P – as in Production Team Part 1

How important is the production team?

St. Kilian Distillers' production team plays an immensely important role in the production of single malt whisky. Their work is fundamental, as it significantly influences the quality, taste, and character of this noble spirit.

https://youtu.be/RIteaziOgIA

Which factors are crucial?

The passion, dedication, and expertise of our production team are decisive for the production of first-class St. Kilian Single Malt Whisky Made in Germany, which delights connoisseurs not only in Germany but soon all over the world.

What do the production assistants do?

Our two production assistants, Thomas Leis and the Englishman Roy Middleton, are all-rounders in our team. They not only manually fill the finished whiskies and liqueurs using our currently semi-automatic bottling plant, but they also fill the casks with New Make and are responsible for their transport and storage in the warehouses of our Bunker City in the heart of the Odenwald. Taking samples from the casks for sensory inspection of the maturing spirits also falls within their remit.

What changes with the new bottling line?

With the new, fully automatic bottling plant, our distiller Kilian Mayer will also join the bottling team. The trained brewer and maltster not only works as a distiller for St. Kilian, but will now take over primary responsibility for our fully automatic bottling line. Another example that all-rounders are in demand at St. Kilian.

Speaking of full automation, is everything automated at St. Kilian?

No. We do not have automated production in Rüdenau. Only the mashing program runs via software, as is common in breweries.

So, is a lot of manual work still required?

Absolutely! Distillation is purely manual work for us, requiring the skill and intuition of the distillers. Because controlling the individual distillation processes via the screens in the control room, where all process steps are graphically displayed by Irish company Rockbrook's software, requires a high level of technical craftsmanship. Similarly, the blending of premium liqueurs in-house is purely manual work and requires not only skill but also a high understanding of quality. This also applies to the hygienic handling of food and all cleaning work.

How are the bottles at St. Kilian labeled?

Our special bottle sizes and shapes often require the various front and back labels to be applied by hand. Our two labelers, Barbara Ziegelt and Brigitte Kindik, have the necessary delicate touch to ensure that the external appearance of the St. Kilian bottles forms a perfect unit with the high-quality content.

Are there also career changers at St. Kilian?

Absolutely. Michael Schimandl has a classical craft training and joined St. Kilian over six years ago. In his role as distiller, he is responsible for supervising production. Since a modern whisky production facility also involves a lot of technology, as a trained craftsman, he also takes care of all technical matters in the operation.

From beer to whisky, is that possible too?

Yes, of course! Excellent examples are our old hand, Master Distiller and Blender Mario Rudolf, and our Distiller Philipp Walther. Both are trained master brewers and, like the already mentioned Kilian Mayer, have made the leap from beer to whisky at St. Kilian. This is not unusual, as the production of whisky is very similar to that of beer. Because whisky is nothing more than distilled beer, which has been produced without the addition of hops and allowed to mature in casks. Therefore, both professions complement each other perfectly.