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Category Archives: Germany

Friendly February Dram Exchange

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It was a surprisingly warm and sunny weekend for February. It was also a perfect opportunity for a few friends to get together and exchange a few drams. Some were already open. Others had been waiting for just this kind of evening.

We had 13 whiskies on offer and the hardest decision was where to start and where to stop? What did we have displayed to explore?

We chose to begin with the youngest and most recently opened distillery from the Hebridean Island distillery Raasay… Their aim is to produce a lightly peated whisky with rich flavourts. This was my first sample of the “real” Raasay as my earlier brush was a “pre” offering in their intended style “While we wait.”

We thought this would be a light dram to whet our appetite for more… what we discovered was a bit different!

Raasay Single Malt 46.4%

  • Nose – Fresh, young and vibrant, malty and maritime, slight smoke, more herbal than floral or fruity, after time a whiff of smoked meats
  • Palate – Surprisingly peaty – much more pronounced than anticipated, and yet not a “heavy” peat, the herbal quality follows through, with some bitter tannins, nuts, and quite autumnal
  • Finish – Cinnamon fading into a faintly bitter finish
  • Water – Initially didn’t think would be needed, but worth trying. For me, it became sweeter with a mineral or granite element
  • Revisit – Much later, I revisited the empty glass, the aromas were ashy, a bit like the remaining long-forgotten antique kitchen fireplace, from generations before

The thing about whiskies, slowing down to discern different aromas are the memories a smell triggers. For me, the hint of smoked meats took me back to Montreal. The palate overall was smooth and pleasant.

What more do we know? Their aim?

Our flagship Isle of Raasay Single Malt Whisky, 46.4% ABV, natural colour, non-chill filtered.

Lightly peated with rich dark fruit flavours.

We set out to emulate some older styles of Hebridean single malt whiskies, with subtle, fragrant smokiness balanced with dark fruit flavours.

It was matured in six different casks – this is what they have to say:

Two Isle of Raasay spirits – peated and unpeated – are matured separately in first fill Rye whiskey, fresh Chinkapin oak and first fill Bordeaux red wine casks. These six recipe casks marry together to create the perfect dram with real elegance, complexity and depth of character.

With this knowledge, we could see where the tannins came from, however elegant? Complex? And dark fruits? Not in what we found, however, it was an interesting start!

Next up? A revisit of a former friend – Aureum – which is unfortunately no more. What did we think?

Ziegler’s Aureum 7-year Single Malt (2008 – 2015) Chateau Lafite Rothschild 47%

  • Colour – Gold
  • Nose – Welcome! These are the kinds of aromas that explain why we were so captivated by Aureum. Sweet chestnuts, green and fresh, fruity… then deepens into chocolate, sweet vanilla custard then green apple, then a dessert feast of apple pie with vanilla ice cream!
  • Palate – First sip was a bit odd, then once calibrated to the unique style of Aureum with its use of chestnut wood, we found it to be smooth, sweet… getting sweeter with each sip!
  • Finish – Lingers with more sweet wood

Overall it was a clear reminder that this was once a distinctive distillery producing unique drams – aiming for craft and quality. I can only repeat that it is such a pity that Ziegler abandoned their decade-long foray into such single malts to go down the Freud route.

We then moved on to Ireland, to discover Ireland’s West Cork was nothing like the sociable dram we anticipated….

West Cork Calvados Cask Finish 43%

  • Colour – Light straw
  • Nose – No mistaking there is Calvados involved here! It reminded me of the kind of juice we used to make from our garden apples – pulp and seeds and all would go in. Then it shifted to something that could best be described as fresh-pressed coffee
  • Palate – We found it a bit “pushy” at first. Young, a bit brash, and curiously unfinished, dry and bitter with a hint of nuts of some kind
  • Finish – Limited, what there was we found bitter, like chewing an espresso bean
  • Water – We hoped it might bring out some other element – instead just kicked up the spice

Overall this didn’t attract new fans. Now I’ve had a few mighty fine whiskies with Calvados finish. Mackmyra Äppelblom 46.1% and Rampur’s Jugalbandi come to mind…  The folks over at West Cork don’t try to over-sell this as a complex dram, instead, point imbibers in the direction of cocktails – a ginger mule to be more precise.

I then steered us towards a pair of Chorlton‘s – a contrast and comparison of two Glentauchers. Both sherry casks, both lovely just in different ways – both deserving their own posts – just check out Glentauchers 8 year and Glentauchers 14 year! We then cracked open some exceptional chocolates – what a fabulous pairing!

That is where our journeys diverged. For me, I thought to continue the chocolate pairing and thought to revisit the Super Sonic Sherry Blend and the Amrut Port Pipe Peated. Whereas others explored the Amrut, Indri, Kamet, and Staoisha. Overall it was simply a lovely evening and a nice way to keep at bay the dull dreary February blues!

