Tyrolean distillery

Local craftsmanship at the Tyrolean distillery

Welcome to ‘Beim Schnapsbrenner’ in Tyrol! The family-run business not only offers regional ingredients and traditional craftsmanship, but also an opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of schnapps distilling. Manager Elisabeth Rosen tells us about her passion.

What do you think of when you hear words like gentian, rowanberry, or hay flower? The endless green expanses of Tyrol? Wrong! At least it is at the Rosen family’s distillery, where these words mean a smooth taste in the mouth, pleasure when swallowing, and a warm feeling in the stomach – at least until the third glass. Elisabeth Rosen took over the business from her father in 2015, and she’d always known she’d end up following in his footsteps. After studying mechanical engineering at university and working as a journalist for a few years, she still felt drawn back to the family’s pleasant business. ‘I grew up with it and saw the family business as home,’ she says. Indeed, the family atmosphere is palpable, and it’s not just the fruit schnapps that makes guests feel at home.

Vogelbeerenernte (c) Elisabeth Rosen

The art of Tyrolean distilling

What makes this place so special? At the Tyrolean , you can try and buy, but you can also make your own. For a number of years, Elisabeth, with the support of her father, has been offering one or two-day seminars, at which participants learn how the process works and even make their own schnapps. Elisabeth says, ‘The courses have been a great success. We have so many participants that we do them several times a year. People come from South Tyrol, Tyrol, and Bavaria, but also from the north of Germany.’

‘Lately, making your own has become a very popular activity. There’s a particular appeal in knowing where what we eat and drink comes from and what’s in it,’ says Elisabeth. ‘We see this in our customers, too, who go home after a seminar and start putting what they’ve learned into practice straight away.’

The range

‘Right now we have eight varieties of schnapps. It’s worth noting that we don’t specialise in exotic blends, but prefer to focus much more on a local touch, such as with fruit schnapps, gentian or rowanberry,’ Elisabeth says. The family business is all about this local aspect: ‘We use only ingredients from Tyrol and Lower Austria. The schnapps here is a high-quality product that we’re really proud of. We put a lot of work and care into it, and have done for 30 years.’

Fruit schnapps is the best-known spirit in Tyrol, as Elisabeth tells us. But some of local specialities, such as the hay flower schnapps, also have their own devotees in the down-to-earth, cosy atmosphere of ‘Beim Schnapsbrenner’. It’s a place where not only residents of Tyrol, but also guests, will find their favourite drink – and hopefully the way home afterwards.