St. Kilian 2018-2019/2025 Signature Edition Sixteen - ex-Portugal Wine Casks

Volume: 0.5 litres | Alcohol content: 55.3% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Signature Edition Sixteen places Portuguese wine casks at the heart of its composition. St. Kilian combines distillates from 2018 and 2019 matured in four types of fortified-wine cask. Casks that previously held Madeira and Moscatel de Setúbal each account for 34%, complemented by casks formerly used for Tawny Port or Ruby Port. The edition is therefore based on a deliberate cask composition rather than a single finish.

St. Kilian makes this whisky from 100% malted barley, using Oregon pine washbacks and double distillation in copper pot stills. At 55.3%, it displays ripe fruit, creamy sweetness and dry cask spice with clear definition. Its colour is natural, and it is neither coloured nor chill-filtered. This preserves the unaltered character of the cask selection.

Bottled in 2025, the edition is limited to 4,860 bottles. Moscatel de Setúbal contributes light-coloured grapes and aromatic fruit, Madeira adds spice and structure, while Tawny Port and Ruby Port provide red fruit and jammy depth.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, ripe peach and juicy pear meet raspberry as well as light-coloured and red grapes. Vanilla cream and delicate oak give the fruit profile warmth and definition.
• Palate: The whisky is powerful, fruity and creamy on the palate. Summer fruits, sweet grapes and vanilla lead into warming oak spice, black pepper and a hint of chocolate.
• Finish: The finish is long and velvety, with jammy fruit balanced by dry grape skin, warm oak and delicate tannins.

Distillery/Bottler:

St. Kilian Distillers produces the whisky in Rüdenau as an official distillery bottling. Founder Andreas Thümmler and Irish whisky specialist David F. Hynes developed the plans for the distillery in 2012. After four years of construction, the first spirit flowed in 2016 through two 6,000-litre copper pot stills made by Forsyth.

The Signature Editions are released as small-batch bottlings. Edition Sixteen has its own distinct concept, built around a composition of different casks from Portugal’s winemaking tradition.

Facts: