Feinbrennerei Thomas Prinz GmbH | Opening Hours & Reviews

The Feinbrennerei Thomas Prinz GmbH in Hörbranz is one of the most traditional addresses for fine spirits, fruit brandies, and liqueurs in the Lake Constance region. Since 1886, distillation and refinement have been taking place here, not far from the Austrian shore, in the Leiblachtal valley. The main building at Ziegelbachstraße 7 serves as the production site, visitor address, and farm shop all in one. Guests experience the world of fine distillation through compact tours and can taste and purchase high-quality specialties in the spacious store. The family business is now in its fourth generation, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern technology and is appreciated for its authentic insights, friendly advice, and variety of products. Those planning a gourmet break at Lake Constance will find an ideal stop here: opening hours are clearly communicated, tours can be easily reserved, and special event days add atmospheric highlights throughout the year. This page covers what visitors are most interested in: opening hours, tours, directions, events, images, and the special features that have distinguished the Prinz distillery for over a century.

Opening Hours Farm Shop and Planning Your Visit

For planning your visit, the most important information is quickly stated: The farm shop of the Feinbrennerei Thomas Prinz in Hörbranz is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00 and on Saturday from 08:00 to 16:00. These times are reliably stated on the official farm shop page and provide ample flexibility to combine a tasting, shopping, and – if interested – participation in a tour. The central address Ziegelbachstraße 7 is located in the district of the same name and is quickly accessible from the Bregenz area as well as from Lindau. In the farm shop itself, you can expect a curated selection of clear spirits, classic fruit brandies, the popular Old Varieties, as well as fruity liqueurs and creams. The team on-site offers tastings so that you can try the desired specialty before purchasing and presents seasonal gift ideas. Those traveling with limited time should plan for a compact tour through the shop and navigate along their personal favorites. Those with more time can combine their tasting with a tour and then explore the variety in the shop. For groups, it is advisable to briefly register the visit in advance – this way, the tasting can be enjoyed without waiting times. For last-minute visits, it is recommended to check the opening hours on the day of the visit, as additional offerings may take place in the courtyard or on Ziegelbachstraße on special event days. Overall, the structure is designed so that individual connoisseurs as well as small groups or club excursions find a reliable point of contact with clear time slots.

Distillery Tours: Process, Duration, Registration

The distillery tours are among the most popular offerings on-site because they provide a complete picture of the journey from fruit to finished distillate in a short time. The tour lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. Content-wise, it leads from mashing through fermentation to distillation and aging. This connects the tour to the history of the distillery, which began nearly 140 years ago as a cider mill and cooperage and today combines traditional methods with modern technology. After the tour, there is the opportunity to taste and shop in the farm shop. There are several ways to register: by phone at +43 5573 82203, by email at besichtigungen@prinz.cc, or directly in the farm shop. The pricing structure is consciously guest-friendly: For groups under 15 people, a fee of 25 euros per group is charged; from 15 people, the tour is free of charge. Additionally, the main building offers free standard tours at fixed times, which are ideal for individual visitors or small groups: Monday and Friday at 14:00 and Tuesday to Thursday at 16:00; a short advance notice is appreciated to coordinate the group. These key points facilitate planning, whether you are traveling specifically or adding a spontaneous detour to your Lake Constance vacation. In practice, it has proven beneficial to plan some buffer time before and after the tour to ask questions, take a closer look at individual production stations, and afterwards taste in the farm shop at leisure. Those wishing to round off their visit will find a suitable dining option at the neighboring Landgasthaus Rose. For group trips – such as club or company outings – individual times can be requested within the communicated windows, allowing for tighter daily schedules to remain realistic.

