Spies and Sound Checks: In conversation with Langatun’s Christian Lauper

Whisky Chris - Langatun Still House

I recently had a chance to catch up with Christian Lauper of the Langatun Distillery for a virtual dram. Here’s a note of our blethers.

First up, what’s your role with Langatun?

My role, I am the CEO now. I’ve been with the company for ten years, at first part time, but took over as CEO after Hans Baumberger retired. I had an import company, but we did a merger, so now as well as the distillery, we have an import business called High Spirit Distribution.

How is Hans?

I saw him yesterday. He shows up every couple of months to try our latest bottlings. He’s like a grandfather to me, such a nice person. He is busy with his vineyard. I hope we’ll be able to mature some Langatun in some of his wine casks soon.

Tell us about your whisky journey? How did you discover whisky?

That’s a nice story. I was a ski instructor in St. Moritz, and back then the biggest whisky bar in the world was in St. Moritz, at the Hotel Waldhaus. I took a famous Scottish movie star, sadly no longer with us, skiing, and afterwards he introduced me to whisky at the Waldhaus. He showed me how it works, how to drink whisky, the whole philosophy. I learned a lot, I was hooked, so when I had guests I started to take them to the Waldhaus whisky bar and introduce them to whisky.

Are you allowed to say which movie star?

I’d rather not, but he played James Bond.

Ah OK!

So that was in the 1990s, then in 2001, with this guy from the Hotel Waldhaus we started the first on-line shop selling single malt whisky in Switzerland. It worked well. At that time there were a lot of nice whiskies for good prices, 18 year old single malts for 80 Swiss Francs. Today those whiskies are over 200 Swiss Francs. So we built an on-line shop and a distribution network.

Then we started to collaborate with Hans Baumberger. I didn’t have a sales team, and Hans’s sales guy only had Langatun to sell. So we reached an arrangement were Andre von Ah, the Langatun Sales Manager, would also sell our portfolio. He could get an appointment with Laphroaig, then sell some Langatun.

There was a change in the tax around 2000. The tax per litre went down, so the market opened up and we were able to get going.

Was that the same change in the law which allowed whisky distillation?

That’s right

I didn’t realise you had been a ski instructor.

It was a cool time. In winter I skied, in summer music.  

That moves us on nicely to my next question. I have heard a rumour you were once in a heavy metal band. Tell us more.

Yes. I played guitar with Krokus, one of Switzerland’s rock bands. We toured a lot, from 1990 to 2001, to Scotland, England, Russia everywhere. When I started the whisky business, I didn’t have time to tour any more, so I left the band.

Do you still play?

Twenty years nothing, however before Krokus I played with another band, Mud Slick, and we are having a thirty year reunion, so I have started playing again. After twenty years my fingers are a bit slow, so I have to rehearse a lot.

I think people often think heavy metal and single malt come from different worlds, but I’ve heard of heavy metal stars liking nothing better than to relax after a gig with a dram or two of single malt.

That’s right, me as well, with the new band now, I always take a few bottles of Langatun for after the rehearsals. The discussions go more smoothly after a dram or two!

Music Chris - front left on the cover of Krokus’s 1999 album ‘Round 13’

We digress. Back to whisky. Why should a whisky fan in Scotland try whisky from around the world?

Why, there is distilling going on all around the world, and it gives a lot of new views, like we do with different cask types.  With the different climate it opens up things that aren’t possible in Scotland. Think of Kavalan in Taiwan and the different climate. World whisky gives you a different perspective.

What is the history of whisky distilling in Switzerland? In some ways it is quite new?

Yeah, quite sad, distilling whisky was not permitted for 80 years in Switzerland. But we say Langatun was established in 1857, and it’s true. Hans Baumberger’s grandfather made distillate from barley and matured it in casks. Luckily he also had a brewery as in 1920 it was not permitted to make alcohol out of barley or potatoes because they were needed for food, not alcohol. This law, prohibiting whisky distillation was in place until 1999. Germany and Austria introduced similar rules after the war, but they relaxed theirs along time ago.

So Hans started experimenting and filled a few casks in 2005. Then in 2007 he established the company. Not a long history, but now 17 years, not 150 years as per Scotland, but a long time for us.

Is whisky popular in Switzerland?

Whisky is really popular. The last ten, twenty years growing like mad. Switzerland imports more whisky than the domestic production of our own fruit spirits, so it’s quite big. However what we are seeing is some people moving to agricole rhum, because its cheaper, the prices of whisky have been going up. Here in Switzerland, for a 25 year old rum you pay 100 bucks, for a 25 year old Glenfarclas you pay around 250 bucks.

What do you think makes Langatun special?

