August Ernst GmbH & Co. KG

August Ernst GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned spirits producer based in Bad Oldesloe, Schleswig-Holstein. The business began in 1898, when master distiller and farmer August Ernst established a Korn distillery together with an agricultural operation in Bad Oldesloe. Its early specialities included Oldesloer Korn and Oldesloer Kümmel, which became the foundation of the company’s regional spirits business.

In 1948, August Ernst transferred the distillery to his son Richard Ernst, who expanded its sales network beyond the traditional regional market. Harald Ernst joined the management in 1964 as the third generation of the family. Continued growth led the company to acquire a 16,000-square-metre site in Bad Oldesloe’s industrial area in 1971, where a new production facility was built; a further major distillery expansion was completed in 1990. Thomas Ernst entered the management in 1993 as the fourth generation.

Expansion also came through acquisitions. August Ernst purchased Erkelenzer Kornbrennerei in 1978, the Specht fruit distillery in 1980, and Meeraner Spirituosen und Weinkellerei, including the Greizer liqueur and herbal distillery, in 1992. These acquisitions broadened both the company’s production capacity and its portfolio of German spirits brands.

August Ernst remains a family-owned spirits company headquartered in Bad Oldesloe. Today it produces and distributes brands including Oldesloer, Greizer, Specht, Meeraner, Romanza Amaretto, Stern-Marke, Holborn, Zinnaer Klosterbruder and Scharlachberg, continuing more than a century of distilling activity in the town.