Directions to Hörbranz: Address, Public Transport, and Parking on Ziegelbachstraße

The visitor address of the Feinbrennerei is Ziegelbachstraße 7, 6912 Hörbranz, Austria. This places the main building in close proximity to the shores of Lake Constance, between Bregenz on the Austrian side and Lindau on the German side. Those wishing to arrive by public transport can use the services of the Vorarlberg Transport Association (vmobil). Especially during larger events – such as on the days of the harvest festival – the organizer recommends arriving by public transport and additionally provides shuttle buses. For regular visits, guests should refer to the address on Ziegelbachstraße; those arriving by car will find parking options in the vicinity, while additional information on shuttles, detours, or temporary areas will be communicated on event days. For navigation purposes, the mentioned house number is sufficient; you can reach the distillery by phone at +43 5573 82203 for any last-minute inquiries. The travel time from the Bregenz area is just a few minutes; from Lindau Island, it is also a short distance, depending on traffic. The location in the Leiblachtal, a fruit-growing region, not only shapes the logistics of the journey but also the proximity to raw materials: The operation is located where fruit cultivation has always been practiced. For guests with mobility impairments, there is a level access to the farm shop; those reliant on accessibility can contact the team in advance to clarify any requirements. Groups arriving by coach should discuss their arrival during the tour registration. In case of high demand, clearly marked handover points and shuttle services help to alleviate congestion. Tip: If you want to combine the distillery visit with a lakeside or city tour, plan time slots for Bregenz or Lindau and combine culinary, cultural, and distilling craftsmanship into a rounded Lake Constance day.

Upcoming Events and Harvest Festival Highlights

In addition to daily business, the Feinbrennerei sets special accents with selected events. The most well-known example is the harvest festival, which takes place on Ziegelbachstraße and at the fruit farm Leiblachtal. There, everything revolves around distillation, fruit processing, enjoyment, and music over two days. At the harvest festival 2025 (October 3rd and 4th), free tours of the distillery were a central offering; in addition, there were all-day tastings, a musical program, a gala dinner with accompanying schnapps specialties at the neighboring Gasthaus Rose, and a boat program to the three-country corner. Guests were provided with shuttles to the harbor and free public transport tickets from the Vorarlberg Transport Association to ensure comfortable and sustainable arrival and departure. Such formats demonstrate how strongly the operation is rooted in the local area: regional products, short distances, and an open dialogue with visitors shape the atmosphere. For upcoming years, dates and program points will be announced on the website; those planning their trip long-term should check in advance whether special tours, tastings, or themed actions are taking place during their stay. Even outside the harvest festival, it is advisable to keep an eye on the section regarding tours and news: The free standard tours on weekdays already offer a dense experience that is suitable for vacation guests as well as day visitors from Vorarlberg and the Allgäu. Considering the season, it is worthwhile to take advantage of transitional times in spring and autumn when harvesting and processing become visible, and the tour reveals even more production details. Whether you are specifically targeting the distillery or integrating it as a culinary component into your Lake Constance trip: events set highlights that extend the experience beyond mere tasting.

Photos and Virtual Tour: What It Looks Like On-Site

If you want to get an impression in advance, you can use the virtual tour linked on the farm shop page of the distillery. The tour digitally guides you through central areas and conveys a good sense of space – from the courtyard to the distillation room to the spacious sales areas. In addition, the website offers images of the product range, gift ideas, and special bottles, allowing you to appreciate the aesthetics and ambiance of the house from home. On-site, this impression continues: in the shop, the product range is thematically organized; tasting points allow you to try different categories, such as clear fruit brandies, Old Varieties, or fruity creams. Particularly striking is the combination of traditional ambiance and modern shop design, which bears the hallmark of a family business while remaining clear. For gifts, individual sets can be assembled, and special bottles can be filled with various specialties upon request. If you want to read more in-depth, you will find further information about the tours and history surrounding the virtual tour. This way, you can already decide before your arrival which products you want to try and how much time is sensible for the visit. For content creators or travel planners preparing material for blogs or social feeds, the virtual tour offers a reliable visual starting point; on-site, the atmospheric accents between copper, wood, glass balloons, and stone containers that make up the aging cosmos of the distillery come to life. Because the distillery provides its own tour, the digital preview and actual impression align well, creating planning security and increasing anticipation.

