Liebl

The Liebl distillery in Bad Kötzting in the Bavarian Forest has been producing spirits since the 1970s. The Liebl family started with Bärwurz and Blutwurz Schnapps and over the years added further Brandies, Spirits and Liqueurs. In the meantime, the Liebl range also includes the home-distilled Whisky 'Coillmor', as well as Gin and Rum.

Information about the Distillery
68 Bottles
Germany
12.857639 49.176351
Active
1970
Maria Liebl
30,000 l
Average tasting notes Tasting notes
i
Nosing
Fruit:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Peat Smoke:
Peat Smoke:
Sherry:
Fruit:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Honey:
Honey:
Raisin:
Grape:
Raisin:
Grape:
Plum:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Plum:
Malt:
Malt:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Berries:
Herb:
Herb:
Berries:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Salt:
Salt:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Pear:
Pear:
Leather:
Leather:
Lime:
Lime:
Sherry:
Cherry:
Cherry:
Black Currant:
Black Currant:
Nuts:
Apple:
Apple:
Blackberry:
Blackberry:
Spices:
Nuts:
Spices:
Tobacco:
Tobacco:
Oak:
Oak:
Dark Chocolate:
Walnut:
Walnut:
Herbs:
Dark Chocolate:
Alcohol:
Clove:
Herbs:
Cake:
Cake:
Alcohol:
Clove:
Red Currant:
Strawberry:
Coffee:
Cinnamon:
Fig:
Wheat:
Medicinal Smoke:
Banana:
Heather:
Barley:
Medicinal Smoke:
Wheat:
Fig:
Red Currant:
Strawberry:
Cinnamon:
Grass:
Coffee:
Banana:
Heather:
Barley:
Grass:
Tasting
Sweet:
Sweet:
Fruit:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Sherry:
Peat Smoke:
Honey:
Peat Smoke:
Berries:
Berries:
Honey:
Raisin:
Raisin:
Chocolate:
Nuts:
Chocolate:
Herb:
Herb:
Fruit:
Spices:
Oil:
Oil:
Grape:
Oak:
Oak:
Grape:
Pear:
Pear:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Sherry:
Caramel:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Caramel:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Malt:
Malt:
Salt:
Black Currant:
Black Currant:
Salt:
Cherry:
Cherry:
Blackberry:
Spices:
Blackberry:
Leather:
Leather:
Zitrus:
Alcohol:
Alcohol:
Zitrus:
Tropical Fruit:
Seaweed:
Bonfire Smoke:
Cake:
Bonfire Smoke:
Cake:
Seaweed:
Nuts:
Tropical Fruit:
Clove:
Clove:
Cinnamon:
Dried Fruit:
Cinnamon:
Tobacco:
Tobacco:
Dried Fruit:
Herbs:
Fig:
Herbs:
Date:
Orange:
Fig:
Walnut:
Heather:
Walnut:
Orange:
Date:
Heather:
Chili:
Apple:
Red Currant:
Peach:
Peach:
Banana:
Chili:
Apple:
Banana:
Red Currant:
Finish
Sweet:
Sweet:
Fruit:
Peat Smoke:
Peat Smoke:
Fruit:
Herb:
Herb:
Sherry:
Sherry:
Cherry:
Nuts:
Cherry:
Oil:
Oil:
Berries:
Malt:
Spices:
Oak:
Berries:
Malt:
Oak:
Maritime Notes:
Spices:
Vanilla:
Maritime Notes:
Salt:
Salt:
Vanilla:
Tobacco:
Leather:
Leather:
Chocolate:
Tobacco:
Chocolate:
Honey:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Honey:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Blackberry:
Blackberry:
Zitrus:
Medicinal Smoke:
Caramel:
Grape:
Cake:
Alcohol:
Coffee:
Herbs:
Cake:
Heather:
Herbs:
Caramel:
Zitrus:
Black Currant:
Medicinal Smoke:
Nuts:
Alcohol:
Coffee:
Heather:
Raisin:
Grape:
Raisin:
Black Currant:
Details about the Distillery

The Whisky

The name Coillmor is Gaelic and is composed of the words coille (=forest) and mór (=big). The name ‘big forest’ stands for the origin of the founding family Liebl, the Bavarian Forest. There are bottlings of Coillmor of different ages and from different types of casks. The currently 'youngest' bottling is the four-year-old American Oak. Meanwhile, a 12-year-old Single Malt from the Oloroso Sherry Quarter Cask has also been released. The Liebl family is still experimenting with other cask types: The 'Bavaria x Toskana', for example, was matured in Caberlot casks, a Red Wine rarity made from a natural cross between the Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes and then stored in oak casks. Smoky bottlings are also available from Coillmor. These are distilled from Scottish smoked malt and Bavarian spring water.

