Wood-aged fruit brandy

Wood-aged Fruit Brandy from Lantenhammer made from apples and pears

Lantenhammer Wood-aged Fruit Brandy is a fruit spirit made from ripe apples and pears, distilled in Hausham near Schliersee and matured in French Limousin casks. Not a harsh schnapps for downing, but a mild spirit with a woody backbone.

Wood-aged Fruit Brandy is the classic from the Upper Bavarian Lantenhammer distillery, with 40 percent alcohol in a 350-ml bottle. It brings together local apple and pear varieties, which are gently mashed and, after distillation, left to rest in oak casks from Limousin. It owes its color and aroma entirely to this wood.

Radiant gold and the scent of ripe orchard fruit

The fruit brandy glows golden in the glass, and what rises from it smells of a local orchard in late summer, of apple and ripe pear.

On the palate, it is full-bodied and rounded, with the sweetness of fully ripened fruit and a woody note that supports rather than masks it. The finish remains mild and fruity for a long time. Because this is a natural product in the glass, the flavor profile shifts slightly from vintage to vintage, depending on how sweet the harvest was.

This variation is not a flaw, but proof that real fruit was distilled here and no artificial flavors were added. With a spirit from an industrial vat, every bottle tastes the same; here, you can tell which year is in your glass.

The digestif after a heavy meal

After a sumptuous meal, served at room temperature in a small stemmed glass, this fruit brandy fulfills its true purpose—and you don't need a special occasion for that.

In winter, it can also be added to a cup to turn simple tea or punch into something warming. If you enjoy baking, add a splash over apple cake or into baked apple filling, where the orchard fruit essentially encounters itself. The brandy also stands up well to a bar of dark chocolate.

From the orchard to the Limousin cask

Before the apples and pears enter the copper still, they are carefully mashed so that the cells remain as intact as possible and can release their aromas slowly.

This slowness is the whole trick, because where work is done roughly, that harsh schnapps known from some taverns is created. Conversely, when you give the fruit time, you create a spirit that tastes of fruit instead of alcohol.

Then the barrel takes over. The oak from the French Limousin region is coarse-pored and releases its tannins faster than other woods, which is why cognac is traditionally aged in it.

In this fruit brandy, this wood provides the golden color and the fine spice that makes all the difference compared to a clear spirit. Without the cask, the brandy would be pale and narrow; with the wrong cask, it would be a woody drink.

How long the spirit stays in the wood determines its balance, because if aged for too short a time, the barrel hasn't imparted anything yet; if aged too long, the oak pushes ahead of the fruit, which is meant to play the leading role. Hitting this mark is a matter of experience and cannot be calculated.

This fruit brandy is the oldest chapter of this distillery and, at the same time, the one that best reflects its craftsmanship. The distillery's range also includes Bavarian rum and the liqueurs of the Raritas line.