Sasse Liqueurs taste like what’s inside them
The liqueurs from the Sasse distillery in Schöppingen are called "Naturtalente" (natural talents) because they start with the raw material itself—the fruit, the blossom, or the bean. The range extends from floral liqueurs to chocolate, nut, and coffee varieties, as well as herbal bitters and cream liqueurs.
Sasse liqueurs are the natural liqueurs of a grain distillery, crafted in Schöppingen in the Münsterland region, where typically grain is what goes into the barrel. The alcohol content ranges from 16% ABV for the Butterscotch to 35% ABV for the Sechser herbal liqueur. The Elderflower, Limoncello Artigiano, Chocolate Mint, Coffee Arabica, and Sechser are all certified organic. Two miniature sets, each containing six 20-milliliter bottles, provide a guided tour of the range.
A grain distillery making liqueurs might sound like a side business. At Sasse, however, they fill a larger portion of the shelf—and the Sechser herbal liqueur has been in the program longer than the barrel-aged schnapps that originally made the distillery famous.
With the "Naturtalente," the ingredient leads
Sasse calls its liqueurs "Naturtalente," and the name describes their approach: it all starts with the raw material—the fruit, the blossom, the bean.
You notice this most clearly when tasting them side by side. Each variety tastes of its specific ingredient rather than a generic house style: the elderflower remains delicate, the coffee remains robust; none is adjusted to match the others. Where other liqueurs flavor a base, here the process is defined by the ingredient itself.
For the elderflower liqueur, this goes so far that the team picks the blossoms themselves—a short flowering season each year, and then there is no time to waste. The organic control number DE-ÖKO-006 is carried by the elderflower liqueur, the Limoncello Artigiano, the Chocolate Mint, the Coffee Arabica, and the Sechser.
From blossom to herbal root
The varieties are positioned closely side by side here, and the spectrum between them is wider than the word "liqueur" might suggest.
Things turn fruity with the apricot with honey, the winter plum, and the Limoncello Artigiano. The elderflower remains uniquely floral, the cocoa with nut and the Chocolate Mint turn dark, and the Coffee Arabica offers roasted notes. The Sechser herbal liqueur stands on its own, and the cream liqueurs provide a velvety experience.
The Butterscotch Liqueur, at 16% ABV, is the lightest in the range and the most recent innovation: hand-stirred caramel with real butter. At the other end of the scale are the apricot with honey and the Sechser, each at 35% ABV.
This range is the true benefit of a liqueur collection. A 16% ABV caramel after cake and a 35% ABV herbal bitter after a roast serve two completely different purposes—and there is something here for both.
What is striking is how dry many of them remain. According to spirit regulations, a liqueur must contain at least 100 grams of sugar per liter, with no upper limit—and that is exactly where the wheat is separated from the chaff. With the "Naturtalente," the cocoa is allowed to retain its bitterness and the lemon its acidity, rather than disappearing under the sugar. That is why they still hold their own at the end of a long meal.
The cocoa with nut and the "Herrencreme" are also available in small 200-milliliter bottles. If you want to get to know a variety first or are looking for a gift, this is a more convenient option than the large bottle.
The cream liqueurs from a collaboration
Since 2021, the Sasse distillery has been working with Paula Pumpernickel, a food blogger from the Münsterland region who has been collecting the specialties of her home area for years.
The cream liqueurs "Herrencreme," café au lait, and salted caramel, each with 17% ABV, come from this cooperation. They are also included in the Paula Pumpernickel family, where you can find more about the series.
Cream liqueurs are technically more delicate than their cozy image would suggest. Cream and alcohol want to separate, and the higher the alcohol, the more determined they are. The 17% ABV therefore marks exactly the point at which both stay combined—anything higher turns binding into an art form.
In practical terms, this also means: cream liqueurs belong in the refrigerator after opening, where they will keep for a few weeks, whereas a herbal or fruit liqueur can stand in the cupboard for months. Cream remains cream, even with alcohol in it.
The "Sechser" has been there since 1928
The oldest liqueur in the range is a herbal liqueur, and it carries its recipe in its name.
Six ingredients give the "Sechser" (the Six) its name: galangal, angelica, calamus, orange, lemon, and bitter orange, all from organic cultivation. It has been produced in Schöppingen since 1928, the recipe remains unchanged to this day, and at 35% ABV, it is the most robust one here.
The remarkable thing about this date is the timing. By 1928, the German grain distillery industry was already in decline—the spirits monopoly of 1918 had flooded the market with industrial alcohol. That a herbal liqueur was created during these very years, and is still being sold a hundred years later, says a lot about the recipe.
Two ways to try everything
If you aren't sure where to start, there are two sets with six 20-milliliter bottles each.
The "Naturtalente" miniature tasting set brings together elderflower, apricot, Williams pear, Chocolate Mint, cocoa with nut, and Coffee Arabica—120 milliliters, six directions. The Paula Pumpernickel set does the same for the cream liqueurs.
For the evening, there is a sequence: first the floral and fruity ones, then the dark ones. Elderflower before apricot, coffee and cocoa at the end, because they overwhelm everything that might come after them. A glass of water in between, and a separate small glass for each variety.
Everything is distilled and macerated in Schöppingen, where there has been a distillery since 1707. At the 2025 World Spirits Award, the distillery was the only grain distillery in Germany to be named a World-Class Distillery—one of only 18 worldwide. The full story can be found at the Feinbrennerei Sasse.
