Here is the second St. Kilian release from The Whisky Jury. This time it says heavily peated but the label doesn’t state a ppm, contrary to the previous release.
I felt it was a nice touch of the 2019/2023 to give this German whisky its own bottle with a screw cap, but the new release returns to the classic TWJ bottle.
St. Kilian 2017 (58,8%, The Whisky Jury 2024, first-fill Oloroso sherry cask #1535, heavily peated, 315 btl.)
Nose: a leafy and slightly farmy style. From the South shore of Germany, right? Ashy notes and leather, with chimney smoke, hints of dried figs and sultanas. Whiffs of new rubber boots, toasted walnuts and tobacco leaves. Then some antiseptics, camphor and light menthol.
Mouth: dry and slightly astringent peat smoke, rather in your face. Some raw sheep wool, a chalky dryness, cigar ashes and gingerbread. Very peaty indeed. Then a hint of charred lemon, clove and cinnamon. Plums and dark chocolate come out, but they are quickly overtaken again by drying hints of black peppercorns and burnt herbs. A bit rude and rough, but very good to warm up after a walk in the forest on a rainy day.
Finish: long but youngish and dry, with more fallen leaves, tobacco smoke, gingery sharpness and bittersweet chocolate.
Another fine German whisky, significantly older than the previous release but still not entirely mature, in my opinion. The smoky power is impressive and the sherry cask leaves a nice footprint. I totally understand why The Whisky Jury wants to bring this to our attention. Available from TWJ retailers.