The four-member team from the Black Forest is entirely dedicated to the nut. Using cashews, coconut, pistachios, and hazelnuts, Nutsler produces innovative spirits. The world of pâtisserie inspires the friends to create finely balanced compositions that are hard to forget.
Conversation with Stefan Nagel of Nutsler
Stefan, the Black Forest is actually known for fruit brandies. How did you come up with the nut?
We are dedicated to the nut because it is simply fascinating. A Williams pear brandy or a cherry schnapps tastes great, but they stick to their original fruit flavors. With nuts, it is different from the start. You can discover many flavor components in the individual varieties. For us, focusing on something authentic from the Black Forest was important. We didn't want to make the next gin or whiskey. That is how we came up with nut schnapps. We approached the subject slowly. And, of course, we really like drinking it ourselves!
Who is behind Nutsler, and how long have you been around?
We Nutsler haven't been around for that long. We founded our company in April 2019. Before that, we spent two years experimenting with the varieties and tasting different recipes. We all have a connection to the Black Forest. Thorsten grew up there, and Bernd is a true Black Forest local. Alexander spent his school years there, and I am Swabian. We are friends and have known each other for up to 20 years. We went live at my wedding in the autumn of 2019, making Nutsler available to a wider public for the first time.
For our master distiller Bernd, the craft of distilling runs in the family.
However, you are not only based in the Black Forest, you also have a connection to a big metropolis?
The production and the heart of Nutsler are located in the Ortenau district of the Black Forest, where there are over 5,000 distilleries. The craft of distilling also runs in the family for our master distiller, Bernd. Alexander and I are in Berlin. Therefore, our motto is: Handcrafted in the Black Forest and tasted in Berlin. For us, the connection between nature and the metropolis is an enrichment, and we give each other inspiration. We benefit from the traditional craftsmanship in the Black Forest and the taste inspirations from Berlin.
And who does what in the Nutsler team?
Our master distiller Bernd Schremp is responsible for the product. Thorsten is in charge of logistics and shipping. Alexander is our financial genius, and I am responsible for brand development. But we are four guys, and everyone always does a bit of everything. We decide together which varieties to develop next. Then we hold tastings and decide together whether we should bring a new product to market.
Three of you actually come from a different industry. What is the advantage of that?
For me, the world of spirits was actually uncharted territory. Alexander also comes from the film industry. Our master distiller Bernd is, of course, an expert, and Thorsten previously worked in the agricultural sector. Because we are newcomers to the industry, we can look at things from a fresh perspective. We interpret spirits more modernly. Today's generation finds sharpness in schnapps "boozy." It is important to find a new way and adapt the product to the taste of the customer and the spirit of the times. We don't insist on the old ways. Our Nutslers taste milder and sweeter. Simply delicious!
Among all the trendy drinks, local schnapps is simply getting the short end of the stick.
Do you want to set a new trend with a classic alongside whiskey, gin, and Co.?
There are a lot of trendy drinks, and we have absolutely nothing against them. But local schnapps is simply getting the short end of the stick. It is a matter close to our hearts to revitalize the classic nut schnapps. We believe nut schnapps is the dustiest spirit of all. We are the first nut schnapps distillery in Germany. What gin was 15 years ago, we want to be with Nutsler. Our modern interpretation also applies to the design. The long, conventional bottles for fruit brandies are practical but old-fashioned. We design our Nutslers to be more innovative and fresher. There is high demand, even among younger target groups around 30 years old. There is no attractive offer for them among the classics. We are the German tequila – just without the agave, but with full concentration on the nut.
What defines the balance between innovation and tradition for you?
Our production is classic, but we are reinventing nut schnapps in terms of varieties. We use significantly more nuts for the distilling process than usual. The maceration, distillation, and maturation take place in a traditional way. Our master distiller Bernd is an expert at that. However, it was a major challenge for him to develop processes for the production of cashew and pistachio schnapps. There is no clear, traditionally distilled pistachio, coconut, or cashew schnapps anywhere in the world. You only find liqueurs, cloudy and milky distillates, or a Bacardi Coconut with artificial flavors. In this respect, our production processes are also innovative.
For new recipes, taste is always the primary criterion.
You spend a lot of time on the unique taste of each individual nut variety. How do your recipes come about?
Taste is always the primary criterion. We always think about and taste individual nut varieties in flavor compositions, mostly from the world of pâtisserie. That might sound sweet and sticky, but we are consciously guided by the craft of baking. There are great associations and typical flavors associated with coconut, pistachio, and hazelnut. Everyone knows roasted and salted pistachios. But you also associate sweet pistachio ice cream with them. We draw inspiration from this and develop a unique composition for each nut variety. In doing so, we specifically tease out certain nuances. Technically speaking, we can use what we have learned for new varieties. Basically, nuts have a similar consistency, which is crucial for the maceration process.
And how exactly do you make a Nutsler?
The nuts macerate in alcohol and are then distilled. That is the most authentic way of production. We place great importance on traditional craftsmanship. The individual nut varieties require different approaches. Coconut, for example, soaks for much less time because it is very accessible due to its flesh. With cashews, it was difficult to optimize the process. They rely on their consistency, and sometimes we thought: this will never work! The cashew schnapps is the tartest of all the Nutslers. Now we affectionately call it our Black Forest Whiskey.
Where do you source your ingredients?
Setting up the logistics was not easy. We really wanted to cooperate with smaller, regional dealers. We now work with a Hamburg-based freight forwarding company that specializes in nuts. Through them, we source our cashews from India. Hazelnuts come from the Black Forest.
How do you drink a Nutsler correctly?
We normally drink Nutsler at room temperature from our small shot glasses. Only for the pistachio do I recommend enjoying it chilled as well. In Berlin, we take the opportunity to develop delicious Nutsler creations with bartenders. Our coconut water is excellent for a modern type of Piña Colada. With a Hamburg Schwarzwaldbar, we created a "Black Forest." It is similar to a Black Russian, but you replace the Kahlúa with a Nutsler. In other words, you can wonderfully integrate our spirits into cocktails. But our core focus remains clearly the pure nut schnapps.
What do customers appreciate about your spirits?
We have only been around for two years, and we receive consistently positive feedback on our products. We are happy about everyone who tries Nutsler. 80 percent then return and want more from us. It is interesting to note that our customers consist half of women and half of men. There has even been a report about us in Cosmopolitan and Barbara magazine.
We will continue to stick to the clarity of a traditional schnapps in the future.
What are your plans for the future?
We want to grow overall and become more visible in order to inspire even more people to enjoy Nutsler. We have already had a few sales outside of Germany. For a short time, we thought about producing liqueurs. But we will stick to the clarity of a traditional schnapps. We always have plans for new compositions, such as candied almonds or grape-nut. It remains exciting, and we experiment for the joy of it. Only when all four of us are convinced by a product does a new Nutsler appear. We take our time. We don't want to do a lot very quickly; we want to do a little bit very well.
What is your favorite Nutsler, and do you have a recipe recommendation?
I like our Hazelnut Nutsler best, while my wife prefers the pistachio. I enjoy drinking it pure in the evening. It works wonderfully for chocolatey drinks like a White Russian. But its original taste is best showcased in its pure form.
