Dettling Kirsch of Switzerland
“Part of the secret lies in processing the fresh cherries from this region within 24 hours of harvesting, and the fact that no other fruit is mixed in,” says Ernst Beeler, Managing Director of Dettling Kirsch. I sense the passionate commitment behind these words.
The qualified forester spent eight years in the Swiss Armed Forces before entering the world of distillery. He hasn’t looked back since. The Kirsch expert is enthusiastic about his work: “There is practically no other fruit that imparts as much flavor as the cherry does, and the type of cherry determines the ultimate aroma of the brandy.”
“Exclusive” production – nothing but cherry fruit
I watch and try to keep out of the way. One of the 28 local suppliers delivers the freshly picked crop this morning from his mountain farm. The managing director personally lends a hand. He grabs a lifting device and helps the farmer unload his truck. Together they weigh, record and inspect the delivery and then immediately the cherries get emptied out of their blue barrels and started into the distilling process.
It’s the harvesting season but the date varies from year-to-year, depending on the weather. Generally it’s between the end of June until around first week in August, “but you just have to be ready, and the aroma of the finished product varies from one year to the next.” It takes about eight kilograms of cherries, pit and all, to produce one liter of Kirsch brandy.
The reserve Kirsch is stored in oak and mulberry wood barrels in a natural rock cave that extends beyond and to the back of to the distillery area. “In winter, on a weekend around the first of advent, we hold our famous Kirsch Christmas market here. The cave is lit by candle light and people come from far to participate.”
Family business
It all started in 1867, when Franz-Xaver Dettling established a trading company in Brunnen on Lake Lucerne, specialising in Italian wines, and at the same time a distilling plant for the plentiful mountain cherries of the region. Since that time, the distillery has operated in the same location. It is the only distillery world-wide to exclusively use cherry fruit to produce all their Kirsch brandies. This practice accounts for the rich and intense aroma that Dettling Kirsch is valued for by connoisseurs the world over.
Products include Réserve, Supérieur Vieux, Bio-Kirsch, Cuvée, vintage Kirsch and many more, sure to meet the most discerning palates. As I sample the delicious cherry liquor I’m impressed by the wonderfully strong cherry flavor, not overly sweet. Velvety red in an elegant, tall bottle with the Dettling seal, it is a drink I could definitely take to.
Handcrafted in twenty steps
To this day, everything is crafted by hand at the distillery. Processing, bottling, applying the protective Dettling coating seal, labelling. “Every single bottle is taken into hand twenty times from start to finish. It is a labour of love throughout the entire process and we are proud of it,” says Ernst Beeler with a deep smile.
As he shows me the rock cave, what sounds like a speed train thunders across the roof of the cave. In response to my astonished upward look the distiller laughs and confirms that every train bound for the Gotthard tunnel speeds overtop of the distillery.
The family business Dettling Kirsch joined forces with German Underberg, the digestif bitter producer, a few years ago. “It’s a happy marriage and opened up more markets for us,” elaborates Ernst Beeler and adds, “we run completely independently here in Brunnen.” And so they should, judging by the countless awards the brand continues to take home every year.
If you’re in the area, visit the direct-sales store which is part of the distillery. You’ll have a good chance of meeting Ernst Beeler personally. You can also visit the Dettling Kirsch Visitors’ Center located on Kirschstrasse in Brunnen directly on Lake Lucerne. The hour long discovery tour provides interesting insights into the art and craft of Kirsch making and might just make a Kirsch lover out of you!
Have you been to the village of Brunnen and visited the many attractions of this special village at the confluence of Lake Lucerne and Lake Uri? Share your experience and leave a comment below. Thank you.