The Production

For the production of Coillmor Whisky, Bad Kötzting spring water from the source of the Kaitersberg, Bad Kötzting's local mountain, and 100% Bavarian barley are used. 100 kilos of barley malt yield 400 litres of mash, which in turn result in 30 litres of alcohol after distillation. From the point of view of the raw material, the production of Whisky is cheaper for the distillery than the distilling of Fruit Brandies, Fruit Spirits and Fruit Liqueurs. The value and quality of the Whisky increases due to the long storage time in oak barrels. Like the Fruit Brandies, the Whisky is distilled in the existing fruit stills. However, the rectification column of the first still is not used for Whisky production. The result is a classic Whisky flavour. The annual production volume is around 30,000 litres of raw spirit.

The Pot Stills

AT the Liebl distillery, two stills are used for distillation: first the 400-litre rough still and then the 150-litre fine still. The rough still resembles a pot still and is strongly constricted in the middle, which increases the copper contact. The fine still, on the other hand, is similar in shape to a column still with a long straight neck.

The Malting

The Liebl distillery uses 100% Bavarian barley malt from the so-called 'summer barley'. The malt mill is a 2-stage hammer mill. There is no malting floor of their own, so they work with two different large malting houses: The unpeated malt and also the so-called 'smoked malt' are produced at Weyermann Malz in Bamberg. The peated malt, on the other hand, is processed in a Belgian malt house that imports peat from Scotland to dry the malt.

The Mashing

The malt grist is soaked with hot water at 75° C in the mash tun. This produces sugar, which is then fermented into alcohol. The mash tun at the Liebl distillery contains 1,600 litres of mash, from which a 200-litre barrel of raw spirit is produced every day.

The Fermentationg

After mashing, the liquid is cooled to 20°C. At this temperature, the yeast is added and fermentation begins. After the particularly long fermentation period of four to five days, you have the so-called 'beer' (but without hops!), which is then distilled in the stills to obtain the high-proof alcohol.

The Distillation

In the first still, which holds 400 litres, the liquid is heated to 78-100° C and distilled. Only eighty litres of 'rough spirit' come out, which are passed via the cooler into the second still, where they are finally distilled into 'fine spirit'. The process is called rough and fine distillation. In the second still there is a copper spiral. With a total of 32m² of copper in the still, the copper contact is increased, which strongly influences the aroma of the Whisky. Furthermore, the high copper contact is absolutely necessary for the distillation of stone fruit spirits, as all spirits are distilled in the same two stills. The raw spirit of Coillmor is very malty with fruity notes of pear.

Storage and Bottling

After distillation, the Brandy is diluted with spring water to 50% alcohol content and then stored in various barrels. In 2010, they acquired a larger industrial hall on the outskirts of Bad Kötzting, which now serves as an additional warehouse. There, the spirits mature into Single Malt Whisky for at least three years. Usually, first fill and second fill American white oak casks (225 litres) are filled. The single cask special bottlings mature in special casks, including 200-litre Bourbon casks, 500-litre Sherry casks, and 225-litre Port, Bordeaux and Sauternes casks.

The Liebl family attaches great importance to the fact that the casks are not sulphurised, as this would show in the aroma of the Whisky. This, in turn, requires more complex barrel management due to long transport routes and the right timing. After storage, the Whisky is bottled in their own house in the Bavarian Forest without chill-filtering or the addition of colouring.

The History

In 1935 Maria Liebl founded her small grocery shop in Bad Kötzting in the Bavarian Forest. After the war, her husband Ferdinand and their son Gerhard set up a Wine and Spirits wholesale business, whereby they also acted as an 'independent bottler', selling Wine and Spirits under their own name. In 1970, they finally started distilling Bärwurz themselves in their own kitchen. With this step, the family wanted to build up a second mainstay, as suppliers could not always be relied upon. From 1980 onwards, Bärwurz was joined by Blutwurz Schnapps, of which three times as much is now produced. From then on, they also produced Fruit Brandies themselves.

In the 1990s, the company modernised and expanded considerably: in 1991, a new distillery was added, in 1994, a new storage and bottling hall was built and the spirits shop and tasting room were extended, and in 1991 and 2001, respectively, the distillery and the bottling plant were modernised again.

Actually, Gerhard Liebl was never a big Whisky fan. But one day he tasted a 17-year-old Ardbeg and has had a taste for it ever since. In 2006, they decided to distil Whisky themselves. At first, they had not extended the licence, as this did not seem profitable due to the maturing time of at least three years, but from now on, the Liebl family also had a distillery licence for grain. Since 2013, the Liebls have also been producing Gin and Rum.

The Visitor Centre

The Liebl distillery has a visitor centre with a shop, a tasting room and a film room where you can learn about its history. Guided tours of the Whisky distillery are available from Gerhard Liebl himself for six euros per person. You have to register by phone (09941-1321).

Visitor information

Spezialitäten-Brennerei & Whisky Destillerie Liebl GmbH
Jahnstraße 11-15
93444 Bad Kötzting
Tel: +49(0)9941/1321
Email: info@remove-this.brennerei-liebl.de 

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