A rough wind blows over the Chateau Freiheim in Mösli. But even the wind cannot conceal that there is something else in the air. A fine scent of distilled spirits wafts towards our senses. Something is burning at the Studer distillery. As it has almost every day for over 130 years. Much has happened over this long period. And continues to happen today. Because as society changes, drinking habits change as well. While it was initially liqueurs and fruit brandies that were distilled with the Studers’ own spring water in the five kilns, today, along with the “vieilles” (Prune, Poire Williams and Abricot), gin, rum, vodka, and absinthe are the flagship products of the traditional family business.

The remarkable thing is that with the Studers, the recipes for these distillates do not need to be reinvented. “Our company’s greatest treasure is a thick book containing hundreds of original recipes from over 130 years,” explains Ivano Friedli-Studer. Recipes that are increasingly being used again today. The gin, for example, which is currently receiving award after award, is based on an original recipe from 1888.

Preserving tradition, daring to innovate
Ivano Friedli-Studer and his son Saverio pay tribute to this family heritage. Remaining bound to old traditions, however, is not for them. “Many of these recipes simply no longer correspond to drinking tastes today. But if you enrich them with new ideas and interpret them in a modern way, it’s fully possible to be in tune with the times,” says Ivano Friedli-Studer. This is precisely what happened just recently with the “Nutcracker”, a hazelnut liqueur. The addition of new – of course secret – ingredients resulted in a liqueur that, barely on the market, sparked a great deal of enthusiasm and was named Liqueur of the Year by an international jury. The Studers are used to awards, having received over 200 thus far for their fruit brandies and fine spirits. And they have also been honoured as Distillery of the Year on several occasions.

The secret of their long-lasting success
We want to learn the secret of this consistent and long-lasting success, but Saverio Studer just shrugs, perplexed, and looks questioningly at his father. “Actually, we don’t really know either,” he says. “The most important prerequisite for success, of course, is mastery of the craft. Distilling requires a great deal of care, experience, and passion. But without nature, even all this wouldn’t do us any good. Nature provides us with the most important foundations for our products: carefully cultivated and selected fruits, herbs, and spices together with the purest water from our own spring.” For these things, he adds, they ought to be grateful every day. So perhaps this is precisely the secret of success: appreciating and respecting both nature and man.