Schnapps & Brandies

Prinz Schnapps & BrandiesPrinz Schnapps & Brandies

Prinz Specialities from Austria

With a distinctive varietal character

Highly aromatic fruits, which we process into regional schnapps specialities and brandies, thrive in the best locations between Lake Constance and the mountain slopes of Vorarlberg. The high quality of our products and their distinctive varietal character delight connoisseurs and gourmets alike. Thanks to the wide variety of Prinz products, you will be sure to find a suitable schnapps for every taste and occasion.  Find out more about Prinz Schnapps & Brandies from Austria »

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Since 1886, our family business has been distilling schnapps of the highest quality. Our founder, Thomas Prinz, knew that high-quality schnapps can only be produced from the best fruit. That is why we prefer to harvest from our own orchards, cultivate our own orchard meadows and only source supplementary fruit from the best locations. In addition, we carefully check the quality of each fruit so that we only use fresh, fully ripe fruit for our schnapps.

The special climate of Lake Constance makes it possible to grow fruit with an intense aroma and pleasant sweetness. This ensures the highest fruit enjoyment, which you can taste in every mouthful of Prinz schnapps.

Fruit trees over 70 years old thrive in Prinz's orchardsFruit trees over 70 years old thrive in Prinz's orchards
Fruit trees over 70 years old thrive in Prinz's orchards

Perfect taste thanks to Prinz's special process

At our Leiblachtal fruit farm, we check and process the fruit in the cleanest and fastest way possible. To do this, we use Prinz's special process, which combines four generations of experience in fruit processing with modern technology. To fully enhance the original taste of the fruit and ensure your schnapps enjoyment, we remove the stems and seeds so that only the highly aromatic fruit flesh ends up in the mash. But if the peel is important to the flavour of the schnapps, we mash that as well!

We then let the finely blended mash ferment under optimal temperature conditions. After 7 to 12 days, the fermentation mash is ready for our stills.

Prinz distillates taste intense and are extremely pure

Drawing on 130 years of distilling experience, we combine this knowledge with the most modern distillation processes. Thanks to vacuum technology, we are able to distil at a temperature as low as 48.4 °C; conventional distillation plants have to heat the fermentation mash above 78.4 °C.

Prinz master distillers check the distillatePrinz master distillers check the distillate
Prinz master distillers check the distillate

Preserving the highly sensitive fruit aromas, we obtain distillates that have both an intense varietal taste and a high degree of purity. Our distillates are then given enough time to optimally mature in stoneware, wooden barrels, glass balloons or steel tanks, depending on the product. This allows us to create outstanding spirits with characters typical of the varieties in order to meet the high-quality standards of Prinz Distillery.

Prinz schnapps from Austria for every occasion

Schnapps and brandies are suitable for every occasion, be it a family celebration, barbecue, chalet party, sociable meal, cosy game night or even on-the-go. Serve our schnapps as an aperitif, with your food or as a digestif, and use them to enhance both rustic dishes and gourmet menus.

A wide variety of schnapps inspires enjoyment of the region

At Prinz Distillery, you will find your favourite fruit in the form of a fine schnapps. If you like it strong, then the Traditional 40 % vol is right for you. A total of 16 Traditional varieties are waiting to delight your senses, be it with classics such as Williams-Christ pear, apricot, raspberry and hazelnut, or with all but forgotten fruits like the Subira pear, quince and Swiss stone pine.

If you prefer mild yet equally full-bodied schnapps, however, we recommend our Fruity Ones 34 % vol. The Fruity Ones are available in 11 varieties that all smell and taste absolutely great – including our unmistakable original: Hausschnaps Apricot Schnapps, affectionately known as "Hausi".

The Fruity Ones 34% can be enjoyed on any occasionThe Fruity Ones 34% can be enjoyed on any occasion
The Fruity Ones 34% can be enjoyed on any occasion

A must-try: Prinz specialities matured in wooden barrels

Our barrel-aged Old Varieties with 41 % vol are recommended for discerning palates. These specialities taste like a bite of juicy sweet fruit and will surprise you with their smoothness. Old Varieties owe their full-bodied taste and amber shimmer to dried fruit extracts and several months of storage in special wooden barrels.

