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Monastery Distillery
 
The Andechs Monastery Distillery
The art of distilling and preparing liqueurs reflects a longstanding tradition at the Andechs Monastery. Its pharmacy list from the mid-fifteenth century refers to an alcohol, aqua vitae (water of life). This was a permanent constituent in a pharmacy’s assortment in those days, and was introduced at the time for therapeutic purposes. Unfortunately, no detailed records exist on the spirits available then. Nevertheless, it was known that monastic herbal liqueurs in particular had a strong restorative effect on the digestive tract. Monastic liqueurs were produced in the monastery’s old pharmacy through 1811. Thereafter, the steam-driven liquor and brandy distillery existed through 1894 in an extension of the monastery, and later on in the old laundry.

So far, the brewery has handled the liquor business, producing the spirits in its own premises, whereas bottling was done in the Ettal Monastery.

Since the in-house capacity is inadequate to satisfy the strong growth in demand, and while no self-owned liquor bottling plant exists, the Andechs Monastery was faced with the option of either giving up the business or finding another solution. For economic and technical reasons, the monastery has consequently decided on a cooperative arrangement with a competent partner capable of also bottling and distributing the liqueurs nationally.

Early in 2003, the Benedictine monastery at Ammersee founded the Andechser Klosterbrennerei GmbH (The Andechs Monastery Distillery Ltd.). All the liqueurs are produced locally in the distillery situated across from the Florian-Stadl. The head of the Andechs monastery farms has been exercising the monastery’s distillation rights. Bottling and sales occur in cooperation with the historic liquor producer, Schwarze & Schlichte Markenvertrieb, based in Oelde.

The Andechs Monastery has created a new range of special liquors marketed under the Kloster Andechs® brand. For the Andechs Monastery liqueurs, only ripened fresh fruits are used – partly from the monastic farms – along with fresh or dried herbs and juices. As a result it is possible to totally avoid the use of flavorings and essences for enhancing the aroma.

"Andechs Monastery Liqueurs – A taste of heaven on earth"







 Enzian vom Heiligen Berg: fine, mild spirit
 Der Grüne vom Heiligen Berg: robust, green, herbal bitters
 Kloster-Kräuter vom Heiligen Berg: a delicate herb-liqueur
 Johannisbeere vom Heiligen Berg: a blackcurrant liqueur
 Klosterbiene vom Heiligen Berg: a honey-liqueur with Williams-Christ pears
 Obstler vom Heiligen Berg: made of apples and pears distilled with care

Only ripened fresh fruits, fresh or dried herbs, and juices are used for the Andechs Monastery liqueurs, with the result that it is possible to totally avoid the use of colorings, as well as flavorings and essences for enhancing the aroma.

The Obstler vom Heiligen Berg also contains some apples and pears from the monastic farms, whereas honey from the monastery’s apiary adds to the delicate taste of the Klosterbiene vom Heiligen Berg. The herbs for Andechs liqueurs stem from different cultivated areas: For example, Der Grüne vom Heiligen Berg contains active agents from over 50 different herbs, a very large number of which were used in traditional recipes.
The Enzian vom Heiligen Berg - made from the roots of the Alpine Gentian plant - is distilled according to an old, traditional recipe.




Sales of Andechs Monastery Liqueurs

Andechs Monastery Schnapps is available in all the restaurants on the Holy Mount and in our monastery shop.

You can find out the names of suppliers from our distribution partner Schwarze & Schlichte:
Phone:+49 - (0)2522 - 9302 - 223 or - 224 
or place an order online at www.schwarze-schlichte.de.






Tours of the Andechs Monastery Distillery

The monastery’s former carpentry shop near a water-storage pond for firefighting, situated across from the Florian-Stadl, was the ideal production site for the Andechs distillery. Extensive restoration and renovation work conducted early in 2003 enabled setting up a visitors and tasters area, delighting those interested with an insight into the liqueur production process.



In the production area, the ingredients from various herb recipes for the liqueurs are dissolved with the help of alcohol in each of the tanks or percolators. The result is a macerate, or concentrated base material. In the mixing room of an adjacent building, this herb concentrate is mixed in large vessels to a drinkable strength. The fruit brandy is retorted in the old laundry’s distillation area, where the monastery’s apiary is also located. All the production stages through to the final liqueur are thus carried out at the Andechs distillery. Customs regulations, unfortunately, prohibit visitors from entering the distillation and mixer rooms.



The professionally trained Andechs Distillation Team from the Bräustüberl conducts tours of the production areas throughout the year, offering product presentations, tasting, and sales. 


Tours:

Every day:
10.00 a.m. - 7.00 p.m., duration: 1 hour
Tour in German:
Until 10 visitors (all in) Euro 45.00 including tasting.
From 11 visitors per person Euro 4.50 including tasting.
With buying the first bottle you will get Euro 0.50 payback.
Tour in English:
extra charge Euro 25.00 (all in)
Tour group size:
10 to 40 visitors




Information and reservations for distillery tours:


Swaantje diPietro
Andechser Bräustüberl
Phone: +49 - (0)8152 - 376-261



Person to contact about the Andechs Distillery:


Dr. Beate Kocks
Partnership and Licenses
Public Relations
Phone: +49 -(0)8152 - 376-305;
Fax: +49 -(0)8152 - 376-239