New St. Kilian releases surprise in 2023

New St. Kilian releases surprise in 2023 - German Whisky News

By Ernie Scheiner, The Gateway to Distilleries www.whisky-distilleries.net

Rüdenau, February 2023

Germany’s largest whisky distillery is located in Franconia near the medieval town of Miltenberg am Main. The impressive, state-of-the-art distillery features a traditional mash tun, four wooden washbacks, and two 6,000 liter copper pot stills with swan necks from Forsyths in Rothes. St. Kilian was founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Andreas Thümmler and designed by Irish specialist David F. Hynes. The first whiskies were released in 2019. Today, the annual alcohol production (LPA) is 256,000 liters.

At the end of 2022, CTO and Master Blender Mario Rudolf presented a highly praised online tasting with various new releases: seven whiskies and one whisky liqueur. He was accompanied by Iron Finger Axel Ritt, lead guitarist of the heavy metal band GRAVE DIGGER, and Honorary Brand Ambassador Dr. Heinz Weinberger. What a record! 1,300 tasting sets reached the viewers.

The peated GRAVE DIGGER BERRY METAL Wild Berry Liqueur (54 ppm) was bottled at 40% vol. The base of this exceptionally strong red liqueur is a St. Kilian spirit double distilled in the pot stills with swan necks, made from Scottish peated malt from Glen Esk Maltings in Montrose.

A new limited single malt version, the GRAVE DIGGER - FIELDS OF BLOOD, was presented in an iconic bottle. This bottling is limited to 5,450 bottles. Whisky Blender Mario Rudolf preferred an alcohol concentration of 47% vol, non-chill filtered and natural color: "The single malt is wonderfully creamy, sweet and fruity with notes of vanilla, red berry compote and juicy grapes. Accompanied by a warming oak spice with fine tannins and enveloped in mild peat smoke."

The peated malt (54 ppm) comes from Glen Esk south of Aberdeen. It was fermented for more than 70 hours in wooden washbacks and slowly double distilled in the 6,000 liter pot stills. The spirit matured entirely in red wine, first-fill bourbon, and ruby port wine casks.

St. Kilian's range is something very special. The limited Signature Editions convey an impression of what modern whisky production is all about. Different malt and yeast varieties, different distillation methods and many different casks allow Mario Rudolf further methods of whisky blending by using whiskies that have matured in different woods. The results are an arrangement of aromas that integrate and summarize the different profiles of whiskies that - each in its own right - have received a full-term maturation. Because Head Distiller Rudolf does not like finishings.

New Signature Editions TWELVE (mild) and THIRTEEN (peated)

For the Signature Edition TWELVE, Master Distiller Mario Rudolf selected "mild" (unpeated) four-year-old single malts that had matured in first-fill Moscatel de Setúbal barriques (225 liters), first-fill Jamaica rum casks, and some fresh American white oak casks (Virgin Oak, 190 liters). This special composition of whiskies was bottled in 12,550 bottles at 50.8% vol. The shape of the bottles resembles the pot stills of St. Kilian.

"Juicy peaches, sweet grapes and creamy vanilla with a hint of ripe pineapple pieces create a warming melange of spicy oak, notes of grape seeds and a pinch of pepper," Mario Rudolf describes the taste profile. The Signature Edition TWELVE is a delicious, tropical and spicy whisky made in Germany.

The Signature Edition THIRTEEN, on the other hand, is characterized by a rather diverse and unusual composition of five different, virgin fresh wood cask types.

In the European Union, distilleries are permitted by regulation to use any type of wood for whisky maturation. In Scotland, only oak wood is allowed. At St. Kilian, mastermind Mario Rudolf takes advantage of a wide range of wood types. Today, more than 363 cask types (updated by St. Kilian Distillers) shape the aroma profiles of St. Kilian whiskies.

The Signature Edition THIRTEEN consists of whiskies matured entirely in casks of Palatinate oak (225 liters, 11%), Hungarian oak (225 liters, 32%) and very special woods such as 225 liter barriques of Black Locust (also known as "false acacia", 27%), Chestnut (225 liters, 27%) and Cherry (95 liters, 3%). At the end of 2022, Rudolf selected whiskies that the St. Kilian team had distilled in 2016, 2018, and 2019. The malt was again peated by the maltings from Glenesk with peat from St. Fergus up to 54 ppm. The single malt is bottled at 53.9% vol and limited to only 8,680 bottles.

"Juicy apricots, red cherries and sweet vanilla cream combine with warming wood notes. Fine spicy oak, white pepper and a hint of ginger, subtly enveloped by aromatic peat smoke, result in a full-bodied, intensely colored and characterful single malt...The latest edition of a St. Kilian single malt presents itself as a creamy-spicy melange of dark fruit jam, fine tannins and warming peat smoke with some subtle dry ash notes and a hint of cocoa.

St. Kilian Core Range

Two new St Kilian Single Malt Whiskies will be available in the future: St. Kilian CLASSIC - Mild & Fruity and St. Kilian PEATED – Rich & Smoky. Both varieties are single malt whiskies from the St. Kilian distillery.

Master Blender Mario Rudolf explains his recipe: "70% of the whiskies are fully matured in casks that previously contained bourbon, and 30% of them received full maturation in casks that were previously flavored with Pedro Ximénez or Oloroso sherry. At St. Kilian, our whiskies are not finished."

The St. Kilian CLASSIC is "...Balanced sweet and at the same time warming with apricots and peaches, creamy toffee and spicy oak. Perfectly rounded off with a pinch of white pepper and a hint of fresh mint." The mild St. Kilian CLASSIC impresses with its balanced fruit sweetness, perfectly rounded off by spicy oak aromas and some fine herbal notes.

The current St. Kilian PEATED Single Malt Whisky, on the other hand, convinces with its full-bodied fruit sweetness and spiciness, paired with the finest peat smoke and hints of fresh mint. The warming peat smoke flavor provides an interesting profile, featuring a rich intensity of grilled apricots, creamy toffee, and subtle oak spice, enveloped in lingering peat smoke. The peated Core Range bottling (54 ppm) is well-balanced and full of character. Its sweetness makes it a delightful "daily dram."

Both versions are bottled at 46% vol, are neither chill-filtered nor colored. The iconic, heavy bottles in the shape of the St. Kilian Pot Still have a size of 700 ml. The whiskies are between three and four years old and permanently available at St. Kilian.