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Germany’s Ayer’s Alligator 57.7%

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Sometimes you skip what is sitting in your own backyard. Monuments missed, landmarks overlooked, vistas unseen… Having lived in Nurnberg for over four years, much of what tourists do remains undone. And that includes a whisky tour of Altstadthof Brewery and Distillery where our local small-batch whisky Ayer’s is produced. I have certainly had the beer from there. And more than one wine-tasting event. Even a tour of the underground tunnels. But unbelievably have yet to make it for one of their whisky tours or samplings, despite being a mere 15-minute walk from my home. For shame!

So when we decided to close the year with an exploration of continental European whiskies, it seemed the perfect opportunity to check out what is practically in our backyard! A fellow member steered towards their cask strength expression – specifically with an Alligator char. Alli-what you may ask?

First off is understanding why it is important to char the oak barrel. The concept is simple – charring opens up the wood – making it easier for the spirit to extract flavours. There are different char levels with alligator being one of the highest, so-called as the wood takes on the texture of alligator hide.

So enough theory, what about practice?

Ayer’s Alligator (2017 / 2022) 57.7%

  • Colour – Dark copper, edging on amber
  • Nose – Young, fresh and sweet, honey, tobacco, cotton candy
  • Palate – Began a bit fruity with pear, then shifted into toast with butter, something that is almost akin to peat without actually being peaty
  • Finish – Satisfying
  • Water – Makes it even more accessible

We were overall quite pleased with this one! After the unique Fary Lochan, we feared the Ayer’s might pale by comparison, whereas it held its own. We thought it might be a bit bold or harsh, instead, it was smooth and easy to enjoy. A happy surprise!

With this experience, I am reminded that it is past time to check out this wee distillery, sooner rather than later once back in Deutschland in the New Year.

What else did we explore that evening from the European continent?

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Closing the year with a continental European exploration…

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We held our last Nurnberg International Whisky evening mid December. It was an exploration of continental European whiskies and more from France, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, and Portugal. We went well beyond our three-bottle focus however it made for a proper year-end close to an evolving tasting group.

So what did we explore?

So let’s begin at the beginning… from our 1st session, we were introduced to the concept of a calibration dram. In this case, I thought the Bellevoye would be a nice way to set the stage for our evening. Their whiskies are approachable and generally have an easy-drinking style – a perfect way to “whet the appetite” for delights to come. As each bottle had a slightly different approach, I gave everyone the option to choose which best matched their mood and inclination. The reactions to the different options –  Blue (French Oak), White (Sauternes) or Red (Grand Cru) were so positive that a couple of folks did a tasting within a tasting – sampling all three!

We then moved on to the Whisky “Main Course”… and for that, you will simply have to check out the separate tasting notes. Suffice it to say, the Fary Lochan was a singular and memorable whisky, the Ayer’s surprised us by being far more enjoyable and interesting than expected, and the Säntis? Well, it was a bit of a disappointment, however, that goes with the territory when exploring whiskies! It is also a good example of a certain direct style of whisky that works for some.

In between, a mystery bottle was circulated. It was completely unlabelled with no clue provided. We sniffed it. Sipped it. Considered it. Whilst nothing remarkable, we gave it due attention discovering beneath the plastic and diesel was a dark cherry, mowed grass, wood polish, and then sweet cotton candy. On the palate, it was easy to drink, perhaps a hint of tobacco but nothing else really stood out. The reveal? Not a whisky at all. Instead, Arc Royal VS Cognac 40%, which is available for a mere Eur 20 at any Aldi. Our contributor pulled out a printout of wildly different tasting notes – from those that completely trashed the Cognac to those that were exceedingly kind. In our case? We were somewhere in between, but generally positive.

We closed with a merry round of nibbles and a few additional splashes of this and that… including a Madeira from Marques Campoalto. Increasingly we are seeing whisky finished in ex-Madeira casks. The Welsh Penderyn was an early adopter of using Madeira cask finish for a core expression, however, the Irish also joined this bandwagon with Tyrconnell, with the Scots also part of this trend – such as Loch Lomond’s Inchmurrin Madeira and many more. This is exactly why one member brought a bottle along – to show how the original fortified wine smells and tastes to help us better understand how this contributes to the final Whisky product with a Madeira finish.

As a kind of “desert”, we closed with a Beerenweine honey whisky liqueur – the kind of liqueur that you can get at local Medieval fairs all over Germany. In fact, I brought a bottle of their herbal schnapps – called Druids Fire – back to Winnipeg for a bit of fun.

As this company also makes mead, talk turned to the local honeyed mead available at the Medieval pub near the castle, how some folk’s palates tend towards sweet and others not (in case you wondered, I am generally in the not category). This is why when I did try a wee sample, I was reminded why I prefer my whisky unadulterated and not overly sweet!

Overall it was an evening that crossed the line from careful consideration of three focus whiskies to something social, making for a marvelous evening and a brilliant way to close the year.

If you are in the Nurnberg, Germany area and interested in learning more about our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers activities, check us out on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/nurnberg-whisky-explorers/

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Finch Schwabian Whisky – An Exploration of 8 Expressions

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Welcome to the Schwabian Alps! My explorations of German distilleries continue with Finch distillery… For those not familiar, the Schwabian Apls are found to the east of the Black Forrest, north of the Bavarian Alps, the Swabian Alps (Schwäbische Alb in German) are sometimes overlooked.

