They say that in the late 19th century, Hamburg was home to a man whose name traveled as far as his bottles — Jakob Ferdinand Nagel. By his own hands and vision, he built an empire of spirits, employing over 550 workers and sending more than 23 million liters of liquor each year to ports across Europe, Africa, and beyond. His name became a mark of quality, his bottles recognized in foreign markets as the seal of a master distiller.
In 1873, at the Vienna World Exhibition, his craftsmanship earned him the highest honor — a Gold Medal for his Genever, the traditional Dutch spirit that would later evolve into what we now call gin — securing his place among the great distillers of his age. To commemorate the triumph, Nagel dedicated his next bottle to Emperor Franz Joseph himself: on one side appeared a medallion with the Emperor’s head in relief, on the other the inscription “HIGHEST MEDAL VIENNA 1873,” and on the opposite face, the proud name “J. FERD. NAGEL.”
But for Jakob, the pursuit was never only about quantity or acclaim — it was about creating something eternal. And so, after years of conquering markets and collecting accolades, he turned inland, to a place far from the noise of the ships and the clatter of the city: the Black Forest. Here, the air was thick with the scent of fir and pine, the ground soft with centuries of moss.
In a secluded cabin beneath the dark canopy, Jakob worked as he had always done — with patience, with fire, and with an instinct for the spirit within the raw. He gathered fir resin, forest herbs, and crystal water from mountain springs, distilling them into a gin that carried the very soul of the forest.
He named it TANNENBLUT — the blood of the fir tree. Strong as the towering pines, yet fragrant as the rain on needles, it was a spirit born from both his mastery of distilling and the deep silence of the woods. Some said it gave warmth in the harshest winter; others said it brought dreams of the forest to those far from its shade.
And then, as quietly as he had arrived, Jakob was gone. The Black Forest kept its secrets. But the bottles of TANNENBLUT remained — carrying with them not just a drink, but the journey of a man who had once sent his spirits to every corner of the world, stood victorious on the world’s stage, and returned to the heart of nature to create his final masterpiece.
