Today, Spiritsfully will introduce you to a German initiative that is worth knowing, the “Society for the History of Spirits“. And maybe you will also tell me if you know of similar initiatives in other countries?
Thank you in advance!
I’d like to let you know about the newly founded “Society for the History of Spirits” or in German, “Gesellschaft für Geschichte des Branntweins” which is a non-profit association for the promotion of science and research. “The association aims to unite friends of ‘brandy’, people interested in the product ‘brandy’ and connoisseurs of the cultural-historical contexts”.
Here is an excerpt of an article in German about the non profit, telling a little bit more about with endeavour:
As one of the co-funder, Werner Albrecht, said:
“A society for history should always be oriented towards the present as well.” For his project, 30 years after German reunification, he is still looking for energetic comrades-in-arms to work on the history of the most important German distillers and spirits producers. The first step could be a corresponding map of Germany with the existing and dissolved companies. It would also be conceivable to illustrate the history of the post-reunification period using the development of individual distilleries and spirits producers as examples. Kurt Sartorius from the Schnapsmuseum Bönnigheim is preparing a map of distillery museums in German-speaking countries to be printed as a poster. The representatives of the small distillery associations present agreed to work on something about the recent history of their associations. Other topics were mentioned, but the whereabouts of archives or access to them must be clarified before research can begin. Other members who want to support or work on their own topics related to the history of spirits are always welcome in the GGBW. Vice President Franz Donauer said in his closing remarks: “I wish us all the necessary diligence and ambition to research and evaluate in our free time.”
This is still the very begining of it, so it is all new in the making, and the pandemic of 2020 didn’t help this fresh start. But 2021 will!
If I’m mentioning this non profit, it is because I find the reason for creating it very powerful. Not only it will avoid many people to reinvent the wheel over and over again but it will also be a great source of inspirations via re-interpretations.
Here is now the question: do you know similar initiative in your country?
Link to the society’s website (in German and still in the making)
Link to the article (in German)
