My Year Abroad: October 2010

Jägermeister Tour was amazing. There are over 65 herbs and spices that go into the drink. Some of which are "super-secret" that only one person in the company and their family knows. (rumor?) It get's added independently of the regularly processed ingredients at an unspecified time. Only the security guards watching the cameras may or may not know who it is. Security is ULTRA tight because there are such high volume alcohols being processed, no cameras or cell phones are allowed in many areas PERIOD. Not just a matter of Corporate Security, but they showed us some implementations in the event a spark were to occur causing a fire. People in certain rooms have only a couple of seconds to get out before all air is evacuated and fire suppressants applied. This is all to prevent explosions and chain reactions with all the alcohol flowing around in pipes into other vats in different parts of the building. All employees carry badges but are often restricted from many areas. Need to know, need to go basis. Some of the ingredients i can remember (but i wasn't allowed to take pictures) include: cinnamon, star anise, saffron, fennel, Licorice, orange peel, cloves, cammomile, among many many many others.

Each herb/spice is completely organic and seperated, sifted, and checked for pesticides, toxins, bacterias. By the time the ingredients actually make it to production, there will have been over 300 individual quality tests. The alcohol is also tested for purity and it's composition. It is derived from potatoes or grain.

The Herbs/Spices are individually emptied onto a conveyor and then finely ground and sorted into special groups. There are 4 different kind of maceration tanks used for extracting herbal substance and infusing it with a alcohol water mixture. These stainless tanks are very very large. It takes 5 days for this process and must be done in different containers for different herbs because of quality purposes. The ENTIRE process of making Jägermeister is COLD; not once is it heated or some of the extracts will be rendered useless. The Alcohol/Water is pumped through constantly and then after the 5 days it is all combined and stored. At this point whatever herbs that are left in the vats are stripped of their color and nutrients completely.

The mixture is then pumped into huge holding tanks that vibrate ever so slightly and sit for a couple weeks so that the dense particle bits will settle (and can then be purged). Once you are left with only liquid and no solid matter, the mix gets pumped into HUGE oak barrels that hold anywhere from 6,000 to as much as 9,600 Liters. The oldest of which is over 100 years old. These barrels are repaired/replaced on site. This is where the mix will sit for 15 months. The barrels are completely beast. They are located in cellers under ground and are assembled on the spot. Once assembled, they never move....ever. They are built exactly where they are going to be left.

After sitting for a super long time, it is filtered several more times then is mixed with more alcohol/water, caramel, tiny bit of sugar (smaller than you would think). Depending on where the product is being leased, the mix might be sent separate with the caramel and the water/alcohol will be added at another site (i.e. Austria). They do rigorous quality testing that the main branch at Wolfenbüttel must approve first. The base-mix is ONLY made here in Wolfenbüttel.

It is then ready to be bottled. The bottles are inspected and checked for air pockets, divits etc. Any anomalies and the bottle is scrapped. It is then cleaned with a burst of purified air and the the air is pumped out of the bottle while being filled with fluid. It is checked by laser and if the fill is incorrect, it is drained/reprocessed and the bottle is scrapped. If it passes, then it goes off to labeling. If there is any missing label, crooked label or any spare adhesive somewhere on the bottle. It is emptied/reprocessed and the bottle is scrapped. They only use the bottle ONCE (recycle the glass of course, but each bottle only gets one chance to be perfect).

Jägermeister means literally Master Hunter or Game Keeper. The symbol of St. Hubertus, the patron saint of hunters, is the Stag with an illuminated cross. Story has it "Hubertus was a wild and unrestrained hunter, without responsibility towards the creatures that he hunted and was captivated by the drive to kill.

Even on the holy day of Sunday, he set off into the forest with his dog and weapon and cared little about the day of the Lord. Until one holy day, emerging from the dark woods, a large white deer carrying an illuminated cross between his antlers confronted him.

From the moment of his vision, he devoted himself to good works under the banner of the antlered stag."

The "Jägermeister" is the leading authority and is responsible for regulating regions for all things hunt, keeping a balance with nature.

The words around the label are always in german regardless of which world market it's catered to:

"Das ist des Jägers Ehrenschild,
daß er beschützt und hegt sein Wild,
weidmännisch jagt, wie sich's gehört,
den Schöpfer im Geschöpfe ehrt."

which translates to:

It is the hunter’s honour that he
Protects and preserves his game,
Hunts sportsmanlike, honours the
Creator in His creatures.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST TOURS i'd ever recommend if you are in the area. I never really preferred Jägermeister as a drink... but there is a LOT that they put into making it as pure as perfect as possible. It's not a very easy drink to make but it definitely earned my respect. At the end of the tour you get a gift comprising of two collector Jägermeister shot glasses and a 0,1L bottle of Jägermeister.

If anyone visits, whether or not i'm still in Braunschweig, set up a tour 2-3 weeks in advance (sometimes shorter if you're lucky)..... contact:

Andrea Ostheer
Mast-Jägermeister AG
Jägermeisterstraße 7-15
38296 Wolfenbüttel
+49 (0) 53 31 - 81417

Ask for Sharon Hall to be your tour-guide. She spoke to us in clean Hochdeutsch but will give the tour in english as well as she's from the UK. The way she engages visitors while telling stories makes it fun; never a boring moment.

The tour is FREE