Spelt grain

Spelt Korn from Werne, distilled to be mild and malty

The Dinkelkorn (spelt grain spirit) from the Ehringhausen distillery is a clear spirit distilled from spelt and barley malt, both organically grown. With 32% ABV and a mild, malty note, it is the house classic and has been awarded gold twice.

Dinkelkorn is a grain spirit made from spelt instead of wheat, and it has been part of the house in Werne for over thirty years. The Ehringhausen distillery ferments organically grown spelt and barley malt to distill a clear spirit with 32% ABV. "Korn can do more," say Theres and Georg about their craft, and this one is their piece of evidence.

Malty, velvety, calm

On the nose, there is freshly milled grain, followed by the subtle sweetness provided by the barley malt.

On the palate, it is soft and round, without the harshness often attributed to Korn. The 32% ABV is exactly the minimum threshold allowed for a Korn, and it suits it well. What it lacks in alcohol, it gains in grain aroma. It finishes with notes of grain, nut, and lightness.

Clear-distilled here also means it has remained clear. No cask, no color, nothing to mask the grain. Anyone who wants to taste what spelt actually tastes like will find the answer in this glass.

Incidentally, "Korn" is a protected designation, and it is stricter than most people assume. It can only be made from grain—rye, wheat, barley, oats, or buckwheat—and nothing may be added to it. No color, no flavoring. What ends up in the glass therefore comes from the grain itself and from the work at the still.

Barley malt plays the quiet leading role here. It provides the enzymes that convert the starch of the spelt into fermentable sugar, and alongside this, that malty sweetness that gives the spirit its softness.

Into the glass at 16 to 20 degrees

Dinkelkorn should not be served ice-cold, but at 16 to 20 degrees Celsius; only then does the malt open up.

This is the real break with habit. Korn is known as an ice-cold shot served in a small glass, downed quickly so that one tastes as little as possible. This one is far too good for that. Drunk at room temperature and slowly, it shows what spelt and malt have to say. A grappa glass works well here, as the slender tulip shape concentrates the malt notes upward.

Dinkelkorn concludes a meal neat, and it works well as a long drink with ginger ale and a lemon twist. It likes hearty Westphalian company by its side, such as pumpernickel with ham, and it goes well with smoked fish. You can find more bottles of this kind in our Korn selection.

Those who prefer it darker and softer can reach for the cask-aged Dinkelkorn, which gains vanilla and oak notes in a bourbon barrel. The same spirit, a different character.

Why spelt grows here instead of wheat

About thirty years after founding the distillery, the parents switched to organic raw materials and traded the wheat for spelt.

That was not a decision based on trends, as spelt had long been a part of the farm. The great-great-grandfather, Heinrich, was the first Ehringhausen farmer to grow it about 130 years ago, and he planted an entire oak forest at the same time. Both continue to pay off to this day, in the Korn and later in the barrels.

It is distilled in Werne, where Heinrich Glitz and Anneliese Ehringhausen founded the Korn distillery in 1962 and where siblings Theres and Georg have managed it in the third generation since 2012. It convinced the juries twice with gold, in 2017 and again in 2022. Hats off.

The farm itself is significantly older than all of this. It first appeared in a document in 1237 as "Haus Edrinchhausen," at that time owned by a knight named Hellmich. Measured against these centuries, the distillery is a young chapter, and the Dinkelkorn within it is the page upon which the house continues to build today.

You can find what else the house distills in the Ehringhausen Distillery range.

Organic inspection body DE-ÖKO-005 – German Agriculture