The Spreewald, an hour south of Berlin, is a maze of waterways, alder forest and small villages where storks nest on chimneys every summer. It is also one of the few places in Germany where rye still grows as a proud regional crop — and it was this that drew Steffen Lohr, Bastian Heuser and Sebastian Brack to found Spreewood Distillers in 2016, taking over the old Schloss Freienfels facility.
Stork Club Straight Rye is made from 100% German grain, mostly rye with a touch of malted barley, and matured in new American oak in the American straight tradition. The name is a direct tribute to the white storks that give the Spreewald its summer soundtrack.
The nose is classic rye attitude with a German accent — cracked black pepper, dark rye bread crust, a pinch of dill seed and bright orange zest over vanilla and clove. The palate arrives with punchy rye spice, pumpernickel and caraway leading into white pepper, then softens beautifully into honey, toffee and stewed apple. It is spicier and drier than most American ryes, but with a cereal honesty that feels rooted in its fields.
The finish is peppery and warming, ending on a faint mintiness and that unmistakable sourdough crust note. Spreewood have managed something rare: a rye that tastes of its place rather than any borrowed tradition. It is Brandenburg in a bottle, and a welcome reminder that rye was never only an American story.
