Have you ever wondered what all goes into a bottle of single malt before it ends up on the shelf at your trusted retailer? I recently found out by chance when I was selecting a cask for the upcoming Whiskyfolks bottling at the St. Kilian distillery. Master Distiller Mario Rudolf and I sat down with various cask samples, and we started talking about how he is not only responsible for the production of the new make spirit, but also for the composition of St. Kilian whiskies. "I'm actually putting together a new bottling right now," Mario said almost casually. After that sentence, my visit took a completely different turn. Mario gave deep insights into his work – a composition in eight parts.
Part 1 - Kick-off
"That Tuesday, I was sitting at my desk going through the production schedule for the next week. Suddenly, St. Kilian founder and owner Andi Thümmler and sales manager Kai Bentlage stood in the doorway. They said that the demand for the Signature
Seven was so great – the Seven hadn't even been on the market for two weeks at that point – and that we already had to start thinking about the next bottling," Mario recalls.
"The initial key question in these considerations is: 'smoky or mild'? Since the previous bottlings, Signature Six and Seven, were both mild, meaning without smoke or peat, the decision was made for smoky. Then it's about the general framework: the desired number of bottles and the alcohol strength. With the Signature Eight, St. Kilian will be present in the Chinese market for the first time. Since '8' is the lucky number in China, the batch size of 8888 bottles with an alcohol strength of 53.8% was decided relatively quickly."
Part 2 - Composition
From then on, Mario's thoughts revolved around the requirements, the available casks, and the last bottlings, from which the "Eight" was naturally supposed to stand out. Mario can draw on a seemingly inexhaustible number of different casks and is delighted: "We currently have over 250 different types of casks in our warehouses. That is, of course, an incredibly great reservoir for exciting bottlings." But how does Mario now bring structure to this process?
"A Signature bottling generally has three components. The base, which can often account for about 60-80% of a bottling, the body with about 15-35%, and a top note, which is usually in the single-digit percentage range. For the Signature Eight, I opted for a base of ex-Rye casks from the USA. They
bring a special spice that I wanted to round off with another type of wood. Furthermore, I was looking for an exciting top note. For this, ex-Bourbon casks, Palatinate or Hungarian oak, Virgin Oak from the USA, as well as acacia or chestnut were considered."
Part 3 - Sampling
"With this initial selection of cask types, I then searched through my inventory and compiled a list of cask numbers, storage locations, and cask types for sampling. Based on the required bottle quantity and the alcohol strength of the bottling, I then calculate the necessary amount of casks. This time, about 130 casks were shortlisted.
However, very few casks are stored in the distillery itself, which is why we drive to the "Bunker City," a former NATO ammunition depot about 20 minutes away, for sampling. We store about 600 casks in each of 11 bunkers there, which have a very consistent climate and allow our St. Kilian to mature fantastically," Mario explains. "It took four days until all the samples were on my desk."
Part 4 - Condensing
Samples upon samples now stood in Mario's office. "With olfactory samples, I get a first overview and make a preliminary selection. The casks that immediately convince me, I put aside. The casks sorted to the front get another opportunity to convince me over the next few days. From the samples at the back, I then mix a first blend. I let this rest over the weekend and tasted it the following Monday. Then, over the coming days, I further adjusted the mix, let it rest, tasted it, and adjusted it again," Mario explains his approach.
"This is always a very exciting step. Because apart from the special task of composing the Signature Eight, it gives me a very good feeling for the maturation of our whisky in the different types of wood and a corresponding overview of our cask inventory."
Part 5 - Finding the Mix
Today, I'm sitting in Mario Rudolf's office, where he has just told me the genesis of the Signature Eight and is now sharing his final findings: "The experiences of the past few days have led me to adjust the basic idea of the composition. I completely removed the Hungarian oak and reduced the proportion of ex-Rye casks to 43%. The base is supplemented by 27% ex-Bourbon casks. Specifically, I use the small casks (20 to 38 liters) from Kings County Distillery - in which their smoky new make spirit was stored - and the 50-liter casks from the Texan Garrison Brothers Distillery, which I highly value. For the body, I have added Rioja casks - they bring fruitiness and freshness - (19%) and the popular Palatinate oak with 9%. For the top note (2%), acacia casks are responsible, contributing a gentle, elegant bitterness paired with deep woody notes reminiscent of dark cherries. The smokiness is also taken care of, as the mash bills used result in 54ppm phenols in the malt before processing."
