After tasting a less than stellar 3 yo whisky from the Bavarian distillery, I’m putting high hopes in this very expensive and collectable 12-year-old dram. Let’s check it out!

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber
The nose starts out extremely rich! Different league than the aforementioned 3 yo bottling! Not your usual whisky, though, a distinctive style you could not mistake for a Scottish whisky (which is good, because why should you make whisky that tastes like Scotch in Bavaria?). Rich oak! I couldn’t find any official info on it, but I’d be surprised if it was anything but virgin american white oak casks. This could almost be a well-aged high-malt mash bill, potstill bourbon! Charred oak, vanilla, tannins, ginger, cinnamon and cloves up front, with caramel and toffee sweetness, Werther’s Original, Ricola cough lozenges and a whiff of a new Bavarian cowboy boot (Oh come on, you’ve made that one up!). Very oak-driven, but not too oaky. At the same time there’s also a lightness and freshness on top – you can tell this is not old whisky, but a younger distillate from fresh casks. Let’s check the palate! Continue reading “24 drams till christmas 2016 #3: Slyrs 12 yo”

Dram data:
Distillery: Slyrs
Bottler: Original bottling
Distilled: – (unknown)
Bottled: –
Age: 3 years
Limitation: –
Casks: American white oak
Alcohol: 43%
probably chill-filtered; uncoloured

Tasting notes:
Colour: light honey
Wow, a premiere! The first German single malt whisky I’m reviewing on this blog. And the first time I’m trying Slyrs. So let’s dive right into it…
The nose is… interesting. Not you usual single malt, light yet with a very dense, tightly interwoven flavour profile, quite sweet with a touch of oak right up front. This reminds me more of a dry Cognac (with added wood extract) than of a malt-based distillate. Vanilla, fresh oak staves, grape distillate with a touch of bitter seeds, dusty, dried apricot, banana chips and a young-spirit metallic note in the background. Continue reading “Tasting: Slyrs Bavarian Single Malt 3 yo”