Who Is Michael Mittermeier? 7 Things About the Comedian Behind Lucky & Punch

Michael Mittermeier is one of Germany's best known comedians: born in 1966 in Dorfen, Upper Bavaria, a breakthrough with “Zapped” in 1996, shows in English abroad, owner with his wife Gudrun of the Lucky Punch Comedy Club in Munich and Vienna, and for years a fan of Scotch single malt. In 2026 he created his first whisky, Lucky & Punch, two St. Kilian single casks that he chose himself and that carry the name of his club.

Key Takeaways

• Michael Mittermeier was born in 1966 in Dorfen and became widely known with his programme “Zapped” in 1996.

• He has won the Deutscher Comedypreis six times and received the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis in 2021. In 2026 he was named main prize winner of the Bayerischer Kabarettpreis.

• Since 2023 he has run the Lucky Punch Comedy Club with his wife Gudrun, first in Munich and since 2026 also in Vienna.

• In his video podcast “Mittermeiers Whisky Montag”, every glass came with a story.

• Lucky & Punch is the first whisky he has created. He chose both casks himself at St. Kilian, with 500 bottles of each, exclusively on Spiritory.

• The whisky unveiling is on Friday, 23 October 2026, from 5:00 pm at the Spiritory Shop in Munich.

Tip: You do not have to be in Munich to get Lucky & Punch. Anyone in Europe can order on Spiritory, and home delivery ships from 26 October 2026.

He Was Born in Dorfen and Broke Through With “Zapped” in 1996

Michael Mittermeier was born on 3 April 1966 in Dorfen, Upper Bavaria. He studied political science and American studies at the University of Munich, and his 1994 thesis was about American stand up comedy. With the programme “Zapped” he became widely known in 1996.

Tours with programmes such as “Paranoid”, “Achtung Baby”, “Wild” and “Lucky Punch” followed. His own website calls him the “Godfather der deutschen Stand Up Comedy”, the godfather of German stand up comedy, and speaks of more than 40 years on stage. With his current programme “OLDBOY … sind wir bald da?” he tours Germany, Austria and Switzerland from late 2026 into 2027.

He Performs in English in New York, London and Montreal

Mittermeier does not only play to German speaking audiences. He has performed in comedy clubs in New York and has appeared in English in London. In 2011 he was the only German artist at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, and he has also played the Edinburgh Fringe. In autumn 2015 he toured the United States.

These shows say a lot about how he sees his craft: stand up comedy in the American tradition, direct and fast. It is the same format he later brought into his own club.

He Has Won the Deutscher Comedypreis Six Times

His awards include six wins at the Deutscher Comedypreis and the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis in 2021, in the stand up comedy category. In 2023 he won season 4 of the show “LOL: Last One Laughing” together with Kurt Krömer. In 2026 he was named main prize winner of the Bayerischer Kabarettpreis, with the award ceremony on 9 November at the Lustspielhaus in Munich.

On television he appears on Bayerischer Rundfunk, among others in “Find the Liar, Mittermeier” and in “Mittermeiers Lucky Punch Comedy Club”, which goes into its third season in 2026.

He Runs the Lucky Punch Comedy Club With His Wife Gudrun

The Lucky Punch Comedy Club in Munich opened in October 2023. Mittermeier runs it together with his wife Gudrun. In spring 2026 a second club followed in Vienna, in the basement of Café Prückel. On his website he describes the club as a stage for up and coming comedians.

One point matters for the whisky: the comedy club and the Spiritory Shop are two different places. The whisky unveiling of Lucky & Punch takes place in the shop, not in the club.

He Has Loved Scotch Single Malt for Years and Had His Own Video Podcast

Whisky is no sideline for Mittermeier. He has been a great fan of Scotch single malt for years. In his video podcast “Mittermeiers Whisky Montag”, every glass came with a story, told the way only a comedian can. According to the episode titles, the whiskies featured included GlenDronach 21, Port Charlotte, Ardbeg and Aberlour A'bunadh.

As early as 2011 he told the news portal t-online that when he wants a good single malt in Munich, he mostly goes to Schumann's or the Goldene Bar. So his first whisky had to carry more than his name. It had to bring his art and his passion together.

The Name Lucky Punch Is His Own, and He Split It in Two for the Whisky

“Lucky Punch” was already the title of one of his stage programmes from 2018. In boxing, a lucky punch is the one unlikely blow that lands on a stronger opponent. Since 2023 it is also the name of his comedy club, a place for the unexpected hit that lands against all odds.

For his first whisky, Mittermeier split the name in two. Lucky stands for the softer, sweeter cask, Punch for the one that hits harder. Side by side, the two bottles spell out the name of his club again, yet each has a character of its own.

He Created His First Whisky and Chose Both Casks Himself

Lucky & Punch is the first whisky Michael Mittermeier has created. He travelled to St. Kilian in Rüdenau, Lower Franconia, walked through the warehouse, tasted his way from cask to cask and picked the two casks that carry his name. On the collaboration he says: “For me, making whisky is an interplay of creativity, craft and tradition, quite comparable to comedy.”

• St. Kilian Lucky by Michael Mittermeier 50cl comes from Cask Nr.9394, a former Moscatel de Setúbal cask, at 46.7% ABV. It costs €59 plus shipping.

• St. Kilian Punch by Michael Mittermeier 50cl comes from Cask Nr.5914, a former Tawny Port cask, heavily peated at 80 ppm, at 48.3% ABV. It costs €59 plus shipping.

• St. Kilian Lucky & Punch by Michael Mittermeier Set holds both bottles and costs €118 plus shipping.

There are 500 bottles of each, all 500 ml, exclusively on Spiritory. You can find all three on one page: Lucky & Punch on Spiritory. For more on the casks, read Lucky & Punch: 7 Things to Know About Michael Mittermeier's First Whisky. How signed bottles work on the night of the unveiling is explained in How Do You Get a Signed Bottle of Lucky & Punch?

Tip: The whisky unveiling is on Friday, 23 October 2026, from 5:00 pm at the Spiritory Shop at Stemmerhof, Plinganserstraße 6, 81369 Munich. Michael Mittermeier will be there in person. A limited number of bottles will be on sale in the shop that evening, and he signs those on site. Home delivery ships from 26 October 2026.

FAQ

Who is Michael Mittermeier?

Michael Mittermeier is a German comedian, born in 1966 in Dorfen, Upper Bavaria. He became known with “Zapped” in 1996, has won the Deutscher Comedypreis six times and runs the Lucky Punch Comedy Club in Munich and Vienna with his wife Gudrun.

Where does the name Lucky & Punch come from?

From his comedy club Lucky Punch, which was also the title of one of his programmes. For the whisky he split the name: Lucky for the softer, sweeter cask, Punch for the one that hits harder.

Did Michael Mittermeier choose the casks himself?

Yes. He tasted his way from cask to cask at St. Kilian in Rüdenau and chose Cask Nr.9394 and Cask Nr.5914 himself. It is the first whisky he has created.

What is “Mittermeiers Whisky Montag”?

It is his video podcast about whisky, in which every glass came with a story.

When and where can I meet Michael Mittermeier?

At the whisky unveiling on Friday, 23 October 2026, from 5:00 pm at the Spiritory Shop at Stemmerhof, Plinganserstraße 6, 81369 Munich. He will be there in person and signs the bottles sold in the shop that evening.