Mario is now calculating the proportions. With a high-precision mechanical laboratory pipette, he produces the new 100ml sample and reduces it to the desired alcohol strength of 53.8%. The impression on the nose and palate is excellent even so soon after mixing. Mario's eyes sparkle and he says with a smile: "I think this is it!"
Part 6 - Final Tasting
If 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating', then for whisky it's: 'the proof of the whisky is in the tasting'. To that end, Andi Thümmler, Andreas Kreser (Marketing Director), and Zoltan Fodi (Head Distiller) gathered in Mario's office that day. The aroma, taste, and body were convincing during the tasting, and indeed, the decision for this composition was made quickly. "If the decision were to take longer, then usually something is missing. After all, the whisky has to convince us just as much as it should convince our fans," says Andi Thümmler, who sees the next gold medal at a Spirit Competition within reach. "An award is always our goal, of course. It underlines our pursuit of quality and taste."
Part 7 - Bottling
"Ultimately, we composed the St. Kilian Signature Eight from 41 casks. The number of casks is correspondingly high due to the small Kings County and Garrison Brothers casks," Mario reports. "They were moved out of various bunkers in Hainhaus, transported to the distillery, and emptied. This was an elaborate process that took two days. In the tank, the whisky was then filtered, married, and reduced to the desired alcohol strength of 53.8% within one day. We then like to give the whisky - as in this case - several weeks to rest so that the different casks can blend their flavors appropriately. Only after that was the St. Kilian Signature Eight bottled into our typical Pot Still bottle over another three days."
Part 8 - Sales Launch
The online tasting takes place on a grand scale, with almost 1000 tasting sets sent to St. Kilian fans. The launch starts punctually at 7 p.m. It is broadcast from the heart of the distillery. Andi Thümmler, Mario Rudolf, and special guest David F. Hynes sit in front of Forsyths' two copper pot stills.
David is an Irish Master Distiller legend in his lifetime. Due to his friendship with Andi Thümmler, he played a key role in the creation of St. Kilian, has since served as a mentor for the distillery, and has particularly intensive exchanges with Mario Rudolf.
During the tasting, he repeatedly expresses his enthusiasm for Mario's work, not only in production but also specifically in the compilation - the blending - of the St. Kilian Signature bottlings. The latter always present a very special and creative cask mix. David therefore ennobles Mario as the 'Whisky Wizard of Wood' that evening.
"A very good whisky," David says, "is characterized by the balance of its flavor components." He certifies the St. Kilian Signature Eight with a "great balance" during the tasting - "legendary" praise for Mario's composition. Thus, on day 88 after the kick-off, the St. Kilian Signature Eight has now made it into the glasses of its fans. Now it's up to them how long it takes until Mario composes the Signature Ten.
Signature Edition Nine
With a base of Bourbon casks, Mario had three ideas: a pure ex-Bourbon cask bottling, a mashbill mix (whisky from various malt recipes, of which St. Kilian has used 18 different ones so far), and a bottling whose taste is dominated by Sauternes casks (French sweet wine).
The final tasting and thus the decision for the Sauternes-based bottling took place on August 9th. For this, 59 casks were removed almost simultaneously with those for the Signature Eight, married, and bottled a few days before the 'Eight'. They yielded 7500 bottles with an alcohol strength of 55.3%. The choice fell on a base (62%) of ex-Bourbon casks (52 ex-Garrison Brothers 50l casks), a body with Sauternes casks (27%), and a – at 11% – relatively large top note of Palatinate oak.
Master Distiller David Hynes was thrilled by the balance during the tasting: "The vanilla from the Bourbon casks, the grapes from the Sauternes casks, and the spiciness of the Virgin Oak casks leave each other room and are very clearly and balanced perceptible on the nose and palate. Mario does fantastic things with a wide variety of cask types, and I am sure that he will significantly shape the international reputation of German whisky with St. Kilian."
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