Spirit Style

What exactly is an Enzian brandy, and how does it differ from fruit brandy and herbal liqueur? It is made from fermented root rather than fruit, tastes earthy, spicy, and bitter, and finishes with a subtle sweetness. The Bayerischer Gebirgsenzian from Berchtesgaden and Schliersee is the archetype: colorless and dry.

The gap to fruit brandy is wide. Where kirsch smells of fruit, Enzian smells of a root cellar and mountain meadow. Sugar and fruit acidity are absent; instead, bitterness carries the spirit. Anyone used to fruit brandies will need time to adjust to its austere character.

Nor do the neighboring spirits from the Bavarian Forest belong in the same category. Blutwurz and Bärwurz are infusions made from roots or herbs and count as herbal spirits, not brandies. Where it says Enzian, fermented gentian root is actually in the distillate. Likewise, a gentian liqueur or an aperitif like Suze, which merely macerates gentian in alcohol, is not an Enzian brandy.

The region's second defining style is Obstler. Distilled from at least 85% apples and pears, it tastes of ripe pome fruit, clean and rounded. In Upper Bavaria, it belongs to the culture of mountain huts and country inns. There's no regionally protected name like Fränkischer Obstler for Upper Bavaria; here, Obstler is simply called what it is.

The difference between the two lies in character. Enzian demands attention and lingers long on the palate, its bitter note impossible to ignore. Obstler is the friendlier spirit, combining fruit and warmth in an easily approachable way. In a region where root and orchard fruit grow side by side, the two complement rather than replace each other: one comes from the steep mountain, the other from the meadow below.