Eder on Tour – Scharfenstein Castle

On Friday, April 29, 2022, I and two coopers set off for the Harz Mountains. More precisely, to Leinefelde-Worbis, Thüringen, to the fairytale castle Scharfenstein.

But what would two coopers and a sales member want to do in a medieval castle?

Go on vacation?

Not quite!

On the weekend from 29.04 to 30.04, the first German Whisky Festival took place at Scharfenstein Castle. The festival was organized by the Association of German Whisky Distillers, an organized association with currently 47 members, whose goal is to increase the awareness of German whisky. Of the 47 members, 30 distilleries were represented at the festival over the weekend.

Images ©Moritz Rennecke

Images ©Moritz Rennecke – From left to right: Silas and Jens

Jens and Silas, the two coopers arrived at the castle already on Friday morning and took care of setting up our booth.

At our booth the visitors could buy small whisky barrels, with the logo of the castle and get information about wooden barrels and the company Eder. Next to the stand the real spectacle took place.

In order to show the visitors of the festival the craft of coopering, our coopers demonstrated how a barrel is pulled together over a wood fire. One by one, the visitors could marvel at how a barrel is made.

We hope that we were able to show the visitors what a laborious craft coopering is.

In addition to the coopers, visitors to the festival were also able to look over the shoulders of other craftsmen, such as glassblowers and distillers.
Spread over the lovingly restored castle, the visitors found the booths of the distilleries and some other booths.
Various bands provided the right atmosphere on Saturday. And who got hungry from all the whisky, could supply themselves at the food stands.

Those who found the hustle and bustle a bit too much could relax on the terrace with a cool drink and an impressive view.

Supplied with a lot of new knowledge and a lot of impressions, we started our journey home on Saturday.

Images ©Moritz Rennecke

All pictures were sent to us by ©Moritz Rennecke. Also check out his Facebook and Instagram account.

Cheers,