Obstwasser and Kirschwasser: Why Is a Brandy Called 'Water'?

Kirschwasser, Zwetschgenwasser, Obstwasser: The Same Category

The Spirit Drinks Regulation permits two naming forms for fruit brandies: the fruit's name with "-brand" or with "-wasser." Kirschwasser and Kirschbrand, Zwetschgenwasser and Zwetschgenbrand, Mirabellenwasser and Mirabellenbrand each designate the same product. Obstwasser, too, is simply another word for Obstbrand. The same rules apply to both forms: fermented fruit, no outside alcohol, no flavoring, no coloring, maximum 18 grams of sugar per liter.

Which form a distiller chooses is largely a matter of tradition. In the Black Forest and in Franconia, "-wasser" has stuck, as shown by the protected designations of origin Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser, Schwarzwälder Zwetschgenwasser, Schwarzwälder Mirabellenwasser, Fränkisches Kirschwasser, and Fränkisches Zwetschgenwasser. In Austria and South Tyrol, you're more likely to see "Marillenbrand" or simply "Kirsch." There's no quality difference hidden in the suffix.

Where Does the 'Water' in the Name Come From?

The trail leads back to the Latin of medieval monasteries and apothecaries. Distillates there were called aqua vitae, water of life, because they were understood as medicine. In French, the expression survives as eau-de-vie and still stands today for almost any brandy: Eau-de-vie de poire du Valais is a Valais pear brandy, Eau-de-vie de cidre a brandy made from cider. The German Kirschwasser belongs to the same linguistic family.

That clear fruit brandies look like water fits the name, but doesn't fully explain it. Even a colorless brandy has at least 37.5 percent alcohol. Water is only added right at the end, when the high-proof distillate is brought down to drinking strength. This happens with every brandy, whether its name includes "water" or "brandy."

Diluted, then, an Obstwasser is no stronger than an Obstbrand. Both must reach the same minimum strength, and neither may be colored or flavored. Anyone who thinks of something light when they hear the word "water" will be quickly set straight by the first sip of a Zwetschgenwasser.

Kirsch, Kirschwasser, Kirschlikör: Where the Confusion Begins

Alongside "-brand" and "-wasser," the law recognizes a few shorter forms. "Kirsch" alone stands for cherry brandy made from sweet cherries, "Zwetschge," "Pflaume," or "Slibowitz" for plum brandy, "Mirabellen" for mirabelle plum brandy. Order a Kirsch in Alsace and you'll get a fruit brandy, not a liqueur.

Trickier are sweet drinks with similar-sounding names. A Kirschlikör is not a Kirschwasser: it must be clearly sweetened and usually has a lower alcohol content. The same goes for Cherry Brandy, which in German usage denotes a cherry liqueur, despite the English word "brandy" in its name. The difference between brandy and liqueur is explained in more detail in the seventh chapter.

What the -wasser Ending Doesn't Tell You

Neither origin, nor variety, nor distilling method can be read from the suffix. A Zuger Kirsch from Switzerland, a Kirsch d'Alsace, a Kirsch de Fougerolles, and a Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser all belong to the same category, yet differ quite distinctly from one another. The cherry varieties differ, as do the soils and the distilling traditions. For all these names, a protected designation of origin ties the brandy to its region.

How far the German word has traveled shows up in the EU register. Since 1989 it has also listed Kirsch Friulano or Kirschwasser Friulano and Kirsch Trentino or Kirschwasser Trentino, along with Südtiroler Kirsch. Italian distilleries in the northeast use the German term as a matter of course. Kirschwasser is thus less a trademark of a single region than a generic term across the whole Alpine area.

Age, too, isn't revealed by the suffix. Most kirschwassers rest colorless in glass or stainless steel, so the fruit stays front and center. Oak barrels are permitted but less common for kirsch. Only once a fruit brandy has had at least a year of contact with wood may its color be adjusted with caramel coloring. Before that, coloring is prohibited.

Beginners would do well to take a second look at the label. Kirschwasser tells you that fermented cherries were distilled. Which cherries, from which region, and how long they were aged appear in the other details, or can be requested from the producer.