The Etter family was distilling kirsch made from one single variety of cherry before the word “vintage” had ever been used. Long storage in 50-liter glass demijohns is necessary for the intensely concentrated flavors to meld together to reveal the true character of each year. Fluctuating temperatures in old barns where Etter “hides” these demijohns enable the young, rather raw, single-variety distillate to mature into a kirsch typical of the year in question. Savor slowly, as the flavors unfold unlike any other fruit brandy.

Etter’s old vintage Kirsch “AOP Zug” comes only from years of particularly good harvests of the “Lauerz” mountain cherry, which grows in tall trees located in a sunny position on the Zugerberg mountain. The “Weichsel” Kirsch comes from select sour cherries of the nearby area. The “VOWI” Kirsch uses the most renowned of sour cherry varieties, from trees whose yields are extremely low. The “Wild” Kirsch is the most elusive of all, drawn from wild cherry trees known only to the Etters and their close friends.