Bavarian craft distillery: handcrafted organic gin, vodka, aperitivo and liqueurs produced in-house in Aschheim near Munich
THE DUKE Destillerie
Aschheim near MunichNew on Amplifa
Handcrafted in Bavaria since 2008
THE DUKE Destillerie is a spirits manufacturer founded in Munich in 2008 that today produces in Aschheim near Munich, in a former 19th-century potato distillery. At the center is THE DUKE Munich Dry Gin with 13 organic botanicals – including juniper, coriander, lemon peel, angelica root, ginger, lavender blossoms, cubeb pepper and, as a Bavarian provenance hallmark, hop blossoms and malt. Distillation takes place in a copper pot still (“Carl”), while filling and packing are done by hand, supported since 2010 by a semi-automatic labeling machine. In addition to several gin variants (including Rough Gin, Sloe Gin and cask-finish gins), the company produces LION's Vodka, the La Duchessa aperitivo, liqueurs, non-alcoholic spirits (“Entgeistert”) and canned long drinks. Certified products carry the EU organic logo with the inspection body number DE-ÖKO-007. The distillery also offers contract production – from recipe development through production, filling and packing to custom labels – among others for Therme Erding, Bang & Olufsen, Call me Drella, Salbeyer and Zirbelino. The site also features a bar, a factory store and a transparent manufactury offering tours and distilling courses.
- Site
- Aschheim near Munich
- Processes
- Gin distillation (copper pot still, maceration of botanicals), Vodka distillation (Lion's Munich Handcrafted Vodka), Liqueur production (FuchsDeifesWuid ginger, herb and sloe liqueur, Munich caraway, Sloe Gin), Aperitivo production (La Duchessa), Non-alcoholic spirits (Entgeistert, dealcoholized wine with herb/spice distillates), Barrel finishing (Rum Cask Finish, Bourbon Cask Finish), Hand filling and packing, Contract production of spirits (own recipe, production, filling, packing,
- Materials
- Organic juniper berries, Coriander, Lemon peel, Angelica root, Ginger, Lavender blossoms (Bavarian), Cubeb pepper, Hop blossoms
- Certificates
- EU organic certification, EU organic certification (DE-ÖKO-007)
- Founded
- 2008
- Industries
- Spirits, Gastronomy, Retail, Event/venue services
- 01
Procurement of organic botanicals
- 02
Maceration of the botanicals
- 03
Distillation in the copper pot still
- 04
Barrel finishing if applicable (rum/bourbon barrels)
- 05
Hand filling
- 06
Labeling (semi-automatic, hot-foil finishing)
- 07
Packing & packaging
- 08
Distribution (retail, gastronomy, online shop)
Organic Botanicals & Distillation
Organic juniper berries
Central botanical of all gins, from certified organic cultivation.
Coriander, lemon peel, angelica root, ginger, cubeb pepper
Classic botanicals of the Munich Dry Gin from organic cultivation.
Hop blossoms & malt
Typically Bavarian provenance hallmarks in the Munich Dry Gin.
Bavarian lavender blossoms
Bavarian botanical from organic cultivation.
Sloes, ginger, herbs, caraway, stone pine
Raw materials for Sloe Gin, liqueurs and stone pine products.
Copper
Material of the pot still “Carl” used for distillation.
Rum and bourbon barrels
Plantation rum and Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels for barrel-finishing gin.
Dealcoholized wine & honey
Base of the non-alcoholic gin “Entgeistert”.
Transparent Manufactury Aschheim
Aschheim near Munich
DEDistillery, transparent manufactury, bar, store, administration
- Lot size
- Small series in handcrafted batches
- Materials
- Organic botanicals, copper (pot still), glass bottles
- Copper pot still “Carl”
- Semi-automatic labeling machine (since 2010)
Product World
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gin distillation (copper pot still, maceration of botanicals) | – | – | – | – | Organic juniper berries, Coriander, Lemon peel, Angelica root, Ginger, Lavender blossoms, Cubeb pepper, Hop blossoms, Malt |
| Vodka distillation (Lion's Munich Handcrafted Vodka) | – | – | – | – | Grain/agricultural alcohol |
| Liqueur production (FuchsDeifesWuid ginger, herb and sloe liqueur, Munich caraway, Sloe Gin) | – | – | – | – | Sloes, Ginger, Herbs, Caraway, Stone pine |
| Aperitivo production (La Duchessa) | – | – | – | – | Orange, Gentian, Bavarian herbs |
| Non-alcoholic spirits (Entgeistert, dealcoholized wine with herb/spice distillates) | – | – | – | – | Dealcoholized wine, Honey, Juniper, Rosemary, Clove, Nutmeg, Citrus |
| Barrel finishing (Rum Cask Finish, Bourbon Cask Finish) | – | – | – | – | Gin, Plantation rum barrels, Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels |
| Hand filling and packingAssembly | – | – | – | – | Glass bottles |
| Contract production of spirits (own recipe, production, filling, packing, | – | – | – | – | Sage liqueur (34% vol.), Gin, Vodka, Aperitivo |
| Labeling (by hand, semi-automatic labeling machine since 2010; label printing withSurface | – | – | – | – | Paper labels, Hot foil |
| Distilling courses/gin training for guestsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Organic botanicals |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper pot still (copper kettle) | Carl | – | – | – | Aschheim near Munich |
| Semi-automatic labeling machine | – | 1 | – | 2010 | Aschheim near Munich |
Additional services
Reference customers
Organic Certification
Certified products are tested in accordance with the EU Organic Regulation by the inspection body DE-ÖKO-007; all agricultural ingredients come from organic farming. The distillery itself is controlled as an organic operation.
| Evidence | Aschheim near Munich |
|---|---|
| EU organic certification (DE-ÖKO-007) |
From a Boozy Idea to a Manufactury
- 2007
Founding idea (“boozy idea”) by Max and Daniel during a gin & tonic evening; name patron Henry the Lion.
- 2008
Founding in a Munich backyard (80 m², copper kettle “Carl”); launch of the Munich Dry Gin, one of the first organic gins in Germany.
- 2010
Purchase of the first semi-automatic labeling machine.
- 2011
First team members (including Kordula) join.
- 2013
First apprentice as distiller; express deliveries by bicycle courier in Munich.
- 2014
First export: one pallet to Canada.
- 2016
Move to a former potato distillery (19th century) in Aschheim; opening of the transparent manufactury.
- 2019
Production manager Georg Zwiehoff becomes master distiller.
- 2021
Launch of the non-alcoholic gin “Entgeistert”; opening of the THE DUKE Bar; IWSC Silver for the Munich Dry Gin.
- 2024
La Duchessa Aperitivo Bavarese reaches number 1 among Bavarian aperitivos.