“Ulm, where the Danube swiftly flows, forms the boundary in the south, while the Neckar runs past half-timbered towns, limestone crags, beech woods, juniper-cloaked heaths, hilltop ducal castles, and robber-knight ruins further north.” (Lonely Planet)

As for Finch distillery, like several continental European distilleries, there is quite a lot of experimentation with various grains and casks. And what better way to explore these possibilities than with a set of miniatures – from barley to a variety of relatively obscure kinds of wheat to rye. As for casks? A mix of red wine, port, sherry and American Oak. 

In this case, the set was a compact gift-wrapped treat! 

Fun to open…

Even more fun to explore…

So what is contained in this Finch octet tasting set?

  • Finch Fine Selection 6 year Single Malt 42%
  • Finch Cask Strength 8 year Emmer Edition 3, 54.6% 
  • Finch Special Grain 8 year Spelt Port 42% 
  • Finch Distillers Choice 8 year Barrique Cask 42%
  • Finch Special Edition 8 year WOA Bullhead Single Malt 46% 
  • Finch Distillers Choice 8 year Single Malt Sherry Cask 46% 
  • Finch Special Grain 6 year Rye Edition 46%
  • Finch Distillers Choice 10 year Single Malt Smoky 46%

So now… on to the most fun part – tasting!

Where to start? We initially opened the 1st listed on the guide – the Emmer Edition 3 Cask Strength – however, we realised immediately the folly of this approach and switched instead to the Finch Single Malt. 

Finch Fine Selection 6 year Single Malt 42% (est. Eur 40 for 500ml)

The folks at Finch share that the barley for this Single Malt comes from their own cultivation, matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and wine casks.

  • Nose – Initially quite fruity, then rubber took over – as in really quite rubbery – like childhood-flavoured erasers. As it settled in the glass, the aroma became sweeter with cereals. Over time it also shifted into roasted barley with honey, some green apples or green grapes
  • Palate – The first sip was a bit brash, full of hay sweetness, waxy chocolate, more of the cereals
  • Finish – Reminded us more of a simple single grain than single malt – there for but a moment and then disappeared

Overall this wasn’t the best beginning. It was compared with a breakfast cereal – Smacks – made of puffed wheat and honey. Whilst nothing was “off”, we just weren’t yet excited. 

Finch Cask Strength 8 year Emmer Edition 3, Re Wine Barrels 54.6% (est. Eur 59 for 500ml)

Next up, we returned to the cask strength we initially cracked open. Rather than barley, this whisky uses a grain – black emmer – from the Finch farm on the plateau of the Swabian Alb. What is Emmer you may ask? Otherwise known as Triticum decoction is a plant species from the wheat genus. It is one of the oldest cultivated grains, yet hardly grown today. This type of wheat with long-awned, usually two-flowered spikelets is hardly grown in Europe today – if it is, it is essentially black emmer.

  • Nose – Initially very shy, then spirity, slowly opening into marzipan, caramel, biscuits, hint of red wine or raisins
  • Palate – Started like a sour calvados, then from tart apples to pears, giving way to clear red wine influence
  • Finish – Light
  • Revisit – What a lovely perfume, silky smooth on the palate, closing with a light spice finish

Could clearly tell this is a grain rather than a single malt, yet we enjoyed it much more than the 6 year Single Malt expression. Whilst it came across as young, once the nose opened up, it was quite inviting…

Finch 8 year Dinkel Port 42% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

This expression uses another lesser-known grain for whiskies – spelt – this time, combined with an ex-Port cask.

  • Nose – The first whiff was very promising. Light yet very sweet. It was a bit like cotton candy or the powder on a marshmallow.
  • Palate – Sparkling grape juice, sweet spices, smooth and surprisingly light for a port-matured whisky.
  • Finish – Honey and raisins

Our overall impression was that it makes a nice starter whisky. The aromas were appealing and the palate enjoyable.

Finch Distillers Choice 8 year Red Wine Barrique Cask 42% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

We now shifted into “weizen und gersten”, in other words – wheat and barley, matured in a Red Wine Barrique.

  • Nose – Oh nice! Juicy red berries. black forest cake
  • Palate – Very light, sweet, red cherries and a touch of chocolate
  • Finish – Light

Again, like the others, it comes across as young and spirity. Then once it settles in, quite pleasant. What we would consider an ‘entry-level’ whisky – an interesting way to introduce folks new to whisky. Whilst not complex, it has enough interesting going on to engage.

Finch Special Edition 8 year W.O.A. Bullhead Single Malt 46% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

For those not familiar, W.O.A. is Wacken Open Air – a massive heavy metal music festival in northern Germany. This particular expression was made for this festival – matured in three casks: American oak, Port and red wine.

  • Nose – Wood, honey, bourbon-like, lots of vanilla, fruity and sweet, pleasant
  • Palate – Hmm.. a bit peculiar and confused. It had a bit of a grain or bourbon bite with wine. There were different elements – each on their own interesting yet somehow didn’t come together harmoniously.
  • Finish – Unremarkable

Our discussion centered around the festival and the conclusion this could be a great festival drinking whisky. On its own, in a festival setting, the combination of elements would just join the cacophony of pounding Heavy Metal music. But in comparison with the other Finch whiskies sampled that cool late November evening? Alas, it fell a bit short.

