X Series - Special bottlings

The foundation stone for St. Kilian

Founded in 2012, the four-year planning and construction phase for the largest whisky distillery in Germany began before the first own wash was distilled on 17 March, St. Patrick's Day 2016. For this distillate, a cask was to be created that would still stand out from thousands of casks decades later. For this purpose, the cooperage Wilhelm Eder in Bad Dürkheim was commissioned to produce a barrel that would be both distinctive and unique through the triad of high-quality wood, the largest possible capacity and perfect workmanship. According to these specifications and with a great deal of craftsmanship, the traditional Palatinate barrel makers made the 700-litre barrel no. 1 from the wood of a Johanniskreuz oak.

For our special bottling St. Kilian Cask No. 1 "First Cut", limited to 760 bottles, 70% of the cask contents were removed after 5 years and refilled with new single malt spirit (New Make). For another special bottling of cask No. 1, this procedure is repeated, thus enabling a solera process that will always carry the soul of the first pure St. Kilian distillate.

Barrel No. 1 marks the beginning of St. Kilian, but even before that there were two distillations to test the plant.

First test run in August 2015

The first test run took place on 28.08.2015. Here, unpeated single malt spirit (New Make) from the Swedish distillery Mackmyra was first diluted and then distilled a second time on St. Kilian's Spirit Still. The two distilleries are closely linked not only through the friendship of St. Kilian founder Andreas Thümmler with the Swedish distillery team, but also through the training of Master Distiller Mario Rudolf at Mackmyra.

The triple distilled New Make was then filled into 5 casks on 13.11.2015 at 54 % vol:

Casks X01X and X02X: 190l - Bourbon Barrel - USA - Old Forrester Distilling Co.

Casks X03X, X04X and X05X: 50l - Bourbon Quarter Cask - USA - Garrison Brothers Distillery

With this first cask filling, THE EARLY DAYS MACKMYRA X ST. KILIAN bottling was created: Distillates from the distillery's trial runs, which could be created thanks to an excellent collaboration.

Second test run in November 2015

After testing the Spirit Still in August 2015, both stills were tested on 17 and 18 November 2015. A beer was brewed according to precise specifications at Mario Rudolf's former employer, the Ketterer brewery in Pforzheim, and delivered to Rüdenau.

The total 438lA New Make of the successful trial was filled into 7 casks on 10/03/2016 at 65.84% vol:

Casks X06X and X07X: 190l - Bourbon Barrel - USA - Old Forrester Distilling Co.

Casks X08X, X09X, X10X, X11X and X12X: 50l - Bourbon Quarter Cask - USA - Garrison Brothers Distillery

After the two successful trial runs, production at St. Kilian was able to start shortly afterwards, so that the first pure St. Kilian New Make flowed out of the Spirit Safe just in time for St. Patrick's Day, 17 March 2016.