100 YEARS OF SCHEIBEL - COUNTLESS MOMENTS OF PLEASURE

2021 was a very special year for Emil Scheibel distillery from Kappelrodeck. The family business, founded by Emil Scheibel in 1921, celebrated its 100th birthday. In this interview, Managing Director Raphael Sackmann takes a look back and into the future of the company.

What does the Scheibel brand stand for after 100 years of company history?

The Scheibel company has been in family hands for 100 years, with Michael and Martina Scheibel now in the third generation. We are passionate about what we do in the Black Forest and bring a fresh spirit to a traditional craft. When making our products, we follow the principle: good things take time and everything has its time, enjoyment is always the focus. With our brandies and spirits, liqueurs and spirits, we want to inspire our customers and surprise them again and again.

We stand for genuine craftsmanship and have been a member of the Association of German Manufactories for many years. Many work processes are still carried out by hand, just as they were in Emil's day. From firing up the distillery ALTE ZEIT to labeling special editions or tying the bottles. In this way, we manage to ensure that our premium brandies are noticeably different from the mass-produced products of many of our competitors.

At Scheibel, we attach particular importance to our partnerships with regional fruit growers in the Ortenau region and are committed to preserving the cultural landscape. By purchasing fruit from orchards, we indirectly promote the care and cultivation of old, local fruit varieties such as Zibarten, Bühler plums and Black Forest sweet cherries.

100 years of Scheibel - looking back, what are you particularly proud of?

We are proud to say that Scheibel is now one of the best-known Premium in Germany. Our products can be found in specialist shops and restaurants from Sylt to Munich. Scheibel can be found in the Office of the Federal President, in business class at Lufthansa, in the KaDeWe in Berlin and also in top restaurants such as the Traube Tonbach or the Bareiss in Baiersbronn.

In 100 years, we have launched various product innovations on the market, most recently our PREMIUMplus Moor-Birne. These developments have influenced the fruit brandy industry and, in our view, have positively revitalized the classic fruit brandy sector.

In addition to liqueurs, classics and fruit brandy spirits, we offer products with an international flair, such as our EMILL single malt whisky. The reopening of the Scheibel Mühle as a whisky distillery was an important milestone in our company history and makes us particularly proud. Because this is exactly where our company history began. In Emil's day, it was the farmers who preferred to pay the mill wages in kind, such as cherry or plum water, which gave Emil the idea of trading in schnapps. In 1921, he established his own fruit distillery at Grüner Winkel 32.

What is the reason for the success of the past?

Looking back, an important decision was that we decided early on to focus on the Premium. Especially in times of crisis, as we are seeing once again in the current situation, the brand prevails because it creates trust.

The success of the last 100 years is, of course, largely thanks to our employees. Many of them are or have been with us for decades and have contributed to developments and product innovations. We not only greatly appreciate their commitment, but also the fact that they contribute their ideas and represent the Scheibel brand to the outside world.

Where do you see the greatest development potential for the company and the brand? What will the next 100 years of Scheibel bring?

Product innovations are what will continue to drive us in the coming years, as Scheibel has always stood for a pioneering spirit. We have a lot planned, not only in the fruit brandy segment, but also in the whisky segment, which will increase our brand awareness and further strengthen the brand.

We will continue to focus on our partnership with specialist retailers and restaurants. In particular, we want to strengthen and expand the food service sector in the future. Direct contact with our consumers is also very important to us. In recent years, we have built up a large fan base via social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram, allowing us to gain a direct insight into the market and identify trends at an early stage.

What would company founder Emil Scheibel say about his company today? Would he be enthusiastic about all the developments?

Emil was a true Black Forest original and often took unusual paths himself. He would certainly have been pleasantly surprised by what his company has become in 100 years and by the products we have in our range today. If you consider that in Emil's day we relied on 5-6 classics such as Kirsch, Obstwasser or Mirabell, he would probably be amazed that we currently have around 70 different varieties in our range. However, he would certainly criticize one little thing without mincing his words: Selling distillates below 50% vol. was inconceivable for him at the time. "Anything under 50% is holy water", our company founder is said to have once said. But we are sure that we could reconcile him with the 56% Acher-Kirsch from our ALTE ZEIT series.

So which product should you toast your 100th birthday with?

Emil would choose a classic cherry brandy, probably our ALTE ZEIT 56% Acher-Kirsch. My personal favorite, on the other hand, is ALTE ZEIT Gelbe Bergpflaume or an EMILL Single Malt Whisky Kraftwerk. But at the end of the day, tastes are very different and everyone should toast with us with the Scheibel product that they personally like best. Our range has the right product for every taste. With this in mind, here's to a glass and the next 100 years!