Finch Distillers Choice 8 year Single Malt Sherry Cask 46%  (est. Eur 59 for 500ml)

Next up was a shift into a more classically styled single malt. No rare grains or cask experimentations here. Just barley, and an ex-sherry cask – back to the basics.

  • Nose – Our first impression was – this is no heavy sherry, yet still unmistakable. Raisins, creamy sweet spices, cracked black peppercorn
  • Palate – Thick and creamy, sweet with more of those raisins and spice, 
  • Finish – Spicy yet still light

This one simply goes down exceedingly easily. A solid package. For one of us – it was the clear favourite of the evening!

Finch Special Grain 6 year Rye 2nd Edition 46% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

We then decided to shift into Rye, again from Schwabian rye, matured fully in red wine barrels.

  • Nose – Yup! This is definitely rye, yet also soft and sweet. Almond paste, marzipan 
  • Palate – Sweet nuts – like pecans, quite atypical
  • Finish – One of the few Finch finishes that stays – spirity, dry 

Rye but not a typical rye. Also quite different from the other Finch whiskies.  Perhaps this is the influence of the red wine cask?

Finch Distillers Choice 10 year Single Malt Smoky 46% (est. Eur 49 for 500ml)

We closed with the peaty expression. They share it is a combination of their local barley and oak smoked malt, then matured in wine barrels plus Islay barrels. 

  • Nose – Ashy, like cold coal, smoke…. after some time we could finally detect a few additional elements – a bit of caramel nuts, speck
  • Palate – Hmm… the tasting notes say marshmallows, but for us it was only the black ash of a burnt marshmallow. Burnt honey nut, burnt toast with a little bit of honey, very  dry, granite stone
  • Finish – The ash remains, with a hint of caramel

This was a total departure from all the others. The only consistency was that it also came across as youngish despite being matured for 10 years. Also, whilst ash was the single predominant feature, it wasn’t the forceful hit of a Smokehead, instead it was light ash. For us though, ash is ash and not our favoured type of peaty whisky.

Finch isn’t Scottish, it isn’t trying to be. Instead they are celebrating what is available locally for a range of experiments – some more appealing than others for us. The single malt and smoky were not our whisky style, however the Sherry, the Emmer and Dinkel Port stood out. Even the Rye, with its lighter touch, was interesting.

These aren’t the only Finch whiskies in my Germany Whisky Cabinet! I also have the following pair, ready and waiting for the right opportunity!

  • Finch 5-year Single Malt Sherry 42%
  • Finch 8-year “Barrel Proof” ex-Red wine, Bourbon, and Port Cask 54%

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St Kilian Berry Metal Cocktail – with peat??

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Sometimes you are just in the mood for a refreshing cocktail – especially on a warm summer evening! However, using an intensely peaty berry-infused liquor isn’t intuitively the “go-to” standard base…

However, that’s exactly the kind of experimentation you can expect from the folks over at St Kilian. So when we saw the cocktail suggestion for St Kilian Grave Digger – Berry Metal 40% Liqueur, we had to try it!

It came to us as #8 in a recent St Kilian tasting set – part of their December 2022 launch of some new expressions. On its own, the Berry Metal liqueur is an incredibly potent burst of berry “wow!” with a peaty kick.

So then we simply had to try it in a cocktail. They provided a recommended recipe – something they called a St Killian Berry Tonic. It is simple and straightforward, and most importantly, we just so happened to have everything needed.

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Deconstructing the St Kilian Signature Edition ‘Thirteen’!

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A Single Malt simply means malts from the same distillery. Unless it is specifically designated as a “Single Cask”, it could mean wildly different types of casks used in order to achieve the desired outcome.

In the case of St Kilian’s Thirteen Signature Edition, it is a mix of five different virgin casks – put differently, these are all “fresh” casks that never held any other liquid like Bourbon or Sherry before being used to mature the whisky. Master Blender Mario Rudolf chose Palatinate and Hungarian oak combined with “unique” woods like wild robinia (mock acacia), chestnut, and cherry. The oldest whisky was approx 6 years and the youngest 3 years. All used Scottish peat smoke malt with 54 ppm – hence this falls into St Kilian’s peated range.

In Scotland, there are regulations that stipulate that only Oak wood may be used, however, the rules are considerably more relaxed in countries like the USA, Ireland, or Germany. This enables considerable experimentation – from apple wood chips to chestnut! This expression clearly falls into the “experimental” category!

So how did we go about exploring this tasting set? We began by calibrating our palates – cracking open the delicious Classic “Mild & Fruity” 46% (the lone black bottle ie unpeated whisky) before shifting to peat with the balanced Peaty “Rich & Smoky” 46%. It was a perfect way to start!

We then tasted the ‘Thirteen’ to get a feel for the combination before going step by step through each component and then revisiting the ‘Thirteen’ again. What a super cool concept – sharing transparently the five different elements that go into creating the Signature Thirteen expression.

