Rhöntropfen

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0.7 liter bottle of Rhöntropfen

The Meininger Rhon drops of bitters is from the South Thuringia city of Meiningen derived liqueur . It is produced by the Edwin Schüerholz successor Distillerie- und Likörfabrik GmbH Meiningen . The liqueur is particularly well-known in and around the Rhön low mountain range and in the new federal states, where it has cult status. The liqueur was produced in Meiningen until the end of the 1990s, then in the neighboring municipality of Ritschenhausen and since the beginning of 2020 in Lauter-Bernsbach (Ore Mountains).

The herbal liqueur

The Rhöntropfen has been produced since 1877 and contains 35% alcohol by volume. It is a mild bitter stomach . The liqueur is distilled according to a secret recipe from purely natural herbs and spices from the Rhön. Every year 150,000 liters of Rhöntropfen are produced, which are available in bottle sizes of 0.02, 0.04, 0.1, 0.2, 0.35, 0.5 and 0.7 liters, as well as in two swing-top bottle sizes and in a gift box with glasses.

history

The Rhöntropfen has been produced and bottled in Meiningen since 1877 using a secret recipe. He soon became well known. During the GDR era, the Schüerholz liqueur factory was incorporated into the Rennsteig-Meiningen beverage combine . During this time, the Rhöntropfen was able to increase its level of awareness in the GDR, and it was also popular with FRG citizens.

After the political change in 1990, the beverage combine dissolved and the liqueur factory was privatized again in 1991 by the Wächter family under the name of Südthüringer Fruchtsaft & Spirituosen GmbH Meiningen (ThüSa). In addition to the Rhöntropfen, the company also produced other liqueurs , spirits and fruit drinks . With the expansion of the product range at the end of the 1990s, the capacity limits of the production facilities were reached. Since it was not possible to expand the company located in a residential area, a new plant was built in the industrial area of ​​Ritschenhausen a few kilometers away, where drinks have been bottled ever since.

From 2000 to 2003 there was a legal dispute between ThüSa GmbH and Mast-Jägermeister SE over the herbal liqueur "Wächters Forstmeister", which was first produced in Meiningen in 1883 and added back to the product range in 1997. Mast-Jägermeister feared losses and alleged damage to its product Jägermeister because of the similar name . After a court settlement at the Braunschweig Regional Court , Mast-Jägermeister paid ThüSa GmbH 25,000 euros for the trademark rights to "Forstmeister", but is not allowed to use it. ThüSa GmbH had to give the herbal liqueur a new brand name with the name “Forstwächter”.

At the beginning of 2011, the Südthüringer Fruchtsaft & Spirituosen GmbH Meiningen filed for bankruptcy and production was stopped. Due to the great demand from supermarket chains and trading companies for the Rhöntropfen and with the abandonment of the loss-making fruit juice division, the company was saved. Since November 2011, the Wächter family has been producing liqueurs and spirits again and thus the Rhöntropfen under the company name "Edwin Schüerholz Nachhaben Destillerie- und Likörfabrik GmbH Meiningen".

On January 1, 2020, Lautergold Paul Schubert GmbH from Lauter-Bernsbach in the Ore Mountains took over the production and distribution of the liqueur.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c FW Meininger Tageblatt / insuedthürigen.de New start for Meininger Rhoentropfen
  2. ↑ Schüerholz GmbH
  3. ↑ spiegel.de Jägermeister versus Forstmeister - there can only be one
  4. ↑ Markenplatz

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