Customer Kegs - Exciting Variety

In this article, our Master Distiller gives us an interesting insight into the great variety of St. Kilian customer casks - the so-called "Private Casks".

Back to full speed at the distillery soon!

Soon, we'll be back in full swing. From September 2020, we will reopen our doors to visitors after the forced break due to Corona. Production will also pick up speed again after the summer break.

We are currently refilling our treasure chamber in the World Whisky Lounge. There, you can first taste our 30l customer casks before deciding on a cask type and a recipe. We have everything ready for you to try - whether mild or smoky, in 7 different cask types each. A truly exciting variety!

Attached are a few pictures of the selection of the corresponding tasting casks in our customer cask warehouse. The selection is always a special experience for the team!

The selection is large for Private Casks

The casks are stored in heavy-duty shelves specially designed for this purpose. We have a small cask stacker to safely place or remove the casks from the upper rows.

Maturation in a 30l cask proceeds much faster than in larger casks. Compared to an American Standard Barrel with 190l, it's about 3.5 times faster!

Faster maturation due to small casks

This is due to the altered ratio of surface area to volume. The smaller the cask, the more surface area compared to the volume, the faster the maturation and also the higher the Angels' Share. More surface area also means more wood character than with a large cask. Intense maturation within the shortest time. A great result after only 3 years of maturation is the outcome.

The pictures show the incredible color that develops, for example, in ex-port wine casks after only a few months in these "turbo casks". An absolute dream that makes the heart of every whisky connoisseur beat faster! The switch from new make character to whisky character also happens very quickly and is remarkable.

The important thing then is not to "over-mature" the casks. Three years, or possibly four or five years, is optimal. For a second filling, it can certainly be a few more years.

We look forward to your visit, which will be possible again from September 2020, and your interest in such casks! We are happy to come up with new cask types for you again and again.