Press Release: Online Whisky Tasting with Mizunara Full Maturation and TWO new Judas Priest Single Malt Whiskies
St. Kilian Distillers presents the first single malt whisky fully matured in a Virgin Mizunara oak cask outside Japan and introduces two more heavy metal bottlings in cooperation with Judas Priest
Rüdenau, May 2023
St. Kilian Distillers launches an exclusive whisky rarity: a single malt whisky fully matured in a single, fresh Mizunara oak cask. Common in several regions of Japan, Mizunara oak is among the rarest and most expensive woods used to age whisky. The wood for this 225-liter, mildly toasted single barrel is about 250 years old. It came from the forests of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and was carefully crafted by experienced coopers. The Mizunara oak is known for its unique aromas of sandalwood, oriental spices and exotic fruits, which give the whiskey a distinctive note.
This masterpiece of whisky craftsmanship reflects the consummate synergy of Japanese finesse with German distilling art and promises an incomparable taste as well as an exquisite enjoyment experience for discerning connoisseurs. "We are very proud to be able to present this exclusive whisky rarity made from Mizunara oak," says a delighted Managing Director Philipp Trützler. "According to our research, this is the first non-Japanese single malt whisky to be matured in a single, fresh, unoccupied Mizunara oak cask. A true treasure for whisky lovers and collectors alike." The result is a unique taste of ripe fruit and exotic melon paired with warming oak notes, oriental spices, and fragrant sandalwood aromas.
Exceptional Mizunara
This exceptional Mizunara single cask bottling at cask strength is limited to 300 bottles. It also embodies the start of the new St. Kilian Exceptional Range, which is reserved for the most exclusive single malt whiskies of the German distillery. The high-quality whisky rarity is presented in a printed 0.5-liter pot-still glass bottle with noble packaging to simultaneously emphasize its uniqueness as well as exclusivity. "After numerous tastings of bottlings with Mizunara finish, we wanted to find out what a whisky with Mizunara full maturation would taste like," says Master Blender Mario Rudolf. "Inspired by our trip to Japan in 2017, we topped Mizunara oak barrels with our mild as well as smoky New Make Spirits. In doing so, the present result exceeds our expectations and confirms the magic that this extraordinary wood ignites."
New Judas Priest Heavy Metal bottlings
After the successful launch of the cooperation with the legendary British band Judas Priest, St. Kilian Distillers is also releasing two more heavy metal bottlings. The album with the razor blade on the cover, "British Steel", is paid tribute to with a non-smoky single malt whisky . Limited to 12,000 bottles, the bottling was largely aged in former (ex) 190-liter bourbon casks and blended with mature distillates from fresh American white oak casks, which contribute both color and a warming oak spice.
Fans of strongly smoky whiskeys get their money's worth with the special bottling, strictly limited to 1,300 bottles, which is dedicated to the eleventh studio album "Ram it down". Ultra Heavily Peated barley malt with a phenolic content of 91 ppm (parts per million) was used here, which comes directly from the Scottish Highlands and embodies heavy metal in its purest form. The artful marriage of three 190-liter ex-bourbon casks and a fresh American white oak cask with two unusual 38-liter ex-peated bourbon casks results in a true flavor explosion of spicy peat smoke, sweet fruit melange and creamy vanilla.
Both Judas Priest single malt whiskies appear in the 0.7 liter bottle with metal optics known for the St. Kilian Heavy Metal series and are neither artificially colored nor chill-filtered.
Premiere at the St. Kilian Online Whisky Tasting on May 06, 2023
Master Distiller Mario Rudolf and Dr. Heinz Weinberger, together with Honorary Brand Ambassador Udo Sonntag, presented the three new single malt whiskies live from the Stillhouse of the St. Kilian Distillery on Saturday, May 6 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the large online whisky tasting. The online tasting sets with a total of seven whisky and barrel samples as well as the new Advocaat - eggnog made with single malt whisky - were sent to the numerous participants in advance, so that they could enjoy the established format from the comfort of their own homes.
Successful sales launch
The retail price for consumers for the "Mizunara Exceptional Range" is € 249.00. The RRP for the mild "Judas Priest - British Steel" single malt whiskey is € 59.90 and for the Ultra Heavily Peated "Judas Priest - Ram it down" Edition at € 99.90 €. Even during the live event from the Stillhouse of St. Kilian Distillers, the Mizunara Single Malt Whisky bottles of the new "Exceptional Range" was already completely sold out a few minutes after activation in the online store. Also the strong smoky "Judas Priest - Ram it down" bottling met with great demand. Some bottles are still available in the St. Kilian online store. The "Judas Priest - British Steel" single malt whisky is available online at St. Kilian, in the store in the visitor distillery as well as in specialized stores.
