The liqueur factory "Der Lachs" (German: Salmon) was founded in Gdańsk by the Dutch emigrant, Mennonite, Ambrosius Vermöllen in 1598. The cardamom liqueur he produced, according to his own recipe, had a unique taste and aroma. In the 18th century, it was supplied, among other things, to the court of Elizabeth of Russia and then Catherine the Great (https://wineport.pl/pl/p/Goldwasser-Liqueur-Danzig-22-Karat-40-0%2C5l/1757 access: 15 February 2021).
Between 1708 and 1711, the company was owned by Isaac Wed-Ling and, after his death, by his widow Wed-Ling. From 1711 to 1945, the factory was named Isaac Wed-Ling Wittwe and Eydam Dirk Hekker. Today, the famous Gdańsk liqueur “Goldwasser” (German: Golden Water) is produced according to the original recipe in Norten-Hardenberg, Germany (https://gdansk.naszemiasto.pl/dawne-gdanskie-alkohole-goldwasser/ar/c1-2998630 access: 15 February 2021).
The preserved bottle has a base resembling a square (known as a “square base”) and is made of brown-tinted glass. On the wider sides is a diagonally cast inscription: “Der Lachs”, flanked by two facing figures of fish – probably royal salmon. At the top, on the tapering of the flask, is an overcast round seal with the Star of David and the letters “IWL” (Isaac Wed-Ling), below which is also the figure of a fish. The inside of the seal shows a grosgrain embossed surround.
The bottle from the “Der Lachs” company was donated to the collection of the District Museum in Leszno in 2014 by Joanna and Ryszard Patorski from Międzyrzecz. They received it as a gift from a friend – a collector and enthusiast of local history. The bottle was found near Międzyrzecz.
Dariusz Czwojdrak