Reviews, Service Quality, and Practical Tips for Your Visit

The distillery has always positioned itself as a place of encounter: tours, tastings, and shopping interconnect, and the staff takes time for advice and recommendations. The appreciation of visitors for the quality of the experience is reflected, among other things, in the broad presence in regional tourism portals and on career and business sites, where address, contact methods, and opening hours are consistently communicated. A practical rule of thumb is: If you want to take one of the free standard tours, you should register briefly so that the team on-site can estimate the group size. For individual tours outside standard times, registration is required anyway. Those traveling with children will find an environment in the farm shop characterized by clear paths and short distances; non-alcoholic refreshments are available for free during tours. For groups, it is advisable to check the arrival by public transport, especially if a restaurant visit is also planned. The proximity to Bregenz and Lindau allows for the combination of cultural or lakeside appointments; for example, a city walk by Lake Constance and the distillery tour can be combined in half a day. Those looking for gifts can utilize special bottles and seasonal sets; those focusing on knowledge can ask questions about fermentation, aging in wood, stone, glass balloons, or stainless steel, and the role of modern technology after the tour. The distillery provides insight into how knowledge-based craftsmanship and innovative processes work together: sorting by machine, separation using centrifuges, fermentation under controlled conditions, and distillation at reduced pressure to preserve more fruit aromas. All of this condenses into a visit that remains culinary, technical, and regionally anchored – a profile that finds its audience in the Lake Constance region and encourages return visits.

History, Production, and Special Features: From 1886 to Today

The roots of the Feinbrennerei Thomas Prinz date back to 1886. In Hörbranz, the story began as a small cider mill and cooperage, embedded in a region where fruit cultivation and climate have always created favorable conditions for aromatic fruits. Over four generations, knowledge about selection, processing, and distillation has been passed down and linked with new technological possibilities. Today, the operation relies on a combination of craftsmanship and modern methods: depending on the vintage, 8,000 to 10,000 tons of fruit are processed, according to industry profiles. The spectrum ranges from apples and pears to cherries, apricots, and quinces, as well as forest and wild fruits. A special role is played by gentle processing: after harvesting, sorting machines and centrifuges ensure clear mashes that ferment under controlled conditions. In distillation, vacuum is used; this lowers the boiling point to about 50 degrees Celsius, visibly preserving the fruity aroma. The variety is also evident in aging: in addition to wooden barrels, stone containers, glass balloons, and stainless steel tanks are used. The product range reflects this philosophy: clear spirits, powerful fruit brandies, the characterful Old Varieties with barrel aging, as well as fruity liqueurs and creams. The product lines are clearly presented in the farm shop; special bottles can be filled individually upon request. As a regional flagship, the distillery is closely linked to the Lake Constance landscape, which is evident in both raw material proximity and tourism offerings. The guided tours bridge the gap between history and the present by making production steps tangible and the sensory result immediately experienceable. The fact that this history remains alive is due to the mix of family continuity, quality focus, and openness to guests – a triad that has shaped and continues to shape the Prinz brand at Lake Constance.

Sources:

• Prinz Fein-Brennerei – Farm Shop (Opening Hours, Tasting, Tour)
• Prinz Fein-Brennerei – Farm Shop Opening Hours (Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00, Sat 08:00–16:00)
• Prinz Fein-Brennerei – Tour Process (Duration, Costs, Free Tours with Times)
• Prinz Fein-Brennerei – Book a Tour (Contact and Registration)
• Prinz Fein-Brennerei – Imprint (Address Ziegelbachstraße 7, 6912 Hörbranz)
• Prinz Fein-Brennerei – Harvest Festival (Program, Shuttles, Public Transport, Information)
• Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourism – Experience Tour (Process and Visit Information)
• Experience Leiblachtal – Feinbrennerei Prinz (History since 1886, Old Varieties and Hafelebrand Lines)
• Wine Direct Import – Profile Fein-Brennerei Prinz (Processes, Vacuum Distillation, Quantity Information)
• Market Community Hörbranz – Experience Tour (Duration, Cost Regulation, Content)
• Prinz Jobs & Careers – Contact (HR Department, Career Portal)