Korn

Korn is a colorless German grain spirit, most popular in the north of the country. It is made mainly from rye or wheat and differs from vodka in its less rigorous filtration, which keeps more of the cereal flavor.

History

Korn is believed to have been produced in Germany since the 15th century, though its exact origin is not documented. The first production ban came in 1545, when the city council of Nordhausen forbade the use of grain or malt for distilling spirits. Historians think brewers wanted protection from distillers who had pushed up the price of grain.

In 1789 Nordhausen also set the first purity law for Korn, stipulating two thirds rye and one third barley or malt. Nordhausen remains a production centre. In 1799 Otto von Bismarck's father, Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, established a distillery at Schönhausen, and its name later became one of the best-known brands.

From the late 2000s, a number of companies began producing premium Korn, including barrel-aged versions, as part of a trend towards handcrafted, traditional and local products.

Culture

In Germany Korn has long been seen as an inexpensive spirit drunk mainly by workers and farmers, a reputation that has lingered. Today it is enjoyed neat or in mixed drinks and is especially popular in the north of the country.

It is most often served in a shot glass, frequently alongside a beer, a pairing known across much of Germany as a Herrengedeck. Lower-strength versions and fruit-flavoured products, sold as liqueurs, also exist.

Korn is produced mainly in Bad Oldesloe, Nordhausen, Haselünne and Oelde. Very strong Korn, known as Ansatzkorn, is used to make home-made fruit and herb liqueurs, a practice especially common in alpine regions.