PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Echte Kroatzbeere has been delighting palates for nearly a century, built from a recipe that traces directly back to 1907, when Moritz Thienelt first developed it using wild forest blackberries. "Kroatzbeere" is itself an old German dialect name for wild blackberry — "Echte" meaning "genuine" or "true" — and the name alone signals exactly what this liqueur is built to deliver: the real thing, not a diluted approximation of it. What sets this bottle apart from most commercial berry liqueurs is the sheer concentration of actual fruit behind it — roughly half of every bottle is pure wild blackberry juice, a ratio virtually unmatched in the category, and a genuine point of contrast against something like Chambord, which blends raspberry, blackberry, vanilla, and cognac into a lighter, more multi-layered profile at just 16.5% ABV. Echte Kroatzbeere, by comparison, sits at 30% ABV, giving it considerably more body, a drier finish, and a texture closer to a genuine fruit preserve than a typical sugary liqueur.
Wine Enthusiast awarded 92 Points, describing it as "rich and lovely," a wild-blackberry liqueur "reminiscent of fresh fruit warmed in the sun," pouring "a concentrated, nearly opaque plum hue," with "earthy, ripe fruit flavor" that "builds with repeated sips" — the reviewer's own recommendation: "dash a bit into a bubbly drink like a Kir, or serve as a dessert pairing with dark chocolate." An extended critic tasting note found "the bouquet offers intense bramble, but scant fruit fragrances," with "the palate entry rich and concentrated with a deep blackberry taste," developing by midpalate into something "stony, ripe, preserves-like and ripe-sweet," finishing "jammy and ripe." Ruby red in color, produced according to the same traditional composition Thienelt established more than a century ago — now made in Switzerland, following the original German recipe — this remains a genuine house-bar staple: chilled and sipped neat, poured over ice, splashed into a Kir or Champagne, or drizzled over vanilla ice cream and holiday fruitcake, exactly as its longtime devotees have always used it.
Echte Kroatzbeere Blackberry Liqueur traces its recipe to 1907, developed by Moritz Thienelt using wild forest blackberries. The liqueur is built on pure wild blackberry juice, with fruit content reaching roughly 50% of the finished bottle — an unusually high ratio for the category, delivering genuine, concentrated fruit character rather than the artificial sweetness more common in commercial berry liqueurs. Production follows the same authentic recipe established more than a century ago, now carried out in Switzerland, where aromatic wild forest blackberries continue to be sourced according to the original formula. The finished liqueur is ruby red to deep plum in color, bottled at 30% ABV / 60 proof.
Wine Enthusiast — 92 Points:
"Rich and lovely, this wild-blackberry liqueur is reminiscent of fresh fruit warmed in the sun. A concentrated, nearly opaque plum hue, the earthy, ripe fruit flavor builds with repeated sips. Dash a bit into a bubbly drink like a Kir, or serve as a dessert pairing with dark chocolate."
Extended critic tasting note:
"The bouquet offers intense bramble, but scant fruit fragrances. The palate entry is rich and concentrated with a deep blackberry taste; by midpalate the tastes becomes stony, ripe, preserves-like and ripe-sweet. Finishes jammy and ripe."
Nose
Ruby red to deep, nearly opaque plum hue. Intense bramble and wild blackberry lead, with fresh fruit character reminiscent of berries warmed in the sun, though the fragrance itself stays somewhat restrained relative to the palate's intensity.
Palate
Rich and concentrated, with deep blackberry flavor carrying the entry. Earthy, ripe fruit character builds with repeated sips, developing by midpalate into a stony, preserves-like richness — closer to fruit jam than a typical sweet liqueur.
Finish
Jammy and ripe, closing with genuine concentrated blackberry character rather than lingering sugar — a drier, more textured finish than most fruit liqueurs in this category.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Wild Blackberry Liqueur (Crème de Mûre) |
| ABV / Proof | 30% ABV / 60 Proof |
| Fruit Content | ~50% pure wild blackberry juice |
| Recipe Origin | 1907, created by Moritz Thienelt |
| Production | Switzerland (authentic original German recipe) |
| Critics | Wine Enthusiast 92 Points |
| Style / Identity | An unusually high-fruit-content, concentrated wild blackberry liqueur — jammy, earthy, genuinely fruit-forward |
| Aromas & Flavors | Wild blackberry, bramble, earthy ripe fruit, preserves, jam |
| Best Served | Chilled, neat, on the rocks, in a Kir, or as a dessert drizzle |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Kir
A dash of Thiennelt Echte Kroatzbeere in a glass of dry white wine — the reviewer's own recommended serve.
Champagne Cocktail
A splash topped with sparkling wine or Champagne for a rich, jammy variation on the classic Kir Royale.
Neat or On the Rocks — the traditional German serving style, chilled.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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