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Arnold Dettling: The world of the cherry at its very best

In 1867, Franz-Xaver Dettling established a distillery in Brunnen on the shores of Lake Lucerne, devoted to the mountain cherries from Schwyz, and so, in 2017, the Dettling company celebrated its 150th anniversary. 25-year-old Arnold Dettling took over the business in 1909, which from then on carried his name. In 1991, they established ties with global players Underberg, also a family-owned company. In 2000, the distillery was brought up-to-date technically. The Dettling company is committed to the motto ‘only kirsch will do’. The greatest skill of distilling, as well as first-class, select raw materials, the expertly assisted fermentation pro-cess, and lots of love for detail are the foundations for the high-class distillates from Dettling.

Dettling is one of the leading kirsch producers in the world; they value their personal relationship with their cherry growers. The select fruits often come from only a few farms or even individual trees. Of the more than 800 cherry varieties, only about 40 are suitable for distilling. For one litre of kirsch, eight kilograms of cherries are needed. The mash is left to ferment in a rock cave. Afterwards, the brandies are stored in demi-johns or wooden casks. It is not just the classic cherry brandies which are in demand at Dettling – innovation is too.

The World Class Distillery 2019 OBB (Distillery of the Year 2019 – Gold) received double gold for Dettling Lau-erzer (Spirit of the Year 2019), Dettling Langstieler (Spirit of the Year & World Spirits Award 2019), gold for Dettling Wildkirsche (wild cherry), Dettling Holzfassgereift (matured in wooden casks), Dettling Vielle Kirsch, Dettling Kirschenlikör (cherry liqueur), Dettling Brandy and Réserve AOP Rigi Kirsch.

Limomacher: Regionally produced – socially labelled

Limomacher is a young Bregenz enterprise, according to their own definition “excellent in graphics, design, customer service, lemonade production, social involvement and coffee drinking”. However, a look at the brief biographies of the four-person team reveals quite a bit about their wide-ranging qualifications. All lemonades are produced regionally in Vorarlberg according to their own recipes. Short pathways right up until labelling – also labels for private customers and companies on request – reinforce sustainability, along with filling exclusively in glass bottles. The labelling, as well as the whole warehousing, are handled by Lebenshilfe Vorarlberg, a support organisation for people with disabilities. This is an indication that social thinking has been of great importance from the beginning.

At the beginning of 2018, the ‘Franz von Durst’ brand started in Spar shops, followed by the start-up shelf at Metro. The company developed a gin along with a tonic water for this purpose, as the first manufacturer in retailing that offers both as a one-stop shop. The gin that is also regionally produced goes perfectly with the tonic water and its animating and aromatic concept offers an exceptionally fruity drinking experience. Aside from the juniper base, five further botanicals play a role: angelica root provides a slight tanginess and supports the homogenous taste; orange peel is characterised by a range of aromatic substances and a fine hint of citrus; liquorice provides a complex sweetness with a slightly earthy note; elderberry has an intensive and refreshing taste; and hops gives it a special something.

“We are delighted that the Vorarlberg locals have received our gin so well and that we can expand step by step also into other provinces,” say the two young entrepreneurs.

At the World Spirits Award, gold was achieved by Franz von Durst Gin, and silver by Franz von Durst Dry Gin Wild.