from field
to bottle
Since 2004, award-winning whisk(e)ys of the highest quality have been distilled and aged at the STORK CLUB distillery, located 60 km south of Berlin. In 2010, their whiskey received international recognition with 94 points in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. In 2019, the STORK CLUB Rye Whiskey was awarded the title of "World’s Best Rye Whisky" at the World Whiskies Awards.
The foundation of their whiskeys is Spreewald rye, sourced from the fields of local farmers. As the ancient grain of Northern Europe, rye is deeply rooted in Brandenburg, which is Europe’s largest rye-growing region and internationally renowned for its quality. Even renowned American rye whiskey producers purchase their rye from this region!
Their motto is "from field to bottle." The rye is milled in-house and mashed with hot water. The natural, unfiltered mash is then pumped into fermentation tanks, where carefully selected craft beer yeasts are added. The yeast ferments the sugars in the mash into alcohol, achieving an alcohol content of about 9–10% by volume. This "distiller’s beer" is then pumped into two hybrid pot stills (650 l and 1000 l) and gently distilled to preserve the full, spicy aroma of the rye. Up to 80% of the flavors in whiskey come from the barrels, which serve as a temporary storage medium during aging.
The distillery sets the highest standards for its cask management, which is as crucial to the quality of the whiskey as the rye and yeast used. The whiskeys are aged in various types of barrels at the Spreewald biosphere reserve and are blended before bottling to create complexity, character, and the distinctive STORK CLUB flavor. The foundation of their whiskeys lies in fresh, custom-built barrels made from American and German oak. For added complexity and depth, they also use ex-red wine barrels from outstanding German Pinot Noir winemakers.
