Spotlight - 14.2019

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Fotos: Leon Harris, Epine_art/iStock.com

THE UK IN GERMANY 14/2019 Spotlight

D

rive 90 minutes

south of Munich,

to the traditional

Bavarian village of

Peiting, and you’ll

find an unexpect-

ed international treat: Xaver, a bar with

a world-class selection of whisky. Here,

owner Monika Pummer, who also helps

to run Dragoner, her family’s hotel across

the street, stocks more than 500 whiskies

from all over the world — an accomplish-

ment honoured in the 2018 and 2019 edi-

tions of Whisky Guide Deutschland, which

lists her place as being among the top 50

whisky bars in Germany. Although her

love affair with whisky started just a few

years ago, she is keen to introduce her pas-

sion to others. To her, whisky is liquid art.

The word “whisky” comes from the

Gaelic expression uisce beatha, meaning

“water of life”. The Scots spell it “whis-

ky”, and it is also called “Scotch”, short

for “Scotch whisky”. Single-malt whis-

kies from Scotland, such as those from

the Laphroaig distillery, are among the

world’s finest. “Whiskey” is the spelling

favoured by the Irish, and “Bourbon whis-

key” is an American variation. Whisky is

made in numerous other countries, too,

and the basic ingredients are essentially

the same: water, yeast and grains such

as barley. The most crucial step in whis-

ky production, however, comes after

malting, mashing, fermentation and dis-

tillation: that’s maturation. The whisky

has to remain in casks for at least three

years before it’s allowed to be sold in

countries such as Scotland.

People who love whisky can talk for

hours about its qualities, heritage and

flavour. It’s no different for Monika Pum-

mer. Spotlight met her in Peiting to find out

more.

Spotlight: How do you like to describe

your whisky bar?

Monika Pummer: Comfortable and

small. I want people to feel good when

they come here. I want them to put away

their cell phones and talk to one another.

We have a very relaxing atmosphere

here. It’s never too crowded, so the level

of background noise isn’t bad. It’s all

about cosiness. We have a great selection

of locally brewed beer, 100 different

kinds of gin from all over the world, and

we serve between 30 and 40 different

kinds of rum. But my passion is whisky.

How many whiskies do you have here?

At the moment, I serve more than 500

different kinds of whisky from all over

the globe. Most are from Scotland and

Ireland, and more than 30 are from

the United States, plus some from

Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, India,

Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.

THE UK IN GERMANY

Whisky heaven

Eine erstklassige Auswahl bester Whiskys erwartet man in einer Bar in Schottland

• aber mitten in Oberbayern? KARIN HOLLY stolperte dort über ein
  ungewöhnliches Lokal, in dem Hunderte Whiskys serviert werden.
  ADVANCED

accomplishment

[E(kVmplISmEnt]

, Leistung

barley [(bA:li]

, Gerste

brew [bru:]

, brauen

cask [kA:sk]

, Fass

cosiness [(kEUzinEs]

, Gemütlichkeit,

Behaglichkeit

crucial [(kru:S&l]

, wesentlich, ent­

scheidend

heritage [(herItIdZ]

, Herkunft

malting [(mO:ltIN]

, Mälzen

mashing [(mÄSIN]

, Maischen

maturation

[)mÄtSu(reIS&n]

, Reifung

stock [stQk]

, vorrätig haben

treat [tri:t]

, Vergnügen, Gaumen­

freude

yeast [ji:st]

, Hefe