German whisky is a distilled beverage produced in Germany made from grains traditionally associated with the production of whisky. The distillation of German-made whisky is a relatively recent phenomenon having only started in the last 30 years. The styles produced resemble those made in Ireland, Scotland and the United States: single malts, blends, and bourbon styles. There is no standard spelling of German whiskies with distilleries using both "whisky" and "whiskey" and one even using "Whiskey", a play on the word whisky and Hessen, the state in which it is produced. There are currently 23 distilleries in Germany producing whisky.
German Single Malt Whisky
Malt whisky from a single distillery is known as Single Malt Whisky. These are most associated with single malt Scotch, although made in other countries, like Germany.
The batch manufacturing procedure is the same for all single malts. Distilleries provide a variety of single malts, including single barrel single malts, resulting from a single batch being aged for three or more years in a single oak barrel. These single-barrel versions allow consumers to examine how different forms of storage affect the same whisky. The most prevalent type of single malt is created by marrying multiple batches that have been combined or vatted at bottling time to obtain consistent flavour profiles from one bottling run to the next.
Blended German Whisky
Blended whisky combines several types of whiskies, neutral grain spirits, colourings, and flavourings. It’s made by combining one or higher-quality straight or single malt whiskeys with cheaper spirits and additional substances.
This usually results in a lower-cost end product. However, “luxury” variations are also available.
For Germany, as well as the majority of other countries, blended malt whiskies occupy a lot of the whisky on the market.
Germany; is a country with a proud brewing and distilling history, perhaps not immediately associated with whisky. Thousands of family-run microdistilleries across Germany have produced fruit spirits and corn (a grain spirit) for centuries. Whisky production is a relatively new, but fast-growing area.
Robert Fleischmann established Germany’s first single malt distillery in 1983 (Blaue Maus), but it is only within the last five years that so many distilleries have started to produce whisky alongside their traditional fruit spirit output as its popularity has soared with German drinkers. In the south of the country, the law permits farms to produce up to 300 litres of alcohol, traditionally from crops like apple and pear, but many have branched into producing whisky, often using the same equipment they used for making schnapps. In the north, there is a tradition of making corn from grain and many producers will now mature the spirit in wood and sell it as whisky.
The strict definitions and the laws that govern maturation and ingredients in Scotch whisky do not apply in Germany and a lot of the whisky is released relatively young. It may be a very different drink from Scottish single malts and will be best enjoyed if approached as such. However, there are now several well-respected German distilleries making whiskies that stand up to comparison with the best in the world.
Number of distilleries
Tens of thousands make fruit spirits with around 250 of these making some whisky. Around 130 would describe themselves as whisky distilleries.
Notable distilleries
The home market
Germans love whisky and are an important market for Scotch whisky as the fifth largest importer in the world.
Learning something new everyday. thanks for this amazing blog
ReplyDelete