This club would probably first need to be founded. And it would certainly be one of the most exclusive in the world. Who else has their own sturgeon farm? And how many vodka distillers distil wheat they have grown themselves? And how many people have their own vodka made with the spring water from their sturgeon farm?Allow us to introduce: Red Spring Vodka.
The Project
Red Spring Vodka is a collaboration between Susanne and Matthias Engels, owners of the fish farm "25 Teiche"in Rottstock (Brandenburg), and our distillery. In December 2017, the organic vodka "Red Spring" was presented to the public for the first time at Essclusiv in Potsdam.
The Name
"Red Spring" refers neither to the colour of the spirit nor to the season, but to the naturally red, iron-rich spring water used to produce Red Spring Vodka. The fish farm in Rottstock was founded over 100 years ago because the seeping spring in the forest — which shimmers an intense red in sunlight — was perfectly suited, with its abundant flow, to supply an entire facility via what is known as the Gesundbrunnenbach. The surrounding foliage ensures that the iron settles out before the water reaches the ponds.
With the launch of Red Spring Vodka, it is now being revealed publicly for the first time that Susanne and Matthias Engels' 25 Teiche is fed by the water of a red spring — for visitors to the fish farm see only clear water. The village of Rottstock, part of the municipality of Gräben and located 100 km south-west of Berlin, points once again to the colour red. Its name derives from the words "roter Stock" — red stick or red stem. It is believed this term refers to the alders that once grew in particularly great numbers in this water-rich area, hundreds of years ago.
Choosing the name did require a little courage. Red is not a colour one would associate with fresh spring water, nor with visually crystal-clear vodka. That is precisely why Susanne and Matthias Engels took the bold step of breaking with convention and named their first very own vodka "Red Spring".
The Idea
Last March, we got to know long-time Berliners by choice Susanne and Matthias Engels at the legendary gala dinner of the Eat! Berlin Festival. Since the finest caviar is always happiest in the company of good vodka, Bernhard Moser, the festival's founder, introduced us to one another. We hit it off straight away, and a business idea was born before long.
In the summer of 2017, we visited the Engels in Rottstock. We then brought home a rather unusual souvenir from our short break in Brandenburg: three litres of Rottstock water.
The People Behind It
Former TV producer Susanne Engels comes from the Nuremberg area. Together with her husband Matthias — a long-serving TV technical director from Wittmund on the North Sea coast — she has been running the fish farm and visitor destination "25 Teiche"since October 2013.
The previous owner of the fish farm stepped back from the business for personal reasons, and the two of them decided to pursue their passion for quality produce and fine food, taking over the operation along with its staff. Since then, they have worked tirelessly to develop the traditional fish farm in a sustainable direction — a farm that today is distinguished by an especially low stocking density.
Josef Farthofer has been distilling for over 20 years. From the very beginning, his goal has been "organic".
On the decision to work together, Susanne Engels says: "Because both you and we have succeeded in producing premium products through a careful, gentle approach to nature — products that are absolutely in tune with the times. I have a deep love for Austria; I could easily imagine living there. I love the mountains. Austria feels very close to my heart."
Red Spring Vodka
Josef grows organic winter brewing wheat of the variety 'Hermann' on our own fields around Biberbach in the Mostviertel (150 km west of Vienna). For Red Spring Vodka, it is finely milled, the starch converted into sugar, and the mash then fermented gently over four days. The more times a mash is distilled, the clearer, purer and more neutral in flavour it becomes. This purity of colour and taste is precisely what one looks for in a vodka.
Josef distils his winter brewing wheat up to 30 times in the copper still — which ranks among the absolute highest benchmarks in the industry. The fresh distillate is then allowed to rest for six months in a stainless steel tank before being reduced to a drinking strength of 40% alcohol with the precious Rottstock water and bottled.
Michelin-starred chef Marco Müller (Rutz Restaurant Berlin, 2 Michelin stars, 18 Gault Millau points) received the first two bottles even before the final design was in place, to trial in his restaurant. He values the following aspects: "The idea of using the water really appealed to me, because I'm very fond of the Rottstock spring water in its own right. The end product has become a wonderful sipping vodka — mild in flavour, almost creamy. The vodka suits us particularly well because we also source our Rottstock stream trout from the same spring, and we always love working with connections like that."
