What sets our distillery apart is our own organic farming operation. While many spirits brands have to buy in base spirits for their whiskies, vodkas, fruit schnapps and liqueurs, we rely on grain we grow ourselves – true to the motto "From the field to the bottle". This self-sufficiency matters deeply to us, because it guarantees our independence.
We're a little nervous right now
In July and August, the grain that was sown in autumn is harvested. For crops to grow, they need regular rainfall – but at harvest time, rain is only partly welcome. Right now, we're getting plenty of it. Over the past few days it has rained and thundered almost every day, which is making us a little nervous. On the one hand, rain is good news for us farmers, as our crops have suffered noticeably from the dry spell over recent weeks. On the other hand, we're keeping our fingers crossed for the harvest. Heavy rainfall causes the grain to absorb moisture, the ears develop mould in the field or begin to sprout – and either way, the harvest is lost.
The advantage of rare heritage grain varieties
Several years ago, we made the decision to specialise in old, organically grown grain varieties for our spirits. These grains are more robust, healthier and contain more nutrients than conventionally grown grain. We've already successfully harvested, cleaned and stored our barley. Alongside the rare heritage varieties Emmer, naked oat, Einkorn, and old brewing wheat and brewing barley varieties, we also grow Schlägler rye. This particularly hardy variety – one of the oldest rye varieties in Austria – holds a very special place in our hearts. Last Saturday we were ready to start harvesting, but unfortunately the residual moisture in the grain was still too high. At harvest, grain must have a maximum residual moisture of 14% to be considered fit for storage and free from mould. Normally we harvest Schlägler rye at the end of July or the beginning of August, but this year's weather has meant the rye is already ripe now. So we're waiting to see what comes!
What do we use these rare grain varieties for?
From the cleaned and mashed barley we produce Single Grain Whisky. From emmer wheat we distil crystal-clear, pure vodka as well as whisky, and from Schlägler rye we likewise produce vodka and rye whisky. The distillate from our brewing wheat Hermann serves as the base spirit for all of our organic fruit liqueurs. Our wheat grain is also used as the base spirit for what we call maceration schnapps – such as our Bio Zirbenschnaps, which is especially popular in summer and autumn, where it forms the base for the pine cone infusion.
Harvested!
After the grain harvest, the field is worked with a disc harrow. The area is then sown with a green cover mix of mustard, clover, vetch, field bean and grass pea – to protect against erosion and prevent weeds from taking over the soil until we plant einkorn wheat in the field come autumn.
Watch the video here:
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