Noble brandy distillery Brennoase - Langkampfen

Fruity Oasis - The Fragrant Paradise in the Garden

Edelbrand sommelier Juliane Bliem doesn't have to go far to reap the fruits of her success. Around the agricultural farm, mirabelle plums, pear, cherry, plum, and apple trees stretch skyward, boasting their captivating aromas at harvest time.

In the early autumn morning dew, Juliane Bliem strolls with a basket to her orchard to check if the King apples are ripe. "One of three old Tyrolean varieties growing in my orchard," she says proudly. Jacob, Most, and Peter pears, Falch's Gulderling, Brünnerling, and Salven cherries. Juliane is committed to preserving a wide variety of species. Every spring, she plants new trees, ensuring to include new fruit varieties. Rowanberries have only recently started growing on her farm, and she mixes them with berries from Kelchsau, her birthplace, along with rose hips. Raspberries and spring water for the fine brandies still come from there. She herself has lived in Langkampfen for many years, for love.

First Edelbrand Sommelier in Western Austria

Juliane Bliem and her husband Andreas always had plenty to do on the farm: milk production, field, forest, and arable farming are enough to fill the days of the mother of two. But Juliane Bliem had trained as a hotel and restaurant assistant and had an early professional approach to the proper tasting of spirits. In 2010, she took over her in-laws' distillery. Eager to learn, she trained as an Edelbrand sommelier, becoming the first woman in western Austria to do so. Although it's not typically a woman's job, requiring considerable muscle to move the barrels, this did not deter "Juli," as her colleagues affectionately call her. Nowadays, she experiments not only with fine brandies but also with liqueurs made from raspberries and rose hips from Kelchsau. She also mixes flavorful cocktails with her brandies.

Competing Among the Best

"It's a hobby that makes me happy every day. Extracting the full aroma from a fruit is my motivation," she says enthusiastically. In between lies hard work: tending the fruit trees, harvesting, chopping the fruits, fermenting with yeast and spring water. "The fermentation time is the most exciting," Juliane Bliem explains. Like a cat, she sneaks around the vat she recently filled. For four long weeks, she must trust that she harvested the fruit at the right ripeness. She knows the mash is ready for distillation when she hears no more bubbling, meaning no more gases are forming and the base for distillation is complete. To be sure, she checks the pH value of the mash. "When people like the result, I'm happy," she laughs. The success is evident from her awards. Her fine brandies are continually recognized, and she is respected among her peers. Juliane Bliem often participates in Signum, a fine brandy containing the 17 best Tyrolean apple brandy varieties of each year. All Edelbrand sommeliers in Tyrol determine the best varieties through a blind tasting. They are then aged for a year in oak barrels before being sold.

Liquid Landscape Conservation

Juliane Bliem has to buy some of the fruits she processes. However, she ensures they are regional, purchasing only from local fruit growers. She sees herself not only as a distiller but also as a preserver of the landscape. "If we didn't use the orchards, many would probably have disappeared by now. There is nothing more beautiful than looking at a blooming orchard," she says, "and then smelling the fruit in the finished brandy." She processes about four tons of fruit annually, including thirteen varieties, nine of which are regional.

Tours and tastings by appointment.