Prinz also offers other distillates matured in a wooden barrel, including Obstler with 40 % vol.

Hafele Brandies for purists

With 43 % to 45 % vol, our Hafele Brandies offer delightful variety for brandy lovers. We refine popular fruits such as Williams-Christ pear, but also specialities such as the Subira pear and quince. The triple-distilled Hafele Brandies 333 with 45 % vol, which are also available as cuvées, will delight connoisseurs of fine spirits with their complex, full-bodied and characteristic flavours.

The right way to enjoy schnapps

Which glass is best for schnapps?

Your sense of smell plays a crucial role in the experience of enjoying schnapps. That's why it's best to serve high-quality schnapps in a Prinz Schnapps Glass.

This allows you to enjoy the full taste of the schnapps, as well as detect the fruity notes. The aroma is concentrated in the rounded glass while the stem ensures that your hand does not heat up the schnapps. This maintains the drinking temperature in the ideal range for longer.

If fun and socialising are your priority, Stamperle Glasses are also suitable. Ultimately, all Prinz schnapps varieties are distinguished by intense, characteristic flavours, which also come into their own in Traditional Liqueur Glass.

Prinz Schnapps Glasses for ultimate enjoymentPrinz Schnapps Glasses for ultimate enjoyment
Prinz Schnapps Glasses for ultimate enjoyment

At what temperature does Prinz Schnapps taste best?

For each of our schnapps specialities, we recommend drinking temperatures that guarantee you an ideal enjoyment experience for your nose and palate. For schnapps up to 40 % vol, you are usually at the right temperature between 15 and 18 °C. In this temperature range, the schnapps exudes the fruit aroma typical of the variety, which you can detect with your nose as an intense fragrance with fruit-specific notes. The flavour then develops perfectly on your palate.

How do I store schnapps and brandy correctly?

Unopened, you can store our schnapps specialities almost forever. However, you should store the bottles at a constantly cool temperature and protect them from direct sunlight. Heat, light and strong temperature fluctuations can adversely affect the taste and colour of both schnapps and brandy. Once opened, keep the bottle sealed between pours, in a cool and dark place to enhance the flavour. Consume the open schnapps within 24 months; oxygen reacts with spirits and will change the taste over time.

Everything you always wanted to know about schnapps distilling

What does raw and fine distillate mean?

For schnapps of the highest quality, we distil mash or macerate in two stages. The first distillation step produces the so-called raw distillate – this contains concentrated alcohol with all the characteristics of the fruit. The raw distillate is then distilled again, resulting in an incredibly pure fine distillate. The master distiller separates the fine distillate into three parts: Head, heart and tail.

The heart is extremely pure and intensely aromatic. It has the bouquet of the fruit typical of the variety and is the distillate that forms the basis of our schnapps. Depending on the product, we may distil the heart a second time.

Why does Prinz Distillery store its distillates in stoneware?

Stoneware is neutral and is made of a fine-pored clay-sand mixture that is permeable to air. These properties make stoneware the ideal vessel for storing distillates as it allows the distillate to breathe. Under the constant temperature conditions in our distillery cellar, the fruit aroma characteristic of the variety can optimally develop in the distillate.

How long is a Prinz distillate stored in stoneware?

The necessary storage time depends on the fruit. Pome fruits such as Williams-Christ pears only need one to two years. Stone fruit such as apricots or cherries, on the other hand, need three to six years.

What is a macerate?

Some natural ingredients like hazelnuts and herbs contain too little sugar or starch, so they do not ferment into an alcoholic mash. Some fruits and roots contain too many tannins, which also prevent fermentation. In these cases, the master distiller puts the natural ingredient into 70 % alcohol in order to release the sought-after flavours. The finished alcohol mixture is called a macerate, which can be distilled like mash.