the great role models in Scotland!

Whisky was preceded in Germany by Obstler and Korn, one in the south and the other in the north of Germany. The first whisky distillers were in southern Germany: the first experiments took place near Nuremberg. However, they never produced so much that the bottles were sold by mail order. Instead, the whisky was served directly on site.

The first whisky distillery that Whisky.de was able to sell in sufficient quantities also came from southern Germany - more precisely from Schliersee on the border with Austria. The collaboration with the Slyrs distillery, which emerged from the Lantenhammer fruit distillery, began back in 1998.

The path from schnapps to whisky distiller

Apart from the raw material, what is the difference between fruit brandy and whisky? We already have enough good grain and clear water in Germany. The main problem is the right still, or more precisely, the shape of the still. Scottish stills are around 10 times the size of the fruit stills used in Germany. The type of distillation is also different. The fruit still has an elongated shape and several trays inside. What happens there is therefore more similar to column distillation, which is used for Irish and American whisky. A Scottish still, on the other hand, is a round pot still.

The fruit still produces a mixture of pot still distillation in the lower part of the still and column distillation in the upper part. The resulting flavour is fruity. Horst Lüning coined the term 'Gerstler', as there is always a fruity note in the aroma and flavour of the whisky. This is because fruity flavours are particularly popular in fruit schnapps. In the north of Germany, the grain is distilled in pure column stills.

The Slyrs distillery began with fruit stills and, after initial successes, eventually had its own stills manufactured. These custom-built stills were also produced in Germany, in Swabia to be precise. A great deal of knowledge was gained through many experiments, which ultimately led to the success of Slyrs.

What mainly distinguishes whisky from other spirits is the cask ageing, which has a decisive influence on the flavour of the distillate. In order not to extract too many woody notes from the fresh casks, Slyrs has started to fill the casks with less than 60% raw spirit (Scotland 63.5%), as this pronounced woody flavour, as known from bourbon for example, is not desirable.

• Different types of grain: In addition to the classic barley malt, other types of grain such as wheat and rye are also used.
• Cask variety: German whisky distilleries experiment with a wide variety of casks, including casks made from local oak as well as wine and sherry casks.
• Climatic influences: The climate in northern and southern Germany is different. In the south, at the Slyrs distillery, the whisky is even stored in the mountains.

There are now over 200 German whisky distilleries.

And German whisky is diverse! The entire range of whisky varieties is available:

Single malt whisky
Blended whisky
Single cask whisky
Cask strength whisky
Rye Whisky
Grain Whisky
Peated Whisky

We would like to introduce you to four major whisky distilleries in Germany.

We can still look forward to the German whisky!

As in Scotland, there is a lot of tasting. Here, too, whisky is aged in a wide variety of casks, from port and sherry to beer. There are cask strengths and single cask bottlings. People are highly motivated to experiment.

A lot is now being done for German whisky. Since 2012, the German Whisky Distillers' Association has been campaigning for German whisky with the catchy slogan 'We will grow'!

... and every year on the last Saturday in June, the Day of German Whisky is celebrated.