The passion to craft, the will to experiment and the determination to use only natural ingedients. These conditions help to create premium spirits.
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Distillation rights, the legal permission to produce high-proof liquors, enjoy a long tradition. Today’s distillers not only want to nurture this tradition; they also want to modify and expand on it with new, innovative ideas. A new generation of distillers is busy mixing things up in the distillery scene. With fruit brandies and schnapps of select quality. With spirits like the gin Monkey 47, for example, mixed with water from the distillery’s own well and enriched with about 42 herbal ingredients. This gin from the Black Forest region is setting the standard quite high; it even took home gold in the category of »Gin Worldwide« at the 2011 International Wine and
Spirit Competition. Which tonic is the right partner for this gin, and whether it goes best with spice or even with a slice of cucumber, that’s up for debate. But if there’s one thing everyone agrees on, it’s quality.
© Out of the Jar: Crafted Spirits & Liqueurs (www.shop.gestalten.com)
The same goes for fruit brandies and liqueurs. The mass market doesn’t offer anything special - the commercial pressure to appeal to a broad audience is too high. Small distilleries do things differently: they stay true to themselves, creating products with character. Like Stählemühle. A former art book publisher purchased the distillery and reactivated the old distillation rights. If you’ve never heard of Eigeltingen before, you should make a note of the name for the future. From ginger to molasses to wild raspberry, Stählemühle is turning new and sometimes crazy ideas into fine liquors. Only natural ingredients are used, aged in oak barrels following a careful distilling process with a love for a good product and a disdain for large volumes. Today’s distillers are like young winemakers: daring. And successful. Of course, a fine distillate has its price. But it’s one people will pay gladly in exchange for authentic tastes and richly varied nuances. Such a schnapps isn’t downed in one shot, but sipped with delight. Cheers!
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In vino veritas, the Romans used to say: In wine, there is truth. And in distillates, there is the spirit of wine.
© Out of the Jar: Crafted Spirits & Liqueurs (www.shop.gestalten.com)
Distillation of whisky:
- Whisky is made from grain.
- Grinding: First the grain is malted. Then the malt is coarsely ground in a hammer mill.
- Mashing: The ground malt is mixed with hot water to extract the soluble sugars in the grain.
- Fermantation: The sugary fluid, also called wort, is pumped into a fermantation tank and mixed with yeast.
- Distillation: The mash is transferred to the still and heated to the boiling point to release the alcohol into the steam.
- Condensation: The alcohol-enriched steam is passed through the helmet of the still to the condenser, where it returns to a liquid state.
- The whisky matures in casks.
- The finished product is bottled.
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Try it yourself
From 22 to 23 April, the Whisky Fair takes place in Limburg, where you can not only look at the fine spirits but also buy and try them.
If you want to combine the exquisite taste of whisky with the sensual aromatic experience of chocolate, Vienna House offers the perfect deal!
STAY & DRINK | Vienna House Easy Limburg
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