Kummel: Spirit of the Game

Words by Sam

Of the many hallmarks of the quintessential British Golf Club – the musty smell in the locker room, tongue and groove panelling in the bar, hair combs drowning in blue barbicide next to a vintage bottle of talcum powder in the shower room – one small golfing tradition seems to be in decline. 

Kummel, an aniseed and caraway infused liqueur has been loitering around our clubhouses, keeping golfers hydrated, stomachs-settled and their first-tee nerves at bay for over a century now, but there is a serious cloud hanging over the future of this famous spirit and its place in the game. 

It enjoys iconic status throughout the golfing world, affectionately referred to by many as ‘putting mixture’ – consumed (sometimes copiously) at many of Britain’s historic and well regarded clubs, famed for its fabled ‘game-improvement’ qualities – it usually makes an appearance during club matches once the sticky toffee pudding has been devoured and the speeches concluded. 

I can’t say I particularly love the drink itself. Its potent, has an extremely strong liquorice taste, and has a bad habit of being spilt and leaving a sticky residue on just about everything it comes into contact with. But it is a sacred tradition nonetheless, and as a staunch supporter of these idiosyncrasies, it’s something I’ll happily dive into and park my own disliking for a short while. 

Many readers will know of it, and have their own fond (albeit hazy) memories of Kummel, but for me; walking out onto a sun-drenched putting green after lunch with a cup of black coffee in one hand, and a small icy glass of the viscous spirit in the other, contemplating the idea of another eighteen is the scene that I most associate with the drink.  

Some of the connoisseurs out there reading this will be familiar with the different flavour profiles across the various Kummel brands (Mentzendorff & Combier taking the second and third place respectively in popularity rankings), but the reason for writing this article is regarding the future of the most popular and well known Kummel brand out there – Wolfschmidt. 

In recent weeks, reports have been coming into us from all corners of the U.K. that clubs are unable to secure orders on further stock of Wolfschmidt, amid rumours that the Danish company has ceased production. Despite a lot of phone calls and various efforts to establish contact with the brand, no official statement has been received however we can confirm that future orders on the product are no longer possible. 

Whether that is due to a decision by the company to remove distribution in the U.K. or if the product itself is no longer to be produced at all is not known, and the details behind it seem to be extremely vague. 

Multiple conversations with stockists in London & Edinburgh, as well as calls to some of the clubs who are the biggest consumers of the product have failed to yield anything concrete as to why the decision has been taken, however it is apparent that future orders will not be possible.  

The history of this clear and sticky liqueur goes all the way back to the 16th century. Historians believe it started in The Netherlands, and in the 19th century it quickly grew in popularity where the Prussians produced it to such an extent that it rivalled Gin. 

The perfect digestif, Kummel offered medicinal benefits as well as libation, but how this drink has come to be all but a golf club speciality is also shrouded in mystery and folklore. 

This year we have spent a great deal of time studying the early history of the game. When you think about the rules of golf, how hole sizes, or indeed, the number of holes on the links was determined in those early days, it is only fair to assume that those same pioneering early golf clubs who set those trends might have adopted Kummel as a post lunch tipple and as such, accidentally, blazed another trail of their own. 

Not surprisingly then, the clubs that are credited as the biggest consumers to this day just so happen to be the biggest trend-setters in the game during the booming years of the 19th and early 20th century. Prestwick, the birthplace of The Open Championship, The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the first to draft the rules of the game, and The R&A, as the overall governing body for the game. 

The way the drink is served is also the subject of much debate. Prestwick serve Mentzendorff three different ways – refrigerated, ice laden, or straight up. Royal Liverpool alternatively freeze their Kummel (Wolfschmidt) and serve it encased in a sheath of ice, and Morfontaine serve the French variety (Combier) at room temperature over ice. Experts again argue as to which brand should be served frozen, and which should be served at room temperature which is a topic that would require much more research and man hours to appease the small nucleus of hardened fans than we are happy to commit to, but ultimately the answer lies in the distillation process (apparently). 

Either way, with speculation rife about the end of production of Wolfschmidt, the largest and most recognisable Kummel brand on the bar shelves across the U.K. what can we learn and what does this mean for future generations of golfers? 

