The storage

The distillation of the fine spirit is followed by storage. Depending on the fruit, this can take a few months or even several years. Cherry brandy, for example, can be stored for a long time as it does not lose quality and the aromas are retained. On the contrary, a brandy made from Williams Christ pears should not be stored for too long, otherwise the aromas will be lost.

The fruit tells the distillers in which jar the brandy is stored. The 60 to 70-year-old clay jugs each hold 1,000 liters, in which only stone fruit brandies are stored. Other brandies are stored in stainless steel tanks or, in the case of small quantities, in 50-liter demijohns. However, only a few products are suitable for maturing in wooden barrels.

The suitable brandies are stored in oak or acacia barrels, where they acquire their color and structure. The wood comes from carefully selected trees up to 250 years old and is made especially for Scheibel by a cooper. Depending on the degree of toasting - light, medium, heavy and "fire" - different tertiary aromas develop in the brandy. The toasting is precisely defined for each fruit. It took years to find the optimum toasting for each fruit! The distillates mature for many months in new 350-liter barrels, with up to four percent evaporating in the process (shrinkage or "angel's share"). Each barrel is only used once.