For me Langatun whiskies are very fruity. Our new make is nice and fruity, that’s due to the yeast and fermentation. But what makes Langatun really special is our use of wine casks. Ninety five percent of our casks are wine casks from France, Switzerland, Italy, and Portugal. That is our trademark, the stamp of our whisky. Seventy percent of the taste comes from the cask, so good casks are vital, our use of wine casks defines us.

Can you tell us more about the casks?

We go directly to the wine producers. We know the people. We’ve got to know a lot of wine producers because of our chain of wine stores; Vinazion. So for us it is not hard to find good wine casks. The wine producers are proud that we want to mature our whisky in their casks. We mainly use chardonnay casks, but also Pinot Noir and sherry casks. We also have casks from Herdae da Cadeira, Château Kefraya, Cruz de Alba and Barbera Nera.

Are there any particular vineyards in Switzerland you work with?

Most of our chardonnay casks come from Château D’Auvernier near Neuchâtel. Hans started with them in 2005. However we have casks from different regions of Switzerland, and when they are ready we will release an ‘around Switzerland’ series of single casks.  So we’ll be making more of the Swiss wine cask matured whisky.

A Swiss wine cask series, that will be great. I see you have a new distribution warehouse, are you doing the bottling there?

No the bottling still takes place at the distillery, and cask maturation at the cellars in Langenthal. We can still call the whisky Langatun because the casks sleep in Langenthal. (ed. since 2014 Langatun has been distilled in Aarwangen, the neighbouring town to Langenthal).  But the distribution and maturation warehouses are both full, so we need to look for more space.

For a whisky fan visiting Switzerland, which whisky bars would you recommend heading to?

The whisky bar in St. Moritz, in the Hotel Waldhaus, they have 2500 different whiskies. Their menu is like a Bible.

In Zurich, Old Crow, it’s a nice, small bar.

Old Crow, like your whisky? Which came first?

The bar. The owner, he’s a good guy, really knows his whisky.

What cocktails and food pairings would you recommend with Langatun?

Cocktails, we have a youtube channel, called ‘High Spirits’, with lots of cocktail suggestions for Old Deer and Old Crow. As for food pairing, try Old Crow with Crème Brûlée, or Old Deer Cask Proof pair with a wonderful steak. Pour some drops on the meat, you get the sherry and the fruity taste on the meat. It’s great! Old Crow with oysters, use instead of lime, put drops of Old Crow, lovely salty taste. For me it’s fabulous, better than Champagne.

Practice your Swiss German now with Philipp’s Dark n Smoky

Can you tell us more about the latest Langatun releases, the Madeira Finish, the Monbazillac Finish, and the Rioja Cask matured?

The Madeira Finish, its rich with lots of body, like a sherry or port finish.  Heavy roasted fruits, dried fruit. I think it’s a whisky for lovers of sherried speysides.

Monbazilliac wine is a sweet white wine, similar to sauternes wine. The wine region, in France, is very small, with only a few vineyards. The cask itself we got from friends, one of our suppliers for Vinazion.  The whisky has got aromas of dried figs, toasted almonds, and on the taste notes of honey and molasses. Lots to explore.

The Rioja Cask Matured is not a finish, the whisky has been matured for the duration in the cask. It’s a rioja tempanillo cask from Ramón Bilbao in Spain. It’s produced a lovely whisky with lots of fruit, nuts and spice notes. Wonderful!

The latest Langatun releases: Rioja Cask Matured, Monbazillac Cask Finish and Madeira Cask Finish

What’s happening with the Langatun Old Bear?

Good question. It was too popular, so we sold out. We didn’t fill enough casks. We have three year old stock, which we are re-racking into smaller casks, so the maturation will be faster. Hopefully they will be ready in 2024 and the Old Bear can come out of hibernation.

What is the future for whisky distilling in Switzerland?

When it comes to whisky distilling, Switzerland is growing, we are no more a baby, more a small child. Too often when people hear of Swiss whisky they are surprised, ‘the Swiss, don’t they just do watches and chocolate?’.  But the Swiss have been distilling fruit spirits for hundreds of years so we’ve got the skills. Our reputation is gaining momentum. Hopefully one day soon people will say,  ‘the Swiss, they do watches, chocolate and whisky’.

What are your plans for the distillery?

We have plans for a new warehouse, with three levels underground, so when its finished you won’t see it from outside. There will be tunnels from the distillery to the cellar. The distillery building, the kornhaus, is from 1616, so it’s protected, so to build, we must go underground. We have the planning permissions, but the project has been delayed by Covid. Hopefully one day, but in the meantime we will have to rent more warehouse space.

That’s exciting. Underground warehouses and hidden tunnels. I’m sure James Bond would approve. 

Many thanks to Christian for sharing his whisky journey and plans for Langatun with us.

For a chance to try the new Langatun releases, the Madeira Finish, Monbazillac Finish and Rioja Cask Matured, do join us at The Whisky Show. We’ll be at stand 307 on the mezzanine.

Cheers!

Robert, September 2023