Here, where vineyards merge into dark pine forests and every beam of every house tells a story, fine spirits are produced – handmade and deeply rooted.
When the fog settles over the vineyards of the northern Black Forest early in the morning and the scent of damp forest soil blends with the soft crackling of a wood-burning stove, a new day of distilling begins in a small distillery near Buehl-Neusatz.
The Noeltner & Noeltner distillery is not a place of industrial production. It is a refuge of taste, a place where craftsmanship is lived and breathed. For generations, spirits have been distilled, tasted, and refined here—and for some time now, this heritage has also had a new name: Anselm & Sons—the Black Forest part of a family history that stretches far across the Atlantic.
From the Black Forest to the New World
The story begins in the 19th century. Anselm Nöltner, born in Lichtenau-Ulm in Baden, married and had ten children, including David and Anselm Junior. While David followed his childhood sweetheart to Neusatz in the Black Forest and built a farm there, Anselm II sought his fortune further afield. Like many of his contemporaries, he emigrated to the USA in the hope of a better life.
After six hard years in New York City, Anselm II bought around 100 acres of land in rural Glen, Montgomery County, and established a dairy farm there. The brothers were separated geographically by an ocean, but their bond remained: to their family, to nature – and to the art of distillation.
Emil, one of David's sons, also followed the call of the wider world and emigrated to America in 1857 to join his uncle Anselm. The dream lived on: Anselm Junior had ten children of his own. One of his great-grandchildren, Kenneth Anselm “Ken” Noeltner, ran the farm until his death in 2024. Even today, Noeltner Road in Amsterdam, NY, is a reminder of a family whose roots lie deep in the Black Forest – and whose branches reach all the way to America.
Anselm & Sons – a legacy in liquid form
What united the two brothers was more than just blood. It was an attitude: a love of nature, a desire to create something special from it, and a passion for breathing life into old crafts.
Today, this legacy lives on – in the fifth generation, captured in every bottle of Anselm & Sons. The label is new. The story behind it runs deep. It tells of two brothers who found happiness – one far away, the other at home – and of a Black Forest family that is at home in two worlds.
The art of distilling practiced by Anselm's sons is more than just a craft. It is a legacy. An expression of how to take a piece of nature and turn it into something unique. And so the story continues – with every glass that is poured. With every sip that tells where you come from. And where you belong.
