Knobelfreund Aquavit
Sarstedt, Niedersachsen, Germany
- ABV
- 35%
- Base spirit
- Unknown
- Color
- Clear
- Style
- Unaged Aquavit
Knobelfreund Aquavit was a German aquavit produced by the Gerhard Otto Plage Spirituosenfabrik in Sarstedt, Lower Saxony. The documented miniature was bottled at 35% ABV in a 20 ml format. Although marketed historically as an aquavit, its strength falls below the 37.5% minimum required for aquavit under current EU rules.
The product was presented with a humorous social theme centered on Knobeln, the German dice game: the label depicts two men drinking at a table with dice in front of them. Knobelfreund formed part of Plage’s broader range of novelty-labelled spirits and liqueurs, which included products with playful and deliberately provocative names.
Knobelfreund Aquavit is now a historical, discontinued expression from the former Gerhard Otto Plage spirits range.
About the producer
Gerhard Otto Plage Spirituosenfabrik
Sarstedt, Niedersachsen, Germany
Gerhard Otto Plage Spirituosenfabrik operated a spirits business in Sarstedt, Lower Saxony. Historical directory material lists the company in Sarstedt as a spirits manufacturer, while later commercial directories describe the business as Spirituosenfabrik, Weinkellerei und Weinimport, indicating activities in spirits production, wine storage and wine importing.
The company became particularly associated with novelty-labelled spirits and liqueurs. Contemporary press from 1989 identifies Gerhard Otto Plage explicitly as a Spirituosenfabrikant in Sarstedt and reports strong demand for products such as Busengrapscher, alongside other humorously named miniature spirits.
The business was still active in the early 1990s. In 1991, German press again referred to Gerhard Otto Plage as a spirits producer in connection with the use of two of his products, Busengrapscher and Schlüpferstürmer, in a film.
Gerhard Otto Plage’s range also included other novelty spirits and liqueurs such as Feige Lümmel, Wilde Pflaume, Freche Früchtchen and Sackhüpfer. A later historical account notes that the company has since closed.