Walcher

About fifty years ago, Alfons Walcher found his calling in the production of unique alcoholic drinks. The Turmbachhof property had been in the Walcher family for nine generations when he installed his first pot still (which he had purchased) in the cellar that year, in 1966. He started making spirits from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes grown in Südtirol, using the waterbath method. This was the first time that grappa, fruit brandies, herbal bitters, and other spirits were produced commercially by Walcher. Theodor and Matthias Walcher, sons of Alfons Walcher, have taken over the family business and are steering it toward a more environmentally responsible future. While being mostly subterranean, the Walcher Distillery is more than 6,000 square meters. The entire manufacturing procedure relies on the law of gravity. The fruit is brought up to the top floor, where it is processed into must, fermented, and ultimately distilled. The alcoholic beverage is lowered to the cellar floor using only gravity (no pumps are used) so that it can age. This ripening procedure takes anything from one to six years. The integrity of Walcher's organic brandies stems from the superior ingredients that go into their creation. All of the fruit is preserved for as little time as possible and is tracked back to the original tree it came from. Distilling in a waterbath, or double boiler, locks in all the fruity taste and aroma notes that make the final product so desirable. The fragrant flavor and character is carried over into the final alcoholic beverages.