Geschichte des Korns

The story of the Korn

Whoever orders a good chilled korn schnapps in the hospitable environment of Schleswig-Holstein almost invariably gets a Oldesloer Korn. As this Korn remains unchanging, it gains more and more confidence as the years go by. And that for more than 100 years already. It is no wonder that Oldesloer Korn can count on millions of loyal friends.

In colloquial language the korn is called Schnapps. But not every Schnapps and every clear liqueur is a korn. Because korn must be really out of grain. In our premises out of wheat grain. The art of distilling came from the Arabic world to Europe in the Middle Ages and has been refined by alchemists who captured the spirits of nature in bottles where they promised healing and enjoyment at the same time. The vernacular coined the now famous prescription: Schnapps is good for cholera.

Korn is first known in northern Germany from records dating back to 1507. Flemish korn distilleries fled from the Duke of Alba to Germany and brought their trade with them.

The big boom comes in 1879. The phylloxera which was brought in from America destroyed the European wine cultures.  Cognac and Brandy are in short supply but the people still like the liqueurs. Korn steps into the breach and delivers what it promises.

Since 1884 Bismarck’s laws promote the distillery in small companies. The condition is that the residue, the protein-rich slurry is fed to their own cattle and the nutrient-rich manure is plowed into their own land.

In 1898 August Ernst, master distiller and farmer established a distillery with attached agriculture in Oldesloe.

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