Raspenava Distillery

Raspenava Distillery is a Czech alcoholic-beverage producer based in Raspenava, a town in the Frýdlant salient of the Liberec Region in the north of the Czech Republic. The company began production in 2021 and makes both fruit distillates and sugarcane rums; local growers can also have their own harvest distilled on site. The business is privately owned by Miroslav Rýdzi, who founded it after a stay in Jamaica where he studied different types of rum and decided to produce rum in the Czech Republic as well. The distillery occupies a former industrial building in Raspenava that had served as a solid-fuel warehouse. Rýdzi bought the property in 2020 and converted part of it into a spirits production facility according to his own design and the experience he gathered at Caribbean distilleries. He initially planned to make only rum, but while the building was being adapted he broadened the portfolio to include fruit spirits, because they can be produced faster than rum — fruit distillates do not need to age in barrels for as long as rum does. Raw materials are sourced from within the Czech Republic, including the Turnov area, the surroundings of Jičín and Moravia. Fruit spirits are made from pears, plums, blackcurrants and raspberries; the distillery has also experimented with almonds, oranges, quinces, cherries, sour cherries and blueberries. After distillation the spirit is stored in stainless-steel tanks or wooden barrels to mature, then diluted with water and bottled. The barrel stock includes four 110-litre wooden casks from the Cognac region of France, plus smaller casks imported from Brazil and the United States, where the previous owner used them for bourbon. The fruit that aged in a barrel influences the flavour and aroma of subsequent products made in it — for example, raspberry spirit was matured in casks that had held cognac, and apricot spirit in casks that had previously contained champagne and brandy. Maturation lasts from six months to several years and is monitored through regular tastings to determine the optimal moment of maturity. The most common products of the distillery are slivovice (plum brandy) and meruňkovice (apricot brandy), and it also offers weaker schnapps such as Hruštička and Vínovička. In 2024 the distillery received the Regional Food of the Liberec Region award for its Hruškovice (pear brandy), and in the same year its product label design succeeded in the international WorldStar Packaging Award competition. The company communicates with customers through its official website and social media channels including Facebook and Instagram, and its website carries an age-verification gate for the sale of alcohol.

Raspenava Distillery was founded by Miroslav Rýdzi, who had spent time in Jamaica and there became closely acquainted with various types of rum. He conceived the idea of producing rum in the Czech Republic as well. After investigating the possibilities, he concluded that he would have to establish his own distillery. In his native town of Raspenava he bought a former industrial building in 2020; the property had previously served as a warehouse for solid fuels. He rebuilt part of it according to his own design and the experience he had gained at Caribbean distilleries, turning it into a facility for producing alcoholic beverages. He had originally considered producing only rums, but while the building was being adapted he expanded his plans to include the production of fruit distillates, because their production is faster than the maturation of rum — fruit spirits do not have to age in barrels for as long as rum does. The company began production in 2021. It makes both fruit distillates and rums from sugarcane, and local growers can also have their own harvest distilled there. For production the distillery uses products from the Czech Republic, for example from the Turnov area, the surroundings of Jičín, and also from Moravia. It makes fruit spirits from pears, plums, blackcurrants and raspberries, and has also tried using almonds and oranges, and experimented with quinces, cherries, sour cherries and blueberries. Once the fruit has been distilled, the spirit is stored in stainless-steel tanks or wooden barrels. There it is left to mature and is then diluted with water and bottled. The wooden barrels number four, each with a volume of 110 litres, and come from the French Cognac region. Further small casks were imported from Brazil and the United States, where the previous owner had used them for bourbon. Which fruit matured in the barrels subsequently influences the flavour and aromatic characteristics of other products for which the barrels will be used. For example, raspberry spirit was left to mature in barrels that had held cognac, while apricot spirit was placed in casks that had previously contained champagne and brandy. The maturation itself lasts from six months to several years and is continuously checked by tastings so that the optimal time of maturity of the drink can be determined. Among the distillery's most frequent products are slivovice and meruňkovice, but it also offers weaker schnapps, Hruštička and Vínovička. In 2024 the distillery received the Regional Food of the Liberec Region award for its Hruškovice, and in the same year the appearance of the labels on the distillery's products succeeded in the international WorldStar Packaging Award competition. The company maintains an official website and is present on Facebook and Instagram; its website includes an age-verification gate for visitors entering the alcohol-sales pages.

• 2024

  Hruškovice receives the Regional Food of the Liberec Region award.

• 2024

  The distillery's product label design succeeds in the international WorldStar Packaging Award competition.

• 2021

  Raspenava Distillery begins production of fruit spirits and sugarcane rum.

• 2020

  Miroslav Rýdzi buys a former solid-fuel warehouse in Raspenava and begins converting part of it into a distillery.

Small-batch, craft Czech distillery combining Caribbean-inspired rum production with traditional Czech fruit spirits, using domestic fruit and a mix of Cognac, Brazilian and American casks.

• Slivovice (plum brandy)

  One of the distillery's most common products, a plum fruit spirit.

• Meruňkovice (apricot brandy)

  One of the distillery's most common products; apricot spirit matured in casks that previously held champagne and brandy.

• Hruškovice (pear brandy)

  Pear brandy that won the Regional Food of the Liberec Region award in 2024.

• Hruštička

  A weaker schnapps offered by the distillery.

• Vínovička

  A weaker schnapps offered by the distillery.

• Sugarcane rum

  Rum made from sugarcane, inspired by the owner's experience in Jamaica.

• Fruit spirits (pear, plum, blackcurrant, raspberry and experimental fruits)

  Fruit distillates made from Czech-grown fruit, including experiments with almonds, oranges, quinces, cherries, sour cherries and blueberries.

1. 1Výjimečné destiláty ze severu Čech | RASPENAVA DISTILLERYraspenavadistillery.com
2. 2Raspenava Distillerywikidata.org
3. 3Raspenava Distillerycs.wikipedia.org