From vinegar manufacturer to herbal liqueur brand from Wolfenbüttel
The story begins in 1878: Wilhelm Mast buys the main building in Großer Zimmerhof in Wolfenbüttel. It still stands in the same spot in the city center today. After the First World War, his son Curt Mast continues to run the former vinegar factory as a spirits factory and wine shop.
Curt Mast is a passionate hunter and is looking for an herbal liqueur for the social hours after the hunt. In 1934 he finds the recipe, and in 1935 Jägermeister is launched as a specialty for hunters. He has the name, label, and Hubertus stag head protected as trademarks. The Wolfenbüttel specialty becomes an export product: the liqueur has been going abroad since the early 1970s, and today it is sold in more than 150 countries. The company remains a family business to this day, with its headquarters in Wolfenbüttel.
56 ingredients, cold-macerated and aged for one year in oak barrels
The 56 herbs, blossoms, roots, and fruits come from all over the world. They are delivered to Wolfenbüttel unprocessed and are only processed further there. The raw materials include cinnamon bark from Ceylon, bitter orange peel from Australia, and ginger roots from South Asia. The distillers check the raw materials by hand according to the four-eyes principle.
The ingredients are ground, mixed, and cold-macerated in an alcohol-water mixture. This takes about five weeks in total. The filtered base is filled into oak barrels, where it is stored in the herb cellar for at least one year. Only then do the master distillers balance it with water, alcohol, sugar, and caramel. According to the manufacturer, every batch undergoes 383 quality checks before it is bottled. The recipe has been considered unchanged since 1934.
Bittersweet, spicy, ice-cold: Jägermeister in the glass
Jägermeister has 35% ABV and a deep dark brown color. In the bouquet, you will find fruits, roots, and herbs. On the palate, citrus, ginger, and star anise stand alongside a slightly bitter herbal note. The taste is bittersweet, the finish is nutty.
Classically, you drink it ice-cold at −18 °C neat. It is also suitable as a base for long drinks. In addition to the original, Mast-Jägermeister SE also produces the wild fruit liqueur SchlehenFeuer. In our shop, you will find Jägermeister herbal liqueur in the 1-liter bottle.
