Kammer-Kirsch Distillery: Karlsruhe, Rothaus Whisky and Visitor Guide
Updated: 21 hours ago
Kammer-Kirsch is a Karlsruhe distiller whose catalogue also includes many imported spirits. Its own production role in Rothaus Black Forest whisky is important, but an imported whisky sold through its shop is not thereby distilled in Germany.
Rothaus whisky is a partnership: the brewery supplies the wash, while Kammer-Kirsch carries out distillation in Karlsruhe. That division of work is more accurate than pinning a fictional separate Rothaus whisky stillhouse on the map.
Kammer-Kirsch Distillery at a glance
Key fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Location | Hardtstrasse 35–37, 76185 Karlsruhe, Germany |
Business heritage | The producer traces its origins to 1909 |
Earlier location | Oppenau, before the move to Karlsruhe |
Family ownership history | Erdrich family involvement from 1961 |
Whisky collaboration | Rothaus Black Forest single malt |
Wash production | Rothaus brewery in the Black Forest |
Distillation | Kammer-Kirsch, Karlsruhe |
Visitor offering | Shop and scheduled tastings; no daily production tour assumed |
Research checked 26 October 2026. Visitor schedules, ownership information and bottle availability can change.
In this guide
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Kammer-Kirsch Distillery: history and development
The official company history traces Kammer-Kirsch to 1909 and describes an early Oppenau operation followed by relocation to Karlsruhe during the 1930s. Its roots lie in fruit spirits, especially the regional cherry-brandy tradition.
Erdrich family involvement began in 1961. The history later records Gerald Erdrich taking responsibility for the business. These milestones explain the producer's continuity without treating every imported brand in its catalogue as a product of the same stills.
People, ownership and identity
Kammer-Kirsch combines distilling, bottling and distribution. Its public-facing business therefore needs to be read in context: an importer label is evidence of who brings a product to market, not necessarily who made its spirit.
The Rothaus collaboration links two named producers with different jobs. The brewery prepares the malt wash; Kammer-Kirsch distils it. Both belong in the provenance, but only the verified production locations should become distillery map records.
How the whisky is made
The Rothaus brand account describes double distillation of the brewery's wash at Kammer-Kirsch. The resulting single malt is matured in selected oak, with bourbon wood central to the standard expression and additional cask treatments used in other editions.
Peated Cask Finish is a particularly useful distinction. The documented release uses wood previously associated with Octomore. A smoky finishing cask does not prove that the underlying German malt was dried over peat.
The same caution applies to the wider shop: Pōkeno and other imported whiskies retain their own origins. Their presence on a Kammer-Kirsch product page is not evidence of Karlsruhe distillation.
Whisky range and release identities
The producer's Black Forest range page documents the following variants. The dated cask-strength bottling and ten-year expression remain separate from the standard whisky.
Expression | Documented specification |
|---|---|
Rothaus Black Forest Single Malt Whisky | Numerical age not established on the checked source. 43% ABV. 700 ml. Ex-bourbon casks. |
Rothaus Black Forest Peated Cask Finish | Numerical age not established on the checked source. 49.6% ABV. 700 ml. Bourbon maturation followed by an Octomore-cask finish. |
Rothaus Black Forest 10 Year Old | 10-year stated age or documented minimum; see release notes. 46.5% ABV. 700 ml. Ex-bourbon casks; producer describes a two-cask selection. |
Rothaus Black Forest Cask Strength 2025 | Numerical age not established on the checked source. 54.8% ABV. 500 ml. Detailed cask recipe not established in this pass. |
Release milestones and recognition
Whisky is one part of a longer spirits history rather than the founding product of Kammer-Kirsch. The Rothaus collaboration is the relevant whisky story; the catalogue's imported single malts are separate.
Flavoured liqueurs in the same brand family should not be promoted to mature whisky records. Equally, a gift set containing a standard whisky does not necessarily create another whisky identity.
Visiting and current practical information
The Karlsruhe premises offer a shop, while the website lists tastings and other events. The available information does not establish a regular daily tour of the production operation.
Check the current shop timetable or book a specific advertised event. Rothaus brewery visits and Kammer-Kirsch tastings take place in different locations, so confirm the venue rather than booking by the whisky name alone.
Explore more Whisky Clan distillery guides
These established guides provide regional comparisons and further reading. They are not all nearby visitor stops; check the location and access information in each guide.
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Frequently asked questions
Where is Rothaus Black Forest whisky distilled?
The producer describes distillation by Kammer-Kirsch in Karlsruhe using wash supplied by Rothaus brewery.
Are all whiskies on the Kammer-Kirsch website German?
No. The company also distributes imported whisky, which retains its original producer and country.
Does Peated Cask Finish mean peat-smoked barley?
Not necessarily. The checked description concerns an Octomore finishing cask rather than a confirmed peat-malted recipe.
Can I walk into a daily distillery tour?
A regular daily production-tour schedule was not established. Use the producer's current shop and event information.
Sources and photograph credits
External references are grouped here. Producer descriptions are attributed, and no independent tasting, award or review score is invented. Sources checked 26 October 2026.
Kammer-Kirsch, official site photograph.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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