Get To Know German Whisky

Discover the delicious world of German whisky

The historically leading whisky (or whiskey) nations – Scotland, Ireland and yes, let’s include the U.S. – might be seriously shocked. But today, excellent whisky is made in other destinations too.

And one of these destinations is … Germany!

No, I am not joking at all. Though Germany is more widely associated with beer and wine, it is now also home to a significant number of whisky distilleries.

The phenomenon of whisky made in Germany might be less surprising once you realize the country has among the highest number of craft distilleries globally. Well over 10,000 of them exist today. This number is rooted in the historic German distilling right which allows agricultural landowners to produce small amounts of spirits made from the fruits grown on their land. Though this is likely over-simplifying the process obtaining a distilling licence, German farmers have run micro distilleries for centuries, with the majority producing fruit and corn brandy.

Though making whisky is a very different business, with distilling in their bones, over the past three decades some fruit brandy distilleries have branched out making whisky. A couple of new dedicated whisky distilleries have likewise popped up and today Germany counts around 300 whisky distilleries.

Though this is significantly more than exist in Scotland and Ireland together, the majority are small-batch craft distilleries and most of the whisky made in Germany is hard to find outside of country.

Thus, if you are a whisky lover planning to visit Germany anytime soon, you should allow for some time to go on a whisky tasting tour to some of the local craft distilleries.

What is German whisky like

Well-known to be a country with strict quality rules (think of the rigorous ‘purity order’ in beer production), you can be sure the standards making whisky are likewise high.

That said, whisky made in Germany does not have to follow some of the stringent rules applied to the craft in countries like Scotland or Ireland. While some whisky lovers might see this as a negative, the freedom to experiment with recipes and ingredients enjoyed by the still relatively young German whisky distilleries should be seen as a great opportunity to add new exiting flavour profiles to the world of whisky.

A significant difference to the historic whisky producing countries is the size of Germany’s whisky distilleries. Most are small, and only produce limited batches of whisky, which in most cases are hand-crafted. This means high quality, but also higher prices.

Notably, most German distilleries are not pure whisky distilleries. Most make fruit or corn brandies as their main product. And while they have branched out making whisky as well, they still use the traditional stills used to make fruit brandy. These fruit stills are far smaller and shaped differently compared to the traditional copper stills used making whisky (or whiskey) in Scotland and Ireland. They boast an elongated shape and several floors and as such a column distillation which results in their whiskies tasting more lively and fruitier.

The type of wood that is used for barrel aging is not specified in Germany and can therefore differ from the oak barrels used in Scotland. In addition, barrels are usually smaller which means greater barrel contact and a more intense maturing process. Consequently, even the younger German whiskies can taste already fairly mature.

However, with all the differences in making whisky, there is one legal requirement that remains in place: a minimum of three years barrel aging before the final product is allowed to be called whisky also applies in Germany.

A beginners guide to the best German whisky distilleries

The high – and still rising – number of distilleries that make whisky, and the huge diversity of styles makes it particularly difficult to create a ranking of the best German whiskies.

Some of the highest rated German whiskies include the Willowburn Exceptional Collection produced at Hammerschmiede distillery in Lower-Saxony, the Derrina Schwarzwälder Einkorn Single Malt from Fitzke distillery (rated 96 out of 100 points by the Whiskey Bible), Feller Single Mart Torf PX Sherry Cask Strength (95.5 point) and Slyrs Bavarian Single Mart 12 years (95 points).

Below, I’ve assembled a list of German whisky distilleries worth tasting, based on recent awards and tasting notes of the whiskies they make.

Hammerschmiede

Hammerschmiede distillery is home in the Harz Mountains in Lower-Saxony, an area with a long history of distilling thanks to the local mining business which in the Middle Ages provided the region with the rights to produce alcohol without having to pay taxes on alcoholic products.

Founded in 1985 (when it had only two staff members), Hammerschmiede initially made beer, wine, and brandy. It added the first whisky to its portfolio in 2002, and consequently selling the first batch in 2005.