Click here to add your own text
Leave a Comment Below
Your email address will never be shared. Your comments make my day. Thank you!More from Swiss Wanderlust
Very unique Easter tradition in Ferden/VS
Swiss Easter traditions - old & new
Pegasus Zürich where Easter bunnies & Santas rendez-vous
Sent, Ftan, Guarda: 3 Engadina villages
Alois Carigiet - art, graphic design & Schellen-Ursli
Waldhaus Sils - superb five star hotel
Mili Weber Museum St. Moritz
Fifties family hike in Switzerland
Schweizer Schule Alexandrien, Ägypten
Four highly recommended Swiss films
SWISSWOOD Alphorns & Engel-Chörli Appenzell
Kloster Kappel, Kappel am Albis
Beromünster Radioweg
Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen: Vertraute Stimme aus der Heimat
Roger Federer, social entrepreneur in high profile tennis
Light of Peace
Swiss National Soup Day and other amazing community stories
Glasi Hergiswil
St. Nicholas arrival - Samichlaus Auszug
Swiss Christmas traditions
Emmental Christmas market
Zürich Gourmet Trams
Grittibänz & Christmas cookies
Zürich Public Transportation - Holiday Dinners, Sightseeing, Books
Die Pracht der Tracht - Swiss Traditional Costumes
Justistal Chästeilet
Basel Tattoo - the world's second largest
Brächete and autumn market in Zäziwil
Onsernone Valley - wild, evocative and fascinating
Helsinki-Shanghai: 9,700 kilometers or 150 hours by train
Unspunnen festival
Ronco: Porto-Ronco/Ronco sopra Ascona
Risotto Festival Locarno
Einfach leben - Ein Film von Hans Haldimann
SJAS childrens' camps in Switzerland
Paradiesli vacation chalet & exceptional jodeling
Geographical center of Switzerland - Älggi Alp
Schweizer Regiokrimis sind Bestsellers
Aecherli Pass: Sennen hospitality & wild haying
Historic motorcycle race Seebodenalp, Switzerland
Restaurant zum Kropf - hearty Zürich cuisine in 16th century ambiance
Hotel Adler in Old Town Zürich: quaint Swissness
Swiss National Day August 1, in- & outside Switzerland
Dettling Kirsch - the world's finest cherry brandy
Mehl und Brot, Macht und Geld im alten Zürich
Zürich to Milan via the new Gotthard Base Tunnel
Fretz Men: top quality Swiss-made footwear
Oeschinen Lake - UNESCO World Cultural Heritage region
Swiss Annina Altherr - Yukon Government Youth Climate Change Ambassador
Bauer Fritz - Idyllic farm B&B near Luzern
Zürich wine region: vineyards, white asparagus and wilderness
Appenzell Landsgemeinde - Open-air Parliament in Appenzell
Sechseläuten in Zürich
European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad EGMO
Palmsonntag mit zwei Eseln
Glacier Express - legendary rail journey in total comfort
Hotel Alpenblick Berne where guests return as friends
Urbärn a cappella quartet sings gorgeous Swiss folk songs
Graubündel - the hip new Swiss pic-nic bag!
Zürich Zoo: Transition to Nature Conservation Center
Restaurant blindekuh: dining in pitch-black darkness
Rudy Canonica: Swiss shepherd in the Bernese highlands
Gret Zellweger - Appenzell Multi-Talent Folk Artist
Koller International Auctions Zürich and Geneva
TOPtoTOP climate change expedition
Alaska dog sledding with an Appenzell-Swiss
100th birthday of Ruedi Walter, Swiss radio/TV and film star
Swiss Armed Forces Culinary Team wins cooking competitions
Mummenschanz - the legendary Swiss mime company on tour again
Meinrad's Puppen & Bärenklinik (Doll & Teddybear Clinic)
Conelli's enchanting Christmas Circus
Zürich Chamber Orchestra ZKO
Luzern Hotels: Montana Art Deco Hotel
Luzern B&Bs: Idyllic Baroque house for two
Züri Tirggel - a traditional Swiss Christmas cookie
Migros bus - when grocery stores had wheels
Zürich Cafés: Felix at the Bellevue
Zürich B&Bs: Scandinavian cabins
Zürich Hotels: Hotel Waldhaus Dolder
Rasa, Ticino: Jewel of a village on the mountaintop
Vent Negru: traditional folk music from the Ticino (sound samples)
A drive around Lake Geneva, by guest writer Sandra Grote
When in Zürich, visit St. Peter's Church
Schweiz-Amerikaner als Rütli Wirt
COOP oder die Liebe geht halt doch durch den Magen (mit nostalgischen TV Spots)
Brissago Islands, Lago Maggiore: legacy of a Russian Princess
Esther Gerber's paper scissor cuts (with videos)
Lake Lucerne, Brunnen: Royal approval of the Area for the Swiss abroad
Beautifully restored Fischingen Abbey. Two worlds under one roof
So war mein Visp, von Gastautorin Wal Baur
Scenic drive bypassing the Gotthard tunnel