The Manufacture and its divisions

In the middle of Dresden, in the Alberthafen, stands what is currently Germany's largest whisky manufactory. All the production facilities have found their home here. At the same time, we make HELLINGER 42 an experience on site. Because where our whisky is produced, connoisseurs and aficionados are of course not to be missed. The visitor centre is directly connected to the production, true to the motto: "Right in the middle of it, instead of just being there!"

The Distillery

Whisky is made from only three ingredients. Water, yeast and malt.

For production, we need malt, lots of malt. Our malt silo provides the necessary storage capacity. With a capacity of approx. 45 t, we can ensure that our production is always supplied with enough malt. About 7 t a day are needed to produce the sufficient amount of wort for our stills. As we distil Saxon whisky, we will only source raw materials from local production wherever possible. We therefore source our main ingredient - the malt - from our direct neighbour in the harbour, the Dresdner Mühle.

Here, the malt silo is filled with 25 t.

Our stills - here the newmake is produced in two distillation processes, which is then filled into our casks.

The mash tun - this is where ground malt and water are used to mash the wort for the fermentation process.

CIP - Cleaning in Place - our cleaning system. With the CIP, all parts of the production line are cleaned and prepared for the next use.

It is not only the interior of the brewery that is being worked on relentlessly. Work is also continuing on the outside. The spent grains silo has been delivered and erected. Spent grains are a by-product of the mashing process. It is a valuable raw material that is preferably used as a substitute or supplementary feed in livestock farming. With the help of the transport screw, the spent grains are loaded from the silo into the transport vehicles.

The work is progressing, currently the fermentation tanks, the mash tun and the stills as well as the other accessories are being piped together. More than 4,000 m of pipes have to be laid and more than 10,000 welds are needed to make the necessary connections. And it goes on ...

Outside, the water tanks needed for the brewing operation are set up. With the help of two cranes, the two tanks are brought into their respective positions and then placed upright. Here, too, precision and a good sense of proportion are required.

The mash tun has arrived. With precision and a great deal of eye measurement, the vat is brought through the rolling gate into the brewing room, where it will then be rolled into its final position.

The fermentation tanks have arrived and are being set up.

For the process steps involved in producing the whisky mash, we have opted for a new technology, the dynamic mash filtration NESSIE by ZIEMANN.

It is an alternative to the classic lauter tun. Here, the liquid is not separated from the spent grains by gravity, but actively by four rotating filter wheels. This is more time-saving, energy-saving and high-yielding.

A roller shutter was installed in the rear wall of the building to provide a suitable opening for the installation of the brewing equipment.

The brewing room as a whole has received a new floor and all walls are finished with tiles.

Work also continues tirelessly at the rear of the building. Thus, the walls have been tiled and an opening at the back of the building has been prepared, through which the fermentation tanks and mash tuns can then be brought inside.

The room for the stills, the heart of the manufactory, is set up between the visitor center and the brewing room. Two large windows provide a comprehensive view. Directly from the visitor center and from the upper floor via a gallery, one then has an unobstructed view of the copper stills.

The Visitor Centre

Das Besucherzentrum ist fertigestellt und täglich geöffnet:

Mo 14 – 19 Uhr, Di bis So 10 – 19 Uhr

The interior design for the visitor centre continues steadily.

So the furniture for the checkout area has been set up and the furniture for decorating the goods has also arrived.

The finishing of the visitor center continues to progress. The walls and ceilings have been painted, all the pipes have been laid and the sandstone frames for our whisky shelves have already been installed. Each frame is unique and was artistically designed by hand.

Tasting room

Der Tastingraum ist fertigestellt und freut sich auf Besucher. Entdecken Sie unsere Whiskys bei einem Whiskytasting in unserem Tastingraum, immer Donnerstags um 18 Uhr. Anmeldung über das Besucherzentrum, telefonisch oder per email.

In the tasting room, too, the kitchen is already showing its first forms.

All the lines have also been laid in the tasting room. Likewise, the kitchen is already installed, but it is still hidden behind dark cloths for protection.

The recording studio

The world's only recording studio in a whisky distillery is being built in the Dresdner Whisky Manufaktur. In two recording rooms and a central control room, sound recordings of all kinds can be professionally mixed and produced.

Das Tonstudio ist fertiggestellt und bereit für erste Aufnahmen und Buchungen.

Work in the control room continues. The ceiling construction has been completed, the floor or carpet has been laid and the brackets for the boxes are being prepared.

The soundproofing elements have already been installed in recording room 1. The window provides direct visual contact with the control room.

The floor in the control room consists of a central parquet area and carpeting on the sides. The soundproof window on the right provides direct visual contact from the recording room to the control room, while the soundproof window on the left provides an unobstructed view of the distillery's mash tuns and fermentation tanks.

In the control room, the floor is being prepared for the laying of the parquet and carpeting

The dry construction

Now that we have given the former Elblachsräucherei a new floor plan, we are moving on to the interior work.

A lot has already happened in the visitor center. The electrical lines have been laid, the lighting concept is in place and the painters are already hard at work.

The shell

Good whisky not only takes time, but also a lot of space. That's why the first phase of the rebuild was all about getting rid of everything that was in the way of our production facilities. The false ceiling at the back of the building had to go, so that the mash tuns and our fermentation tanks also had enough room to move in terms of height.