St. Kilian 5 Year Old - Batch 1 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company) (50cl, 53.1%)

This is a five-year-old single malt from St. Kilian in Germany, bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company as Batch 1 of its World of Smoke series. 542 bottles were filled at 53.1%, in 50cl, without chill-filtering or added colour. The malt was dried over beech wood smoke, and the whisky then matured in a former cherry wine cask. The label shows medieval monks with rock music touches, a nod to St. Kilian's work with heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest. The nose brings dried fruit and pale cherry with raspberry leaves and fragrant wood, over soft background smoke. The palate has a cherry-sweet note with malt and a hint of menthol. The finish is dry and woody, with menthol lingering.