Prinz Alte Kirsche

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 41% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

For Alte Kirsche, Prinz combines cherry distillate with a final refinement using dried fruit. Hand-selected sweet and sour cherries form the base and are promptly processed at the fruit-processing facility in the Leiblachtal. After their stalks and stones have been removed, the cherries are mashed and distilled using a fine distillation process.

The distillate matures for several years before dried fruit adds further fruity sweetness. A delicate woody note accompanies the pronounced cherry character. The 0.7-litre bottle contains the spirit at 41% alcohol. For drinking neat, a stemmed schnapps glass is suitable at 17 to 21 °C, for example as a digestif.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose is intensely fruity, with a pronounced, gentle sweetness.
• Palate: The full flavour of ripe cherries takes centre stage on the palate and lingers.
• Finish: The finish is long and mild.

Distillery/Bottler:

Fein-Brennerei Prinz is based in Hörbranz, near the Austrian shore of Lake Constance. Its history began in 1886, when Thomas Prinz founded a cider mill and cooperage; he registered the distillery business in 1921. Since 2017, Thomas IV. and Maximilian Prinz have run the family business in its fourth generation. Opened in 2013, Obsthof Leiblachtal is the company's own facility for processing fresh fruit into mash, fruit purée and juice.

The company's technical developments include temperature-controlled fermentation tanks and vacuum distillation, which has been used since 2004. Cooling jackets keep fermentation at 16 to 18 °C, while agitators move the mash evenly. Distillation under reduced pressure lowers the boiling point, allowing lower temperatures that help preserve delicate fruit aromas.

Facts: