At the top station of the Corvatsch, work has been going on for the past few months to set a record: The Grisons entrepreneurs Rinaldo Willy and Pascal Mittner realised their dream of the world's highest whisky distillery here. At the beginning of October, the whisky pioneers proudly opened their Orma distillery at the Corvatsch mountain station.
On 5 October, just a few days before the official opening, the first raw spirit was produced at the plant. From 10 October onwards, whisky will be distilled in the distillery ports with body and "Orma" - Romansh for soul.
Markus Moser, Chairman of the Executive Board of Corvatsch AG, is also pleased about the collaboration: "We are delighted to be able to offer visitors to Corvatsch such a unique pleasure experience in addition to the skiing experience amidst a spectacular Alpine panorama."
Master distillers give a personal tour of the Orma distillery
On Fridays and Saturdays, guided tours are offered in the morning and afternoon for a maximum of 16 people. To accompany the whisky, visitors can enjoy an Orma menu in the 3303 restaurant before or after the tour. The founders themselves deliberately give tours of the distillery and share their know-how during the subsequent tasting.
"The location of the new distillery is spectacular and a special place to work: we have the glacier behind us, the Bernina massif with the Biancograt, and the unique Upper Engadine lake landscape at our feet," enthuses Pascal Mittner. "In the midst of this scenery, we want to offer unique moments and experiences". The whisky will also be unique.
The altitude has a special influence on the distilling behaviour: "At this altitude, the distillation process takes place at around 10 degrees lower temperature than at sea level. This means more aromas and greater complexity, which is preserved," explains Rinaldo Willy.
The idea matured over three years, while the implementation and detailed planning took another 1.5 years. A proud project with a lot of entrepreneurial courage and many, certainly also logistical challenges, which will occupy the whisky production on the Corvatch in the near future.
Anyone who wants to see Orma whisky production for themselves should secure a place early and not miss out on this spectacular enjoyment experience.
Orma Whisky
orma3303.ch