So let’s take you on our tasting journey…

Signature Edition ‘Thirteen’ (2016/18/19 – 2022) 53.9%

  • Nose – Yummy! We were immediately greeted by maple glazed smoked bacon, a campfire with fatty bacon, charred peppers, cherries, a hint of wood
  • Palate – Quite a contrast – cinnamon bark, bittersweet, light ginger, some peppers, oak, mild peat, and overall quite dry
  • Finish – A spice burn, slightly ashy
  • Water – Makes a big difference – brings out the fruit and cream, shifting from dry to juicy.

Overall we found the nose really quite wonderful, with the palate having a curious yet interesting character. This is no “easy” dram but certainly one to experience!

32% of Thirteen: Virgin Hungarian Oak (2016 – 2022) 61.3% Ungarischer Eiche

We began with the largest component – virgin Quercus Petraea aka Hungarian Oak.

On the nose, it had a fresh and clean approach – like shaved wood that then deepened into a nutty aroma – particularly Brazil nuts. As for the taste? Warm and really quite fabulous, joined by a prickly spice. Surprisingly smooth and mature for a mere 6-year-old – and that too at cask strength!

We speculated that this may also be a base for their Peated Rich & Smoky – at least we found elements of what we enjoy in that blend also in it. What a promising start!

27% of Thirteen: Virgin Chestnut/Kastanie (2019 – 2022) 53.4%

We moved on to Chestnut – a wood that outside of Scotland, some whisky distilleries are increasingly exploring as an alternative to Oak – at least for some time. I’ve tried several experiments from Sweden’s Agitator to Ireland’s Method & Madness to Germany’s Aureum.

We found it more subtle than anticipated. On the nose, it was like new fresh chestnuts before roasting – green and unripe – fragrant with a hint of fruit and only the lightest touch of sweet peat. Whereas on the palate? Quite interesting, with a substantive texture with a light spice spike at the back. Then it finished with herbal elements with a touch of bitterness.

Overall we found this one quite mild with a smooth warmth that lingers. Rather nice!

27% of Thirteen: Virgin Wild Robinia / Wilde Robine (2019 – 2022) 61.8% 

We moved on to a wood called “Wild Robinia” – an Eastern European timber, considered a “mock Acacia” – a tropical timber, native to Africa, Australia, and South America.

We had no idea what to expect, however, suffice to say, this one was VERY different and hard to describe. The aroma was a bit elusive whereas the palate? Hmmm…. It was strong, forceful with an “in your face” harshness, heavy bitter roasted nuts. Curiously, it reminded us a bit of a strawberry stomach medicine.

Though we had only 2cl between the two of us, we found this one definitely needed a dash of water. Certainly helps… however overall this one wasn’t for us – at least as a stand-alone.

We struggled to understand why to add something so brash as the Wilde Robine into the mix… until we finished tasting all five elements and revisited the Thirteen.

11% of Thirteen: Virgin Palatinate Oak / Pfälzer Eiche (2018 – 2022) 60.6% 

We then moved on to a more traditional wood – Oak – more specifically Palatinate Oak from SouthWestern Germany.

Ahh… nice! Back to more traditional aromas – mild and fruity like a fruit stew. On the palate, we found sweet spices, warm with a mild almost “numbing” astringency on the finish.

This was a return to more familiar territory. And whilst it was a smaller portion of the Thirteen, we thought perhaps it added some of the fruit!

3% of Thirteen: Virgin Cherry/Kirsche (2018 – 2022) 61.7% 

We closed our “deconstruction” exploration with Cherry wood. St Kilian has some company experimenting with this wood – both Teeling and Woodford Reserve have expressions that are partly finished in Cherry. Reputed to be more porous than oak leading to intense flavours.

So what did we find?

Woooaaah! Smells like Cherry wood, freshly chopped, green, carnation flower, dank, musty… and on the palate? Varnish, so dry it made one almost “pucker up!”, more of that carnation, green and unripe fruits, wood polish, bitter cherry cough syrup\. Followed by a smokey finish.

On its own, this wouldn’t work but we could see how this whisky would add an interesting counterpart.

100% Signature Edition ‘Thirteen’ (2016/18/19 – 2022) 53.9% Revisited

We reflected on each of the five elements. On their own, we could see real promise in both the Hungarian and Palatinate Oaks and also the Chestnut… On its own the WIld Robinia didn’t work, however, with the revisit, we could understand how it added depth to the character. Similarly, the cherry solo would be too intense however with just a touch, that distinctive aroma augments rather than detracts.

Clearly, this is an example where the sum is greater than its parts! What a fabulous experience to have an opportunity to deconstruct the St Kilian Signature Edition Thirteen!

SINGLE MALT WHISKEY THIRTEEN FACE 1

Here is what the folks at St Kilian have to say:

The special thing about the smoky Signature Edition THIRTEEN is its unusual composition. Because it is a composition of five different wood species. Thus, in addition to Palatinate and Hungarian oak, unique woods such as wild robinia (false acacia), chestnut and cherry were used. Distillates from 2016, 2018 and 2019, made from 54 ppm Scottish peat smoke malt, matured in the five virgin-fresh wood barrels to create a full-bodied, color-intensive single malt with a strong character.

