How a hobby became a job

Martin Rastner is a trained master carpenter, but his passion lies with farming and distilling. He manages Knöspele Distillery’s own orchards and vineyards, located in the Kranebitt district of Brixen, working side by side with his father Luis and his son Michael, who graduated from the Laimburg Technical College for Fruit and Wine Growing. Martin has always been passionate about distilling, though this was initially just a hobby for him, as Knöspele’s status as Abfindungsbrennerei (a “settlement distillery”) meant limited possibilities. In 2014, however, his distillery achieved Verschlusskleinbrennerei status (officially sealed by customs authorities) and he realised his dream to devote himself to farming and his own distillery on a full-time basis. Knöspele became the first distillery in the Eisacktal valley. After the renovation works in 2024, our distillery now features modern distillation facilities and a large tasting room.