Attention to detail, only.

The first component is the cereal base. Adjacent to our distillery grows the rare mountain wheat Biosfera Val Müstair “Gran Alpin”. Only recently saved from extinction, this ancient cereal grows at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level requiring no pesticides, no weed killers and no heavy machinery. It is as natural as cereal can be.

Upon harvesting, the pure corn is brought to nearby Promontogno (Bergell) where our friend Master miller Scartazzini carefully grinds it in the traditional mill his family has been operating for over 150 years. After a gentle treatment, the corn is returned to the distillery where it settles and its natural fermentation begins. Modern science and chemicals could speed this process up but time remains the best agent and Kranewitt mash is left to develop on its own.

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The seasonal impact on fermentation is considerable and this process can last up to three months in the winter, much less during the warmer parts of the year when nature is more active.

While the mash slowly ferments, Luciano and his wife Gisella focus on the second component of an outstanding distillate: its botanicals. Berettas could follow the common trend and acquire them elsewhere. But their ambition to amass the best possible ingredients pushes them up the mountain. They hike to altitudes as high as 2’800 meters to hand pick untouched, pristine fruits, roots, seeds, pine cones and herbs.

The third component in any distillate and one of the key characteristics is the water. It is a key ingredient as well as an essential cooling agent throughout the process.

Our distillery is located on the edge of the Swiss national park within walking distance of the spring from which it is fed. There lies the origin of the purity and unsurpassable quality of its water. It contains no limescale and is rich in minerals. The combination of altitude and spring water also results in another particularity: a boiling point reached at 90 C (212 F). It results in a more delicate, more sustainable distilling.

While the Alps are commonly associated with ample water supply, Luciano Beretta has been an advocate of its scarcity and value as a resource for close to 40 years. Water is not to be wasted. Accordingly, Luciano, who also read engineering, modified the cooling system of the distillery into a closed circuit. The water used to cool the distillation process reaches a temperature of 80C and is then redirected to heat the distillery as well as the adjoining living quarters. The result is striking. Rather than using around 1000 litres of cooling water for each distillation, we are able to reuse the same amount of water cycle after cycle.    

The fourth component of production is a technical symbiosis: time, our master distiller and his equipment. Luciano Beretta uses state-of-the-art Holstein distillation columns and stills which he extensively adapted.

A traditional wood fire slowly heats up the still allowing all scents and aromas ample time to develop and engulf each other. The still comes to life, the room is filled with cracks and hisses, Luciano’s equipment starts “talking to him”. Luciano never leaves his post during the process which can last several hours. He does not rely on programmes and digital measuring equipment. He uses his senses do determine progress.

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The most striking proof of his skills, his 36 awards are even more astonishing when one realizes that Luciano does not drink any alcohol. His is the pleasure of distilling, the conviction that if only the best ingredients are used, the result is set.

Slowly Kranewitt comes into being, growing into a sensory journey through the UNESCO Swiss national Park and Biosfera Val Mustair region. Berettas did not only bottle the product’s traditional botanicals but a whole pristine alpine world. Kranewitt opens up a smooth, warm and lingering array of alpine tastes perpetually changing throughout its degustation. A liquid alpine adventure!