And their official tasting notes:

  • Appearance – Amber
  • Aroma – Intense fruit notes of ripe cherries and apricots harmonize with creamy vanilla, fine peat smoke and a juicy BBQ note, complemented by aromatic wood tones and spicy oak.
  • Taste – Juicy apricots, red cherries and sweet vanilla cream combine with warming notes of wood, finely spicy oak, white pepper and a hint of ginger, subtly wrapped in aromatic peat smoke.
  • Finish – The creamy, spicy blend of dark fruit jam and fine tannins has a pleasantly long lingering finish with warming peat smoke, subtle dry ash notes and a hint of cocoa.

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St Kilian Classic + Peated – Balanced + Beautiful!

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I love tasting sets! It is such a terrific way to explore different whiskies – a teasing taste that tells which you want to have more and which was enough to just have that one experience!

In the case of two recent St Kilian tasting sets, their new “standard” expressions are so enjoyable that as soon as I return from Canada to Germany, they’ll be ordered to share with folks back in India (yes – I lead a slightly complicated life, geographically speaking!).

These notes are from a tasting experience in Winnipeg, Canada, where we began our St Kilian experience with this pair:

  • Classic – Mild & Fruity 46%
  • Peated – Rich & Smoky 46%

Naturally, we began with the “Classic” aka Mild & Fruity.. which indeed lived up to its name!

I’ve tasted this particular expression both in Germany and Canada – loved it both times! Here is an amalgam of both experiences:

  • Nose – A happy sunshine aroma – first whiff and yum! It had lovely warm white peaches, apricots, ripe pears, yellow plums, raspberry cream, baked banana bread, red licorice… it reminded us just a little bit of a bunch of juicy fruity gourmet gummy bears! Accompanying all the delicious fruits were some light sweet spices
  • Palate – Delicious! Silky smooth and more like a fruit spirit than whisky! Yet richer, with some depth of character giving a firm fabulous foundation to the experience! We found some lovely baked pear tart, caramel drizzled banana cream pie, marzipan, toffee, and vanilla cream with just a hint of something deeper, adding an oak spice and fruit interplay
  • Finish – A fabulously fruity and desert-like finish, chased by honey sweetness

In short – yum! It was a veritable fruit basket! The aroma at one point reminded me of a Raspberry soda – the kind that you specifically get at a Parsi wedding! It’s exceedingly “sippable”, with the only danger being an empty glass!

This is MY kind of St Kilian – fruity, fun, and fabulous!

MILD FRUITY FRONT 1So what goes into creating an expression like this? The folks at St. Kilian shared that their Classic is a combination of different ex-bourbon casks (70%) and Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks (30%).

  • Appearance – Light gold
  • Aroma – Multi-layered fruity notes of ripe apricots, peaches, yellow plums and plantains are combined with creamy vanilla to create a sweet blend of fruit, which is accompanied by delicately spicy oak and a delicate herbal note of fresh mint and some sage.
  • Taste – Balanced sweetness and at the same time warming with apricots and peaches, creamy toffee and spicy oak aromas, refined with a pinch of piquant white pepper and perfectly rounded off with a hint of fresh mint.
  • Finish – Creamy caramel notes linger for a pleasantly long time with fine brittle, subtly dry oak spice and a hint of fine herbs.

Overall, I would concur – our experience and the official tasting notes are quite well aligned, we just didn’t catch the herbal notes, however, we also didn’t give the whisky much time in the glass!.

We then moved on to the Peated expression, Rich & Smoky, tasted only in Canada. And what did we discover?

  • Nose – A summer campfire, with properly dried wood so it is a sweet smoke, we also found Montreal smoked meats (beef brisket or pastrami – take your pick!), a slightly saline sea breeze, a hint of brazil nut, muskat grapes… the more time it spent in the glass the fruitier and sweeter it became, revealing some of the apricots and yellow plums found in the Classic
  • Palate – Clean, mild peat with an initial “zap” that quickly mellows to become incredibly smooth. Long and balanced. A little fruit, some oak, and sweet spices married perfectly with a gentle peat.
  • Finish – Lingers with a delicious cinnamon spice

Just like the Classic, this was exceedingly balanced, enveloping in a warm and cosey embrace. It is approachable and comforting at the same time. VERY well done!

RICH SMOKY FRONT 1

What more do the folks at St Kilian have to say? Obviously, they use peat! In this case, barley malt from the Scottish Highlands with a phenol content of 54 ppm. And like the Classic expression, it is also a combination of different ex-bourbon casks (70%) and Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks (30%).

Their official tasting notes share:

  • Appearance – Gold
  • Aroma – The beguiling fruit bouquet of grilled apricots, juicy pears and ripe bananas is refined with sweet vanilla and a dash of lime, perfectly surrounded by mild peat smoke and complemented by dry ash tones with cooling mint.
  • Taste – Full-bodied, sweet and fruity with vanilla, apricots and pears, in a harmonious interplay with creamy toffee and delicate peat smoke, which elegantly underlines the warming oak spice with a pinch of white pepper and fresh mint.
  • Finish – Pleasantly warming with creamy fruit compote and dark toffee, which are accompanied by ashy smoke and a subtle dry oak spice for a long time.

