korn is a grain spirit made in northern Germany since at least 1507, when a grain distillery was established in Nordhausen. In German, as with “corn” in archaic English, Korn refers to grain more broadly, rather than to the grain that Americans have come to know as corn (Zea mays). See corn. Oats, buckwheat, and wheat are permitted by law since 1909, but the spirit korn is generally distilled from rye with an adjunct of malted barley, although some varieties are made from barley malt alone. In 1789, the Council of Nordhausen adopted a purity law that dictated that at least two-thirds of rye or wheat and no more than one-third barley or malt be used in authentic korn. See also
Although korn is regarded in Germany as being rather archaic, it was enormously popular until World War II. It also had a strong influence on the early American distilling industry, through the many German distillers who settled in the mid-Atlantic region. The industries shared several key practices, including the heavy use of rye, distilling with the draff in the wash, raising animals on the spent wash, and the use of the Blasenapparat or three-chamber still. See still, three-chamber; and whisky, rye.
In Germany today two types are available: Korn, 32 percent ABV, and Dopplekorn (sometimes called Kornbrand), at 38 percent ABV. If aged in oak barrels, the spirit may be called Edelkorn or Altkorn (such aging is usually brief, in well-used cooperage). When cut with glacier meltwater, the resulting spirit is sometimes called Eiskorn. Several brands founded in the nineteenth century, such as Hullman, Büre, Büchter, Sallandt, and Schmittmann, remain active, and the Bremen firm Mackenstedter has been producing korn since 1750. Obstler (brandies made from fruits such as apple, pear, plums, or blends thereof) are favored in southern Germany, but korn remains popular in the north. See obstler.
The nose and taste of these schnapps are clearly cereal, akin to grain moonshine or white dog. See white dog. A shot of chilled korn, served either alongside a glass of beer or mixed into it, is known as a Herrengedeck, a sort of Teutonic boilermaker. See Boilermaker and herrengedeck. In Lower Saxony, such a shot on the side of a beer is a Lütte Lage. Drinkers also spike coffee with the Nordhäuser specialty to keep out the cold, wind down a dinner, or face the morning. The Löffeltrunk drinking game in northwest Germany involves two drinkers facing each other, each holding a metal spoon of korn in the left hand. After a ritual mutual greeting in the local dialect to demonstrate their relative sobriety (“Ick seh di! / I see you!”—“Dat freit mi / I am glad!”), each drinks the korn, licks the spoon, and turns it over. Should even a single drop fall to the table, the loser buys the next round.
See also Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Gerlach, Thomas. “Die letzten Hüter des Doppelkorns.” Die Welt, November 14, 2007. http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article1361367/Die-letzten-Hueter-des-Doppelkorns.html (accessed February 18, 2021).
Kreipe, H. Technologie der Getreide-und Kartoffelbrennerei. Nuremberg: Carl, 1972.
Lichine, Alexis. Alexis Lichine’s New Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits, 5th ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987.
Metzger, C., R. Stempell, C. Büschel, and A. Bell. Culinaria Germany. Cologne: Könemann, 2007.
Werther, Hans-Dieter, Paul-Ludwig Schierholz, and Steffen Iffland. 500 jahre Nordhäuser Brennereitradition. Nordhausen-Salza: Steffen Iffland, 2007.
By: Matthew Rowley