Today, the distillery is part of the Hercynian Distilling Company. In addition to their award-winning Willowburn whisky, the distillery makes three more whiskies today, including a peated single malt.

On site, there is a small visitor centre, and the distillery offers tours and tastings. Check their events website for more information.

Slyrs

Perhaps one of the most widely known German whisky distilleries (at least within the German borders) is Slyrs in the Bavarian Alps. It’s been producing whisky since 1999 though its story goes back further to 1928 when Josef Latenhammer founded a distillery initially making fruit brandies and fruit liqueurs.

At Slyrs whisky is made using locally grown barley which is oven smoked using beech wood which adds a subtle sweet nuttiness to the mash. In addition, it is using fresh local spring water which is known for its high purity.

St. Kilian Distillers

My first German whisky encounter a few years ago was with the whiskies made by St. Kilian Distillers. The distillery was founded in 2016 by three whisky-loving friends in a small village in the picturesque Odenwald, in Germany’s Franconian region. Thus, St. Kilian was the first distillery in Germany dedicated to whisky and remains the largest to date. Right from the beginning, the distillery made award-winning whisky following the Scottish model. They are also among the few using traditional copper stills from Scotland with double firing.

The current range includes various whiskies offering flavour profiles from smoky to fruity. All finished whiskies are hand-filled and limited to small quantities.

St. Kilian offers ‘discovery’ tours through their distillery and on-site whisky tastings which are well worth taking a detour to the Odenwald.

Stork Club Distillery

Stork Club was originally founded in 2003. In 2016, the distillery was taken over by Spreewood Distillers who created the award-winning Stork Club ray whiskey.

The distillery is located in the fairytale Spreewald (Spree Forest) in the north-east of Germany in Brandenburg. It takes its name from the locally native stork.

On site, you can take a guided tour and whisky tasting four different whiskies. Alternatively, you can taste all whiskies at the one site shop. Stork Club now makes more than 10 different whiskies along with gin, a reyzcal (which takes the name as agave spirits made outside of Mexico are not allowed to be called mezcal), and some liqueurs.

Elch Whisky

Owned by husband-and-wife team Georg and Bianca Kugler, Elch Whisky has its home in the Franconia region of Bavaria. Their Torf vom Dorf whisky (which translates to ‘whisky from the village’) is made with peat sourced from Germany which adds a specific salty note. In addition, beer yeast from the distillery’s beer business is used, with fermentation taking place for a full week. Finally, the burning process is carried out slowly over five to six hours allowing for a long contact with copper. Barrel aging is carried out in a wide range of different barrels such as bourbon, sherry, rum and madeira. The barrels are kept in a 300-year-old open barn which exposes the whisky to temperature spreads ranging from -20°c to +25°C.

Wild Distillery

Brennerei Wild located in the Black Forest region in the southwest of Germany is looking back to a history starting in 1855. Thus, it does not surprise it started with classic production of fruit brandies. Being handed down from generation to generation, the range of products steadily continued to grow.

Today, Wild Distillery is managed by Franz Wild junior and his particular interest in distilling has led to the creation of an awesome range of different spirits including the by now widely known Blackforest Wild Whisky. 

Read my blog Pairing Whisky with Food for more information on Wild Distillery and a tasting note of their flagship Blackforest Wild Whisky.

Ziegler Distillery

I could not pull together a list of excellent whisky distilleries from Germany without including one of my favourite brands.

Brennerei Ziegler is one of the first small German family-owned distilleries that became widely renowned to make excellent fruit brandies you would find in most gourmet restaurants across Germany around the 1980s.

Located in the small town of Freudenberg in the idyllic Odenwald, just some 60 minutes from Frankfurt, Ziegler still makes its outstanding fruit brandies. But a few years ago, the distillery added its own whisky to their range.

Freud Whisky (punch intended) is matured for a minimum of five years in chestnut and bourbon barrels. Then before bottling, its transferred for a short period to barrels of the distilleries iconic old plum fruit brandy which adds a particular hint of flavour.

Are you familiar with German whisky? Let me know if you have a favourite brand in the comments below.