Why Single Malt Whiskey?

When this project started in 2018, Christian could not have predicted the result of his first release. Our whiskey distiller has always been attracted to malt whiskey for a couple of reasons: its dignified character and body and the freedom to be more playful when choosing malts and barrels.

We are passionate about our products. Our Single Malt Whiskey is rooted in heritage grains grown, malted, and produced in Minnesota.

According to Loeffelholz, malt whiskey is a more diverse category than people may think. “From the grain that you use to the fermentation, how you mash, and how you barrel the whiskey, there are a lot of choices to make and, therefore, many opportunities to create a unique product.” 

Christian describes his home state of Minnesota as “the bread basket of the United States”. As such, although single malt whiskey is limited only to the use of malted barley, there is a wide range of barley varietals that can be used in the mash bill.

Christian comments: “So we actually have one of the largest malting companies in the world located in Minnesota. In addition to that, the craft beer boom in the United States has encouraged more craft maltsters to pop up. This means that there are loads of different barley varietals, as well as malting practices in different styles. So, it is kind of a hotbed of variations.” 

A Hand-Hammered Still

Dampfwerk’s hand-hammered still, from Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is steam-jacketed with “an incredibly wide column” and has long been used to distill its signature fruit brandies. 

However, in experimenting with distillation, Christian found that the hand-hammered still helped to contribute to the gentle whiskey profile he was searching for. “It’s very much a still that is designed to be as gentle as possible on the product. 

“Distillation is quite an intense process. There is a lot of heat, so you are destroying some of the esters and other flavor compounds within the product. The goal with the fruit brandies was to ensure that you are destroying as little as possible. 

“We found that this was really beneficial for the malt whiskey as well.”

Who is Christian?

Christian Loeffelholz is the son of the Head Distiller, Ralf. Ever since the Dampfwerk turned on its still, Christian was there alongside it. After studying Food Science at the University of Minnesota, where he focused on specialty chemistry and biology coursework and attended professional distillation training courses.

This background continues to influence and evolve his approach to the mash bill, fermentation, and distillation of the whiskey, as well as the unique barrels used for finishing. One of the beauties of being a craft distillery is that you can take risks in choosing barrels, yeasts, and malts.

Future Of Single Malt Whiskey

The Loeffelholz family began their single malt whiskey venture with a history in distillation but no experience in distilling whiskey. Christian thinks that this has worked to their advantage. “From the very beginning, we had approached this as if we were students. So, we shy away from the terms ‘Master Distiller’ and ‘Master Blender’. We have a very strong identity of learning.

“We are very eager to play around.”

It is a very liberating thing to learn as you go. You don’t feel so entrenched and set in your ways. I can challenge myself and take my product in different directions.” 

So, let’s see where this takes us.