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St Kilian Tasting Set – December 2022

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From St Kilian’s First Signature Edition, I’ve found these folks are on to something! What I really appreciate is how they openly share their experiments into crafting distinctive whisky!

Whilst we missed the original online tasting from December 2022, thanks to the good folks at St Kilian, 2 sets made it to my friends so that the three of us could explore together. And that’s exactly what we did one fine weekend, after a day of merriment at a Medieval fair.

The set was mostly peaty (white bottles) with three unpeated expressions (black bottles) from distinct series: Signature, Heavy Metal inspired Grave Digger, Core range (Classic & Peat), Hand-filled, and a complete experiment! None of their Bud Spencer or Terence Hill expressions were included – I still have these on my next “to try” list!

We decided to try the initial five, leaving the balance for another tasting. So, what was in the original line-up?

  1. St Kilian Buche Meets Zeder (2017 – 2022) 57.7%, 680 bottles – A curious combination of beech and cedar, we didn’t even take much in the way of tasting notes… sorry!
  2. St Kilian Classic – Mild & Fruity 3 year 46% – Utterly delightful! I’d love to see St Kilian do more along these lines! Fruity, fun & fabulous!
  3. St Kilian Signature Edition ‘Twelve‘ (2017/18 – 2022) 50.8% – Another unpeated expression, worth trying!
  4. St Kilian Hand filled – Paelzer Eich ex Moscatel (2017 – 2022) 60.2% – An experiment
  5. St Kilian Grave Digger – Fields of Blood 47% – It almost felt like we were waiting for the ‘best for (nearly) last!’ When St Kilian does smoke this way, it’s my kind of peat!
  6. St Kilian Signature Edition ‘Thirteen‘ (2016/18/19 – 2022) 53.9% – What a remarkable experience together with its deconstructed set!
  7. St Kilian Peated – Rich & Smoky 46% – Tried another evening in Canada together with the ‘Thirteen’ 
  8. St Kilian Grave Digger – Berry Metal 40% (Liqueur) – Saved to bring to Canada… described as an incredibly potent berry wow! (with a “kick”) 

So, let’s get on with the tasting, shall we? St Kilian Buche Meets Zeder (2017-2022) 57.7%

We began with the special edition experiment! As most whisky drinkers would know, Oak is the only permitted wood to mature Scotch whiskies. However in Germany, where rules aren’t so strict, several distilleries have successfully experimented with chestnut. American distilleries too have played around with Chestnut, Applewood… even a Japanese whisky has experimented with cedar cask finishes.

Why mention this experimentation? Well, with St Kilian Buche Meets Zeder, we have a cask-strength peated whisky that plays around with a combination of beech and cedar wood!

What did we think? Well… to be honest we struggled a bit with this one:

  • Nose – Woah! A chemical factory, acetone, burnt rubber, an old musty wine cellar, cork
  • Palate – Reminded us of cedar resin, pine, aromatic oils, slight hint of citrus
  • Finish – Sticks in the back of the throat, like retsina
  • Water – Better. A bit sweeter, some sour apple sauce, cinnamon, and citrus battled with the curious cedar and something else!

Whilst I didn’t find the official tasting notes, was able to track down a few further details courtesy of Whisky.com. Namely, it is approx 4 years with a combination of Barrels 1571, 1572, 1573, 1574, producing 680 bottles, and is described as:

…the combination of beech and cedar wood gives this gently smoky single malt whiskey aromas of fresh pine needles, essential oils and freshly grated lemon zest.

Hmm… We found the peat impact to be quite “forceful” rather than “gentle” on the nose, however, would agree with the other elements. And like many things, an experiment could be wildly successful or it could go very wrong. In this case, we simply had to admit, it isn’t really our style… Do you really want pine needles and essential oils in your whisky? However, you don’t know til you try!

–++–++–++–++– St Kilian Classic Mild & Fruity 3 year 46% –++–++–++–++–

Up next is a new “standard” in their core range – to be regularly available. In terms of casks, they shared that:

70% were allowed to mature in different bourbon casks and 30% in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. Together with Amarone casks, these are among the main types of casks at St. Kilian Distillers and thus guarantee long-term availability. “The 70:30 ratio of bourbon to sherry casks has turned out to be a wonderful mix for us and also offers a combination that which was previously missing from our portfolio,” says Mario Rudolf happily.

Certainly sounds promising… so what did we think?

MILD FRUITY FRONT 1

What a mixed bunch! Some we thoroughly enjoyed, some challenged us, but that’s what we love about St Kilian! They are always experimenting, always trying different combinations, and aren’t afraid to put out to the whisky world things that might make one wonder…

PS Whilst it was a pity we missed the online tasting in December 2022, it was such a treat to get this double tasting set courtesy of the folks at St Kilian. Keep experimenting and keep sharing! We may not love everything, but we admire the journey, and when there is a gem or two – brilliant!

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European Rye – Stork Straight Rye + Full Proof

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We began our European Rye tasting journey in Germany – given that’s where we are located! We decided to start with the familiar Stork Club Straight Rye and then move on to their Full Proof expression.

