It's an extremely short scene, but it ranks among Qualtinger's finest. And it has become legendary. Qualtinger walks into a tavern and orders, before he's even sat down: "A Ochtl" (an eighth of a litre). The waiter replies, "Red or white?" — and Qualtinger, quick as a shot: "Slibowitz!" A silly question, really. Since when does plum brandy come in red?
Plum-based distillates have a long culinary tradition in Austria. Not only because Slibowitz is the national drink of the Balkan countries that were once part of the Austrian empire, but above all because the country's master distillers have managed to create a style — with their pristinely clean, crystal-clear and delicately structured fruit distillates — that lets the fruit, in this case the plum, shine through with unmistakable clarity.
2018 – A great year for plums
We've wrapped up our plum harvest for 2018 — and we have every reason to celebrate. First of all, because it's a real adventure. We don't have any orchards in the conventional sense; instead, we work exclusively with old, tall standard trees. So tall, in fact, that we can only harvest them with a telescopic loader. Even so, it's important to us that the plums are picked by hand. Only that way can we check — fruit by fruit — whether they live up to our standards of quality. The trees bear plums of the varietyMostviertler Hauszwetschke, an old variety that is, on the one hand, incredibly sweet, yet on the other hand boasts a perfectly balanced acidity. Magnificent fruit for distilling equally magnificent spirits. On top of that, this year — and this is the second reason to celebrate — we've brought in a truly bumper crop. Towards the end, the branches were already bending under the weight, and some even snapped under the load of plums.
Plum brandy – times three
We make 3 products from our wonderful plums: a clear fruit brandy that we callWilde Zwetschke because it is a seedling of the Hauszwetschke variety. TheWilde Zwetschkeis an intense, delicately structured fruit brandy with a subtle marzipan note and a long finish. Then there's theAlte Zwetschke, a refined, cask-aged brandy that, after distillation, is allowed to rest and mature for two years in local oak. The result is a premium spirit that pairs perfectly with a cigar or autumn evenings by the fireside.
Last but not least, a nod to Wilhelm Busch's pious Helene: "It is an age-old custom dear — those who have worries, have liqueur." Anyone who tastes ourZwetschkenliköris guaranteed to have no worries left. Even just the aroma alone calls up memories of grandmother's Powidl (plum jam).
