About a year ago after an amazing month in the UK, I landed in Germany and went straight to Ziegler Distillery.
We were greeted by a refreshing and rather lovely Gin – what they call G=in3. Fabulous! We then went on a fascinating tour of their schnapps heritage, distillery before settling down to an indulgent and generous exploration of eight whiskies. I’ve decided to share my notes in two parts.
Ziegler Distillery Part 1:
- Ziegler 7 year Single Malt 40%
- Aureum Classic 8 year Single Malt 43%
- Aureum Chestnut Cask 5 year Single Malt 43%
- Aureum Cask Strength 8 year 53.2%
We also tried their schnapps – the William Pear was exquisite, on a completely different level than any schnapps I’ve tried before. It was elegant, subtle, superb how the aroma and flavour of the pear was distilled to a distinctive concentrated and purest form.
Ziegler 7 year Single Malt 40%
- Nose – Banana cream, lovely caramel, so sweet yet also had a hint of spice, salty biscuits, marshmallows,
- Palate – Chilli spice, more of the caramel sweetness, sociable with spice, tasty with character, surprisingly well rounded
- Finish – Not so much, a bit bitter, light cinnamon and licorice
It was like a friendly bourbon… I found it had a style much like Glenmorangie.
Aureum Classic 8 year Single Malt 43%
- Colour – Golden
- Nose – Distinctive, nutty, light wood, started savoury but then became sweeter and sweeter, vanilla
- Palate – Nice body, malty, light fruits, a bit more wood and a hint of bitterness
- Finish – Chaser – less spice, but nice
Almost seemed like it was matured in an ex-wine cask… Quite enjoyable.
There was something almost lightly smoky too… I don’t know if I got mixed up with a different one which was matured in an ex laphroaig cask.
I would say the Chestnut and Oak base with ex-Bourbon is more pronounced than Sherry with this one.
Aureum Chestnut Cask 5 year 43%
- Nose – Initially quite direct, the chestnut wood was quite distinctive and pronounced on the nose, light new wood – fresh and vibrant
- Palate – Much sweeter on the palate than anticipated, followed by an explosion of flavour and character
- Finish – Bitter cinnamon
After something so lively and distinctive initially, as I continued to sip, it grew on me more and more. Young, interesting and curiously compelling.
I made note that the 1st cask was Chestnut and then it was finished in an ex-bourbon cask.
What more do we know? Here’s what they have to say:
This single malt whiskey is 5 years old and was stored in chestnut barrels. This maturation characterizes the mild taste of this whiskey. The chestnut wood is also responsible for the intense golden hue. It is round and soft in the finish with a subtle sweetness and restrained tannic acid. A very aromatic product, not only for the whiskey lover. As a digestif and / or as a complement to an espresso or dessert.
They also share tasting notes:
- Sensory: full-bodied and smooth, with spicy vanilla and creamy sweetness.
- Hints of chestnuts and orange blossom.
Aureum Cask Strength 8 year 53.2%
- Nose – Curiously closed at first, it then unfurled with increasing intensity
- Palate – Oh my! Quite peppery, like its 5 year cousin, it was sweeter on the palate than anticipated
- Finish – The pepper continued
This whisky built on the 5 year, clearly in a similar vein just… more… I made note it also started maturing in Chestnut and then spent some time in a Sherry cask.
Up next, Ziegler Distillery Part 2:
- Aureum Grave Digger “The Bruce” Peat 8 year 43%
- Aureum The First 2010 Cask Strength 10 year 55.5%
- Aureum Port 8 year 68.5%
- Aureum PX 8 year 67.5%
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