Spelt grain aged in wooden barrels

Spelt Korn from a bourbon barrel with vanilla and wood

The wood-barrel-aged spelt Korn from the Ehringhausen distillery matures in former bourbon barrels, where it acquires vanilla, caramel, and a subtle woody note. It is the same organic Korn as its clear counterpart, just with years of time spent in oak.

A wood-barrel-aged spelt Korn is a Korn that is not bottled immediately after distillation, but instead rests in an oak barrel. In Werne, former bourbon barrels are used for this purpose. The wood is the key, according to Theres and Georg regarding this spirit, and one taste confirms they are not exaggerating. 32% vol, made from organic spelt and barley malt.

Vanilla-scented, malty, aged

On the nose, there is warm vanilla, followed by caramel and a hint of coconut, just as American oak often provides.

On the palate, the spelt malt remains recognizable, but it has gained some company. Woody, fruity, and velvety, the spirit coats the tongue, and the finish carries a light sweetness that comes from the barrel, not from a sugar bowl. In any case, nothing is allowed to be added to a Korn.

It appears golden in the glass—a few shades darker than a clear Korn, but far from the color of a whisky. This alone says what this is about: not transformation, but refinement.

Why bourbon barrels, of all things?

By law, bourbon in the USA must mature in new, charred oak barrels, which is why each barrel can only be used once there.

Afterward, the barrels are sold and shipped halfway around the world. For a distiller, this is a stroke of luck, because a barrel that has been used once releases aroma without overwhelming the spirit with wood. A new barrel would simply overpower a mild Korn.

During the charring process, the sugar in the wood caramelizes, and vanillin is released from the oak's lignin. This is exactly where the vanilla and caramel in the glass come from, without anyone having to lend a hand. The longer the spirit sits, the more it absorbs, and the softer it becomes.

Why this doesn't turn into a whisky is a fair question. Whisky requires malted grain and at least three years in a barrel before it can call itself that. A wood-barrel-aged Korn doesn't need to do any of that—it is simply allowed to. This is why the grain remains in the foreground and the wood is an accompaniment, whereas in whisky, the proportions are usually reversed.

This wood-barrel-aged spelt Korn thus sits exactly between two stools, and that is its strength. Those who like whisky will find something familiar; those who like Korn lose nothing.

Awarded three times, most recently with gold

Serve as an aperitif or digestif at 16 to 20 degrees, ideally in a bulbous cognac glass, where the barrel shows its friendly side.

Drunk neat and slowly, it provides the perfect conclusion to a long meal, for the beginning of which the clear spelt Korn would have been a suitable choice. It goes well with dark chocolate, baked apples, and a piece of strong cheese. It is too precious to mix; for that, the clear one is available.

The juries saw it similarly and awarded it three times: silver in 2018, and gold in both 2020 and 2022. It is distilled and aged in Werne, where Heinrich Glitz and Anneliese Ehringhausen started in 1962 and where Theres and Georg have been running the business in the third generation since 2012. The fact that oak is involved here is, by the way, a family tradition: the great-great-grandfather once planted an entire oak forest.

You can find what else is resting in barrels in the Ehringhausen distillery's range, and more bottles of this kind in our Korn selection.

Made from good wood, as the distillery itself describes its spirit. There is little to add to that.

Organic inspection body DE-ÖKO-005 – German Agriculture