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 "Whesskey", a play on the word whisky and Hesse, the state in which it is produced. There are currently 23 distilleries in Germany producing whisky.[1]
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The Blackwood distillery Seeger in Calw-Holzbronn has been producing Whisky using wheat since the 1980s. The taste of its 8 year old whisky about compares to the Rabel Berhof product but is somewhat lighter in taste. A 12 year old filling is planned. The whisky and the fruit brands with which the distillery began is well-known in a wider area around southern Germany.
In 1980 Robert Fleishmann founded the Blaue Maus Distillery (blue mouse) to produce brandy wine on the site of a grocery and tobacco shop that was owned by his family. He made his first attempt at making whisky, a pure single malt, three years later. After many attempts at perfecting the art he sold his first whisky in 1996 and four years later his son Thomas and wife Petra took over the operations. The distillery offers five different brands of whisky.
The Hammerschmiede (in English: trip hammer) is a small whisky manufacturer founded 1985 in Zorge (Harz Mountains/lower-Saxony) in the middle of Germany. The Single Malt which is distilled in the Hammerschmiede matures in different casks, like sherry-, marsala- or madeira-casks. The old warehouse of the Hammerschmiede was built between 1250 and 1270 in a late romanic - early gothic style. About 200 Casks are in stock today. The last release was a single pale-cream-sherry cask with 45.9%vol. matured more than 4 years.
The Höhler Distillery was founded in 1895 as a maker of fruit liquors. The present owner is a fourth generation member of the family, Holger Höhler. In 2001 he started turning out small batches of whisky using a recipe consisting of corn, wheat and rye. These whiskies are aged for a three year period and when bottled sell out quickly. The whiskies produced have been in the style of Irish, Scotch single malt, rye and bourbon. The whiskies are spelled "Whesskey" as a play on the word whisky and Hesse, the state in which the distillery is located.
Rabel Berghof in Owen produced and still produces fruit brands. Several years ago, they started the production of Whisky using wheat, known as Schwäbischer Whisky (Swabian Whisky). Their taste composition is somewhat more simple than the average Whiskys, comparable to Auchentoshan, for example.
The Slyrs Distillery was founded in 1999. It produces Slyrs Bavarian Single Malt. This whisky is aged for three years in new, unused American white oak barrels with a 50-gallon capacity. Beginning in 2015 the company will be offering a 12 year old single malt.
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