A family grain distillery in Schöppingen in the Münsterland, distilling Korn since 1707. Rüdiger Sasse reopened it after a near-closure in 1985 and in 1987 created Lagerkorn, a Kornbrand aged in barriques from the Cognac region; today it makes aged Korn, a straight rye whisky, the Heide Gin with juniper from the Grafschaft Bentheim, fruit spirits and natural liqueurs.
- Raw materials
- A malt-and-grain combination from the region for the Lagerkorn and organic grain for the rye whisky, water from the distillery's own well, juniper berries hand-picked in the Grafschaft Bentheim, Tulameen raspberries from a Münsterland fruit farm, and organic elderflowers the whole team picks by hand two days a year; barriques of Limousin and Allier oak and American oak, bought in the Cognac region.
- What makes it distinctive
- Sasse distils by hand in traditional stills and was, by its own account, the first distillery to age Korn for years in barriques — Lagerkorn is the first and only German Kornbrand aged long enough to carry the V.S.O.P. grade. Its casks rest in the Reifugium, a building on the Schöppinger Berg open to the wind, where they go through all four seasons and higher alcohols turn into esters. In 2025 the World Spirits Award named it a World Class Distillery, the only grain distillery in Germany among the 18 best distilleries worldwide.
- Production methods
- Handcrafted
- Modern Technology
- Traditional Methods
What they make
- KornKorn from the region's grain: the Münsterländer Lagerkorn aged in ex-cognac barriques, with special finishes such as Cigar Special and Atlantik Finish, the Nju Korn, the Gründerzeit Korn and limited copper-distilled editions.
- WhiskiesA straight rye whisky in organic quality, matured five years in the distillery's Reifugium.
- GinsThe Heide Gin with hand-picked juniper from the Grafschaft Bentheim and a limited New Western style gin.
- Fruit BrandyFruit brandies and spirits: a raspberry spirit from Münsterland Tulameen raspberries, a Williams from Lake Constance pears and a mild apricot brandy.
- LiqueursThe organic natural liqueurs — elderflower, coffee, chocolate-mint, mild red berries — the Paula Pumpernickel cream liqueurs, the Grafschafter Kräuterwacholder and a Limoncello.
