Pear Brandy

What you should know about Fruit Spirits In the beginning there are various sorts of fruits. They are carefully selected, gathered, and fermented under continuous careful supervision and control. Climate and soil play just as important a role in ensuring the outstanding quality as they do with grapes for wine. Only excellent fruits make excellent spirits. The fresh and new distillates are kept in storage for several years so that they may acquire the delicious mild taste of long maturing. A solid stock of reserves provides the possibility of maintaining the same high-standard quality of products over a long period of time. The distinguished and perfect quality of our spirits has achieved a world-wide reputation. The process of distilling "Wässer" and "Geiste" is subject to specific terms of the "Alcohol Monopoly Law". "Wässer" are produced on the basis of kernel - and stone fruits and result from alcohol distillation of the original mash - without any foreign ingredients. They are pure products of fermented mash. The output of the mash is closely related to the ripeness of the fruits, respectively their sugar content. As an example: 100 kg's of sweet cherries yields 6 litres of high-proof distillate. "Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser" is a strictly controlled trademark and provenance name, which demands that it must be distilled in the Black Forest and only sweet cherries harvested in the Black Forest can be fermented for its use. "Geiste" are distilled mainly from berries, with the exception of peaches and apricots; they have to be rich in aroma, but lacking in fructose. In order to preserve their unique delicate aroma the masses of fresh fruit are not fermented, but instead covered with neutral fruit alcohol and afterwards distilled in small stills. Additives and other ingredients are not permitted. How to Store Fruit Spirits On principle, fruit spirits should be kept cool in a standing bottle and should not be exposed to sunlight. "Wässer" still continues to mature after they are bottled. The more sensitive "Geiste" should not be kept stored for too long. "Kirschwasser" must be at least two to three years old before being bottled. How to Serve Fruit Spirits We recommend serving fruit spirits cool (5 - 12°C). They may then vary in temperature according to individual taste. To develop their full genuine aroma, fruit spirits should neither be kept nor served deep-frozen.