Grain that tastes good - that was the aim of Sasse Feinbrennerei Lagerkorn GmbH from Schöppingen in the Münsterland region.

The company was founded in 1707;

now, with awards such as “Destillery of the Year”, they are among the most successful companies in the industry.

But the development was not always promising.

In 1985 the gates were closed.

The opening of the European markets made it possible to import foreign spirits.

"Italian grappa and Scottish whiskey were simply more exciting than the local grain brandy," reports managing director Rüdiger Sasse.

Around two years later, the distillery reopened under him.

It was hard work to prevail against whiskey and grappa in the premium segment.

But what justifies the positioning of Korn in the premium segment?

Sasse remembers trying a grain on Christmas Eve.

The brandy did not have the usual strong grain taste and was particularly mild.

It was an older generation of the company's grain that had been made for friends.

Stored in oak barrels

Sasse then wanted to produce a grain whose taste was completely convincing. He created the first lager grain, a grain stored in oak barrels that previously contained cognac. This is the only way to develop the color of the amber and the special taste in four years, reports Sarah Grawe, assistant to the management. "A classic grain is not stored and has a crystal-clear color." For the grain variation Cigar Special, the award for the best whiskey in continental Europe was won in 2020, says Sasse. In order to compete in the whiskey category, the storage grain must meet certain requirements, because a storage grain can also be a whiskey - the other way round, this is not so easily possible.

Many customers come from the catering industry. Prices start at around 20 euros and go up to 350 euros for a storage grain Bordeaux finish in a 0.7 liter bottle. According to the company, the best whiskey in continental Europe, Cigar Special, costs around 45 euros. Half a liter of 20-year-old grain brandy can be had for a good 175 euros. The product range includes almost 30 spirits made from regional organic grain. Sales have risen steadily by around 10 percent annually in recent years. Annual sales were between 6 and 8 million euros.

In 2020, a large part of the customers disappeared due to the Corona crisis, says Sasse.

Now disinfectants are being produced, which means that 25 employees have been retained and short-time work has been avoided.

From March to June, 50,000 liters of disinfectant were produced a week.

In the second lockdown phase, the production volume increased further.

The Westphalia-Lippe region is also to be supplied with disinfectants in the long term.

It consists of high-quality drinking alcohol, which is made undrinkable by methyl ethyl ketone.

The article comes from the school project “Youth and Economy”, which the FAZ organizes together with the Association of German Banks.