Dettling Swiss Kirsch: A Cherry Brandy to Savor for Purity and the OU Symbol

In 1867, Franz-Xaver Dettling established a trading company in Brunnen, Switzerland specializing in Italian wines and operating a distilling plant for mountain cherries from Central Switzerland. Dettling’s business quickly became successful.

In 1909 Franz-Xaver’s son, Arnold, took over the company, and it was renamed to include his name. In the 1930s — an economically difficult period in Switzerland — the company was managed by Arnold Dettling’s son, also named Arnold.Thanks to his business acumen the company survived World War II and was again successful after the war. Beginning in 1978, the company was creatively managed by another Franz-Xaver Dettling, the great-grandson of the founder.

Since 1991, Arnold Dettling AG has been connected to Underberg AG, a family-owned company producing and distributing famous brands in the beverage industry. The core of Dettling’s business is Kirsch, a well known Swiss liqueur, and the winner of many awards both in Switzerland and abroad.

Kirsch is a cherry brandy, in other words, a distillate made from cherries. Usually fruit distillers produce distillates from all kinds of fruits, including apples, pears, apricots and cherries; Dettling, however, only distils cherries, which distinguishes it from the other companies.The advantage is that the distillation pots are not absorbing flavors from other fruits, resulting in pure cherry brandy produced by Dettling. Because of this cherry exclusivity, Dettling’s slogan is “Exclusively Kirsch.”

Only exquisite and ripe cherries are used for fermentation, with eight kilograms of fruit being required for a single litre of Kirsch. The cherry brandies ripen in 50 litre demijohns or in different types of wooden vats. Seasonal variations in temperature give the distillation an exclusive taste.

By focusing on cherries, Dettling acquired a unique knowledge of Kirsch in all its variations. A personal relationship with cherry farmers and selection of the fruit, combined with intuition and the knowledge of distillation, are as important to the manufacturing process as is carefully monitoring fermentation. Whenever you pour Dettling Kirsch, this attention to detail becomes obvious.

Kirsh goes back to the beginnings of the firm in 1867 when Franz-Xaver discovered that the black cherries grown in central Switzerland produce a highly aromatic brandy when distilled gently. Today, the careful selection of ripe cherries and the skilled art of distillation make Dettling one of Europe’s leading producers of Kirsch—and the only one that is OU certified.

OU certification helps to enlarge Dettling Kirsch’s premium position in the international market and sets the highest standards for our product line. Consumers know that the OU means quality and search out products bearing the OU symbol. Therefore, it is an important priority for our Kirsch to feature OU on the label.

Dettling products can be found in quality liquor stores in most major American cities.

With an increasingly high level of quality combined with a spirit of innovation, Arnold Dettling AG proves again and again that it is a premium player in the Swiss cherry distiller industry. Being OU Kosher is an important component of this success.

OU Kosher Staff