One anonymous source has confirmed that Muirfield are now stocking an artisanal and locally produced equivalent, asking the question as to whether a small market of craft suppliers might step in to provide some more choice and perhaps more locally sourced variations? Prestwick generally stock the other significant brand – Mentzendorff and as such their members will be not be hugely impacted by the change, but it does ask the question whether Mentzendorff will now be ‘levelling up’ on production to meet demand in the farthest reaches of Britain where Wolfschmidt is sadly no longer available? And then, maybe some clubs just won’t care, and we will see this little tradition gradually fall away, much like long socks or jacket & ties?

More worryingly though perhaps, one can only wonder whether its removal from sale in the UK is a lead indicator of a decline in the traditional lunch scene at golf clubs in general. Many clubs, in an attempt to stay relevant and broaden appeal have relaxed the need for a full sit down jacket and tie lunch where the pageantry of ice laden Kummel is more common. Whether this is the underlying cause, or whether the challenges of modern day life are to blame for a reduction  in consumption is a place for speculation, but it certainly begs the question. Either way, if that is the case then I think it’s a shame. 

For golfers, Kummel evokes a sense of nostalgia, a decorative compliment to the familiar scene we all love about Golf. Sitting out on the terrace while the sun sets, with the dappled light transforming the links into a watercolour of rumpled fairways and long shadows whilst you sit there sharing a constant series of well-worn stories. That’s the real essence of golf clubs in Britain – where camaraderie trumps playing-ability. 

Some of the most memorable days golfing generally involve spending far too long in the clubhouse where friendships are forged, and very often Kummel is the catalyst to those friendships… and so on that basis, we think it’s a tradition worth protecting.

Our advice would be to bag a bottle for yourselves, sit on it, and enjoy a vintage drop in years to come. 

No official statement from Wolfschmidt has been made to this date. 

Information on various brands, and where you can buy it can be found below. 

Whiskey Exchange – Kummel: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/3245/kummel-wolfschmidt-liqueur

Learn more about Kummel

(information supplied from an anonymous, and extremely passionate source)

Bio: The most popular and well known Kummel brand, Latvian in origin and now owned by a Danish company – Wolffschmidt. Served in clear bottles (previous vintages have seen dark green bottles used) with a small and slender bottle with a long neck – took its name from the distillery in Riga, Latvia which supplied tsars Nikolaj I and Alexander III 

Tasting notes: Star Anise, Lemon & Caraway

• NOSE
  Restrained compared to the Mentzendorff – lemon being the dominant aroma with caraway taking a back seat.
• PALATE
  In contrast to the nose, the caraway is more prominent with anise and hints of lemon sherbet in the background.
• FINISH
  Medium to long with the anise making it through to the very finish.
• COMMENT
  An interesting contrast between nose and palate, the latter being where it really comes alive. The length is impressive – I can see why this is the choice of clubs around the country.

Serving suggestions: Served chilled to within an inch of its life. Most experts would argue it should be served at room temperature, with lashings or ice, or simply straight up. 

Bio: A hearty 1.5L magnum of Mentzendorff Kummel, the caraway flavour classic liqueur now recreated by France’s Combier distillery. Beautifully packaged in a tall dark magnum with a lovely old-school label. With powerful, lifted aromas of aniseed, liquorice and cumin, this sweet liqueur is a wonderful way to end a meal. Mentzendorff Kummel is best served cold either neat or over ice.

Tasting notes:

• NOSE
  A whack of caraway, combined with orange zest, lavender and a hint of rosewater.
• PALATE
  Coats the mouth with flavours of caraway and Barratts Black Jacks with white pepper in the background.
• FINISH
  Medium length with the liquorice left at the end.
• COMMENT
  Very caraway-forward, but with well-balanced spice and sweetness.

Serving suggestions: Experts would argue that this is the brand to be frozen, in the ‘Hoylake’ fashion, encased with ice, without the need for further ice to be added when served. 

Bio: A much less well known brand – An almost recreation of Combier’s original kummel recipe, first released in the 1850s, but instead using double the spices (caraway, cumin and fennel) for a bigger spicy punch.

Tasting notes: 

• NOSE
  Very different to the two main brands – poppy seed bread and curry powder.
• PALATE
  Mouth-watering with curry powder, anise and dried fennel seed.
• FINISH
  Long length with a strong (but not unpleasant) curried aftertaste.

Serving suggestions: Unknown