Press Release: Grave Digger - Whisky

St. Kilian Distillers presents two limited Grave Digger Single Malt Whisky editions

GERMANY'S LARGEST WHISKY DISTILLERY RELEASES "TUNES OF WAR" AND
"METAL TURF BEAST", THE FIRST TWO HEAVILY PEATED HEAVY METAL EDITIONS,
PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE GERMAN HEAVY METAL BAND GRAVE DIGGER.

Rüdenau, November 2021
For more than 40 years, Grave Digger has been one of the most influential bands in the German metal scene. Their legendary Scotland trilogy "Tunes of War", "The Clans will Rise again" and "Fields of Blood" is a tribute to Scottish history. Reason enough for St. Kilian Distillers to pay tribute to the band Grave Digger, founded in 1980, with their first two heavy metal editions. For the "Tunes of War" edition, limited to 6,340 bottles, the single malt whisky matured in 225-liter ex-red wine casks. The heavily peated barley malt with 54 "parts per million" (ppm) comes from the Scottish Highlands and embodies heavy metal in its purest form. For the second, strictly limited "Metal Turf Beast" edition, ultra heavily peated barley malt with 91 ppm was used, also delivered directly from the Scottish Highlands. A total of 870 bottles were bottled of this single malt, which matured in 30-liter ex-port wine and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. – The two exceptional heavy metal editions will be presented and tasted together with participants as part of the large St. Kilian Online Whisky Tasting on December 11, 2021, at 7:00 PM.

HEAVY METAL SUITS PEAT

What heavy metal is to the music industry, peat is to the whisky connoisseur. It quickly became clear to Andreas Thümmler, owner of the St. Kilian distillery in Rüdenau, and Axel "Ironfinger" Ritt, guitarist of the German heavy metal band Grave Digger, that a collaboration would be promising. "I've been a die-hard heavy metal fan since early childhood, and Axel and I share a love for ultra-peated whisky," reveals Andreas Thümmler. "The Grave Digger Scotland trilogy perfectly suits my taste. The Scottish Wars of Independence, the Braveheart saga combined with the sounds of the pipers, gives me goosebumps." The joint result is the two limited and heavily peated heavy metal editions, which music fans and whisky enthusiasts alike can look forward to.

Heavily peated malt from Scotland

The basis for St. Kilian Single Malt made in Germany is the use of 100 percent malted barley. "For our smoky spirits, we rely on the decades of experience of the Scots and receive the peated malt several times a year directly from Glenesk Maltings in the Highlands," says Mario Rudolf, Master Distiller at St. Kilian Distillers. St. Kilian is one of the few distilleries that receive peated malt from Scotland on a large scale. The Scottish malt kilned over peat smoke for St. Kilian Distillers has a phenol content of 54 ppm. "We are also extremely proud of a delivery of very heavily peated malt, the Ultra Heavily Peated Malt, which has a peat content of 91 ppm." Both malt varieties provided the basis for the heavy metal editions "Tunes of War" and "Metal Turf Beast."

Sales start December 11, 2021

Both Grave Digger Single Malt Heavy Metal Whiskies are neither colored nor chill-filtered and are bottled in a newly designed 0.7-liter bottle with a black label in a metal look. The retail price for consumers is €59.90 for the Heavily Peated "Tunes of War" and €99.90 for the Ultra Heavily Peated "Metal Turf Beast" Single Malt Whisky. From December 11, 2021, both limited editions will initially be available online and – if sufficient stock is available – also at selected retailers.

Premiere at the St. Kilian Online Whisky Tasting on December 11, 2021

Together with special guest Axel "Ironfinger" Ritt, the two Heavy Metal Single Malt Whiskies will be presented live from the stillhouse of Germany's largest whisky distillery on Saturday, December 11, at 7:00 PM, as part of the large Online Whisky Tasting. The online tasting sets with a total of seven whisky samples will be sent to participants in advance, so that they can comfortably enjoy the now established format from home. Registration is now open. The price is €49.00 per set.

Tasting Notes:
Grave Digger - Tunes of War

Tasting-Notes:

Appearance:	Polished copper
Nose:	Sweet peat smoke with crispy bacon envelops the fruity aromas of red grapes, raspberry, and strawberry. Dry notes of ash and delicately spicy oak perfectly round off the sweet and fruity bouquet.
Taste:	A creamy-sweet blend of red grapes, ripe apples, and juicy peaches with warming peat smoke, accompanied by subtle oak spice and a pinch of pepper, fading with dry ash notes towards the finish.
Finish:	Long with red grape jelly and apple rings, slowly giving way to dry oak, subtly warming wood smoke, and fine ash notes.

Tasting Notes:
Grave Digger - Metal Turf Beast

Appearance:	Mahogany
Nose:	Intensely warming peat smoke with cooling mint and some menthol in the foreground. Plus sweet notes of plum jam and raisin, accompanied by dark chocolate and some tobacco, as well as dry, spicy oak with fine ash.
Taste:	Wonderfully sweet and intense with plum jam and raisins, enveloped by warming peat smoke. Notes of red berries follow, lingering with fine tannins and green walnut aromas, as well as dry ash.
Finish:	Long with creamy jam of red berries and ripe plums, studded with green walnut, fine tannins and spicy oak, and enveloped by dry peat smoke.

About Grave Digger

The heavy metal band from Gladbeck has been one of the most influential representatives of the German metal scene since its foundation in 1980. With their now 21 studio albums, they bring metal made in Germany to the world. In addition to classics such as "Heavy Metal Breakdown" or the Wacken anthem, the band is also known for its legendary Scotland trilogy. The three albums "Tunes of War", "The Clans will Rise again" and "Fields of Blood" are a tribute to Scottish history and take listeners to the battlefields of the Scottish Highlands. The band around singer Chris Boltendahl and guitarist Axel "Ironfinger" Ritt thrills their fans worldwide with their epic sounds and emotional live performances. Concerts in Germany, Spain, Russia and Switzerland are planned for 2022. More information can be found at www.grave-digger-clan.de.

About St. Kilian Distillers GmbH

St. Kilian Distillers from Rüdenau near Miltenberg am Main in Lower Franconia has regularly proven in recent years that premium whisky does not necessarily have to come only from Scotland, Ireland or Japan. Meanwhile, numerous gold medals have been awarded to Germany's largest whisky distillery at the most renowned whisky competitions around the globe. In addition, awards such as "Distillery of the Year" and "Whisky of the Year" also testify to the international top level that the distillery, founded only in 2012 by investment banker Andreas Thümmler and thus still young, has now reached with its whiskies. St. Kilian Distillers supports the responsible handling of alcohol, about which you can find out more at www.massvoll-geniessen.de. Further information about the company and portfolio can be found at stkdev.lichtschreiber.de.