Säntis | Whisky Lady

Switzerland is known for many things – gorgeous mountains and lakes, chocolate and cheese, watches and banking… but whisky? That isn’t exactly the first thing you think of… in fact, just 25 years ago it wasn’t even legal! However, like many parts of the world, Switzerland is now very much in the whisky-making game.

My first brush was the Old Bear from Langatun Distillery – courtesy of a recommendation from the good folks at The Whisky Exchange in London. It was smoky and certainly left an impression.

Next up was a random selection from a spirits shop in Munich on a trip, before there was even a possibility of moving to Germany. In this case, it was the surprisingly accessible Forty-Three Swiss Highland Single Malt Whisky.

Fast forward a few years and I found myself living in Nurnberg, Germany. And three years ago, in December 2020, there was a mini from Säntis in an Advent Kalendar I tackled as a pre-Christmas project. In this case, it was the Säntis Malt Himmelberg Edition 43%. I have to admit, it didn’t exactly impress. Why? In part because it reminded me of drinking a Radler – a sweet lemony beer – more than whisky!

So when a Säntis was recommended for our European whisky session in December 2023, I decided to keep an open mind. I have learned one should not judge a distillery solely based on one experience alone.

What did we think?

Säntis No. 8 Snow White 6-year Pineau 48%

Nose – At first it was just a hit of alcohol, then sweetened into candy, a bit nutty, plum skins, curiously it reminded me more of schnapps than whisky!
Palate – A bit aggressive and prickly, past the pepper were wine tannins, shifting from plum skin to grape, very dry and a mixed red fruit jam (the kind that doesn’t have a distinguishable type of berry or fruit), lemon-lime soda (or dare I say? Radler!), maybe joined by some cherry?
Finish – It was like it was impersonating a sherry finish but wasn’t quite able to pull it off, some generic cola

We really didn’t mean to be uncharitable, however descriptions like “headache-inducing” and “one flavour blob” were bantered about. We generally agreed that the nose outperformed the palate and finish. And if anything, it had a schnapps-like quality – depending on your opinion of schnapps, this could be a good or not-so-good thing.

Our discussion turned to the many distilleries around Germany and Switzerland that started off brewing beer or distilling schnapps, and then veered into the whisky business. Using stills meant more for distilling fruit than malted barley mash does lead to some curious results. I confessed how my original impression of German whiskies was direct to the point of being a bit harsh, lacking nuance and complexity. Until I discovered St Kilian and Aureum and a few notable others, which both show a different, much more interesting range and style.

But back to the Säntis, our whisky contributor shared the story of the Lochar distillery’s Swiss “whisky trek“…. starting with one inn, there are now some 26 barrels found at different hiking locations around Switzerland. Each barrel is slightly different, thanks to the differing maturing conditions such as altitude or barrels.

She found the boxed set with two nosing glasses – available online for around Eur 72. What more do we know? It was initially aged for 5.5 years in small beer barrels of the Appenzeller Brewery Locher before being finished for 8 months in ex-Pineau des Charentes casks from France.

It was a bit of a disappointment, however, we then thought to put it into context. If we spent a day trekking in the alps, the crisp cool air, coming in from such exertions, would this do the trick? Perhaps. And context is everything! So let us be more charitable and go back to the glorious views, cheese fondus, and chocolate… In my case, a memory of a couple of days in Weggis earlier this summer, including a boat trip on Lake Lucerne for a fabulous meal with great company.

What else did we explore in our European evening?

As an appetizer, we picked from France: Bellevoye’s Blue (French Oak) 40%, White (Sauternes) 40%, Red (Grand Cru) 43% i
Denmark’s Fary Lochan 6-year (2016/2022) Moscatel Finish, Batch 5, 62.1%
Nurnberg Germany’s own local whisky – Ayer’s Alligator (2023) 57.7%
Bonuses from France with Arc Royal VS Cognac 40%, Portugal’s Marques Campoalto Madeira, and Germany’s Beerwenweine honey whisky spirit 38%

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From Beer to Whisky, Säntis Distillery started experimenting in 2002. Säntis Himmelberg is the distillery’s fourth standard bottling. After beer barrel maturation, the malt was matured in a wide variety of wine barrels such as port, sherry and merlot.

So what did I find with the Vita Dulcis 2020 Advent Calendar mini?

Switzerland – Säntis Malt Himmelberg Edition 43%

Nose – Its starts off like wine, then pears yet a bit on the sour not sweet side, and something roasted, a bit sharp and smells a bit like you’ve wandered into a brewery
Palate – Even on the palate it has a distinctly beer and lemon element, throw into the mix some ginger, spice
Finish – Short, dry and lightly spiced with more ginger

Don’t laugh, but I couldn’t get a Radler out of my mind – a refreshing combination of lemonade and beer found in Bavaria. Except this wasn’t really a Radler… and there was something just… well… different. It is hardly like a whisky at all… more and more it reminded me of sipping on a wine shandy or… yup… back to that Radler!

Distillery official tasting notes?

As with all of our whiskeys, the spring water for our Säntis malt “Edition Himmelberg” comes from the Alpstein. Julia Nourney characterizes it as follows: “Light and fruity, which shows its true face on the palate with spicy and woody aromas.” The secret lies in the transfer of the beer barrel into different wine barrels.