It was also fitting that I was tasting this pair with friends in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz – considering they had earlier introduced me to Stork Single Malt 43%! And true to form, we rewarded ourselves with a tasting after a day trip to a medieval fair in an old castle (Burg Parsberg in this case) – because that’s how we roll in Deutschland!

Let’s start with a quick recap on Stork which comes from Spreedwood Distillery. It was started by three friends who spotted an opportunity to bring rye from the field to the glass:

  • Steffen Lohr, former bartender (including »Der Raum«, Melbourne) worked for years as a brand ambassador for Bacardi before he set up his own agency »Small Big Brands«
  • Sebastian Brack invented the successful Thomas Henry bitter lemonade brand and is a co-founder of Belsazar Vermouth.
  • Bastian Heuser – also a former bartender and one of the co-founders of the »Bar Convent Berlin«, the leading European trade fair for the bar and beverage industry.

They use German rye, largely from the prolific Brandenburg region, and love to experiment with different casks. You can read more about their process here.

Now let’s get down to “tasting’ business!

Stork Club Straight Rye 45%

  • Nose – Very minerally, like wet granite or stone, also quite “clean”, slowly opened to reveal a little sweet caramel and vanilla
  • Palate – Wow! Very sweet, butterscotch, a hint of peppery spice, then shifted into espresso joined by creamy chocolate, warming into orange marmalade
  • Finish – More of that bitter espresso beans

As much as the aromas were “mineral”, the palate was soft and sweet! It has a lovely mouthfeel – almost buttery. The more we spent with this rye, the more chocolaty it became – at one point it was like the rye equivalent of sipping chocolate milk!

Overall this is an exceedingly drinkable dram. Very pleasant, quite enjoyable… and whilst there is nothing “exceptional”, it is just a friendly Rye that one can sip or combine in a cocktail.

This is exactly what happened to my bottle of Stork Rye – brought to India for a tasting that instead joined a Cast party after a great production. It made a marvelous base for an exceedingly delicious Old Fashioned with a nice orange zest and Peychaud’s bitters. Yum! No wonder the whole bottle was rapidly emptied! (and yes – that’s our cat Zoe joining the bottle pic!)

What more do we know? Stork’s Straight Rye is matured in First fill American oak & German Napoleon oak. At Eur 30 (in Germany), it is good rye to keep in your whisky cabinet for those moments when you want a change from a typical single malt – particularly if in the mood for a cocktail!

We then moved on to the “Full Proof” Rye expression, anticipating it to be a more “amped up” version of the Straight Rye.

Stork Club Full Proof Rye 55%

  • Nose – Surprisingly shy, what we could discern was quite sweet, buttery caramel or butterscotch, from far away something lightly roasted, a bit of rye hint, yet overall quite ‘muted’ – at least compared with the Straight Rye, after some time had a touch of dried fruits and vanilla, but still quite subtle
  • Palate – Is that Sherry? Sweet over-ripe plums, some dates, a maraschino cherry, sweet spices – particularly cloves, then some wine tannins, the skin of plums
  • Finish – A hint of peppery spice carries through
  • Water – Fruity, sweet, consistent with the palate

This was curious and decidedly different from the “straight rye.” Perhaps because we enjoyed the Straight Rye so much, we had high expectations to be blown away with this one! It was still interesting, yet quite different than we anticipated.

What I later read helped explain everything! The “Full Proof” expression is made in small batches and is matured in toasted American and German Napoleon oak casks as well as sherry and white-wine casks and is bottled at approximately cask strength.

Aha! Suddenly it all made sense!! That’s where the odd sherry notes or wine influences came – which are a bit different in a Rye than in a single malt! Hence when we found these elements, this didn’t quite “jibe” with what we had in mind for a Rye. An interesting experiment, however, I’m not a real fan of some wine cask finishes, and with Rye? It is definitely different!

If you are curious to try it, this is currently part of Stork’s core range and be purchased in Germany for Eur 48 for 500ml.

What next did we try in our “Roggen (aka Rye) Revolution” tasting set?

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European Rye Revolution – Kyrö, Stauning, Stork

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The world of ryes has radically exploded in recent years. Far from the typical North American Rye, Europe has some serious contenders in this space. This makes perfect sense when you consider over 50% of the world’s rye comes from Europe – with Germany leading the way!

And whilst I’ve had a chance to try some interesting ryes lately at Whisky festivals, sitting down at home (or a friend’s home, in this case), for a proper tasting is always preferable to the quick sniff, swish & spit of a large Whisky fest!

What I love about this particular tasting set is how a “standard” expression was paired with a slightly different or limited edition expression from the same distillery. This way we could get a feel for the ‘house style’ along with variations on that theme.

So what did we explore?

“Roggen (aka Rye) Revolution” with 3 sets of pairs:

Whilst 6 different ryes may seem like a lot to go through at one “go”, when these are minis of only 30 ml each shared between three people, it’s a perfect teasing taste! And when the price is a mere Eur 20 – it’s also a great deal!

All of the distilleries, we’d had previous experiences, which you can read about here:

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