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Senft quality brandies – Experience, experimentation and success

In the picturesque Salemertal Valley in Southern Baden-Württemberg, just a few kilometres from Lake Constance, lies the Senft family’s farm. On the sunny side of the lake they have the ideal conditions for fruit-growing, as well as for the production of brandies, liqueurs, whisky and more. In their own orchards grow old apple varieties such as Cox-Orange and Elstar, small Williams pears, bright yellow Mirabelle plums and juicy peaches. Huge sour cherry trees and ancient damson trees also yield generous harvests, not to mention the fragrance of aromatic raspberries in late summer – the excellent products from the Senft farm speak for themselves.

As soon as the first fruit is ripe, the harvest begins, in which the tree-ripened fruit is harvested in three stages. Only hand-picked, fully ripened fruit is mashed. In order to retain the fine flavours of the fruit, the fresh mash is distilled immediately. After distillation, the distillates mature in stainless steel tanks, some also in barrique barrels, where the wood gives whisky, vodka and brandy their characteristic colour, aromatic richness and mild flavour.

The Senft family has been linked to fruit-growing and distillation for generations. They excel in their traditional knowledge, modern technology, their courage to experiment and their trust in the quality of the spirits and liqueurs. The business was founded in 1988. Herbert Senft also worked as a cellar master (for ‘Markgraf von Baden’ and ‘Winzerverein Hagnau’) from 1972 to 2010. The selection brandies with fruit extract have been on sale since 2002. The next year, new storage rooms were established in Salem-Rickenbach, and the licence as a bonded distillery was added in 2007. In 2012, the first Lake Constance (‘Bodensee’ in German) whisky expanded the wide range further still, and a vodka followed in 2013. It will be interesting to see what comes next at the Senft farm in the Salemertal Valley.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Senft Bodensee Whisky and Senft Bodensee Williams Selektion, and bronze for Williams.