Tasting Notes: Exceptional Mizunara
APPEARANCE
Warm Amber
Aroma
A beguiling fruit sweetness, carried by ripe pear, apricot and exotic melon, underpinned by buttery cream toffee, aromatic sandalwood as well as oriental spices.
Taste
Fruity-sweet start with ripe pears, apples and apricots, at the same time warming with spicy oak and sandalwood notes and some pepper before the creamy fruit melange takes over again.
Finish
Long lasting with creamy fruit jam accompanied by dry sandalwood flavors as well as a hint of buttery toffee.
Alcohol content:
55.1% vol.
RRP:
€ 249.00 (0.5 liter)
Tasting Notes: Judas Priest - British Steel
LOOK
Bright Gold
Aroma
Intense fruity notes of ripe pears and apples, accompanied by sweet vanilla, a hint of banana as well as fine spicy oak and underpinned by malty notes with a hint of smoke in the background.
Taste
Creamy sweet vanilla, ripe pears, crisp apples and some banana bread complement a pleasant warming oak spice accompanied by dark nougat with a hint of barley malt.
Aftertaste
Finely spicy, warming oak notes linger pleasantly long with a hint of dark chocolate, some dark bread crust and a hint of dry smoke.
Alcohol content:
47 % vol
RRP:
€ 59.90 (0.7 liter)
Tasting Notes: Judas Priest - Ram it down
LOOK
Glowing amber
Aroma
Intense peat smoke, accompanied by creamy vanilla and crisp barley malt, leaves room for fruity aromas of juicy pears as well as fresh apricots.
Taste
The sweet fruit notes of juicy pears and ripe apricots, refined with vanilla cream, are perfectly balanced by a warming oak spice with dry peat smoke.
Aftertaste
Creamy fruit spread with vanilla lingers pleasantly warming and pleasantly long with a fine cookie note, dark toffee as well as ashy smoke aromas.
Alcohol content:
49 % vol
RRP:
€ 99.90 (0.7 liter)
About Judas Priest
Judas Priest from Birmingham are considered one of the biggest and most influential bands in heavy metal. Originally founded as a blues band in 1969, Judas Priest turned to heavy metal from the mid-1970s. With numerous albums and hits such as "Breaking The Law", "Living After Midnight" or "Painkiller", they have been leaving their unmistakable mark on the metal music scene for 50 years now and reached an absolute peak in their metal career with their legendary album "Firepower" in 2018. In 2022 Judas Priest was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and awarded the "Musical Excellence Award". To celebrate their 50th anniversary, a limited edition box set containing all official live and studio albums, as well as 13 previously unreleased CDs, was released in 2021 from the band's vast archives. For more information, visit www.judaspriest.com.
AboutGlobal Merchandising Services Limited
Global Merchandising Services Limited is one of the world's largest exploiters of merchandising rights in the music and entertainment industry. The company develops unique and innovative international merchandising programs and holds licenses from a wide range of internationally successful individual artists, music bands as well as entertainment events. Led by Barry Drinkwater, founder and executive chairman, and with offices in London and Los Angeles, California, Global Merchandising Services Limited's roster includes music groups such as One Direction, Judas Priest, Motörhead and Iron Maiden to characters and brands such as The Emoji Company, Capcom, as well as entertainment brands such as Universal's "Jurassic World" and Rovio's "Angry Birds."
About St. Kilian Distillers GmbH
The German whiskey distillery from the Lower Franconian town of Rüdenau near Miltenberg am Main produces top-class whiskey that has been awarded more than 150 gold medals at the most prestigious whiskey competitions around the globe. In addition, awards such as "World-Class Distillery", "Distillery of the Year" and "Whisky of the Year" also testify to the top international level at which the distillery, which was only founded in 2012 by the investment banker Andreas Thümmler and is therefore still young, is now operating with its whiskies. St. Kilian Distillers supports the responsible use of alcohol, about which you can find out more at https://www.massvoll-geniessen.de/. For more information on the company and portfolio, visit www.stkiliandistillers.com.