St. Kilian Whisky, Single Malt from Lower Franconia
St. Kilian Distillers in Rüdenau has made single malt the Scottish way since 2016 and calls itself Germany's largest whisky distillery. Here you will find the core range, the numbered Signature Editions, the Whisky Solera, single casks and Lucky & Punch, Michael Mittermeier's two single casks sold only on Spiritory.
Table of the content:
- A Young Distillery with an Irish Name
- Scottish Craft in Franconia
- Classic, Peated and Cigar Malt
- The Signature Editions
- Whisky Solera and Single Casks
- Lucky & Punch, Only on Spiritory
- Music and Film Editions
- Is St. Kilian Worth Collecting?
- Where can I buy St. Kilian whisky online?
- Can I sell St. Kilian bottles on Spiritory?
A Young Distillery with an Irish Name
Andreas Thümmler founded St. Kilian Distillers in 2012 in Rüdenau, a small village in the Miltenberg district on the eastern edge of the Odenwald. The distillery stands on the site of a former textile factory. On 17 March 2016, St. Patrick's Day, the first spirit ran through its copper stills. The name recalls Kilian, the Irish missionary bishop who came to Würzburg.
Whisky has to mature for at least three years in a wooden cask. So in May 2019 St. Kilian presented its first three year old single malt, the First Kilian. It was bottled in an edition of 760, as many bottles as Rüdenau had residents when the first cask was filled. At the World Spirits Award 2023, St. Kilian was named Distillery of the Year and World-Class Distillery.
Scottish Craft in Franconia
St. Kilian distils twice in two 6,000 litre copper pot stills made by the Scottish firm Forsyth, as is usual in Scotland. For unpeated whisky the distillery uses barley from Germany, while the peated malt comes directly from Scotland. The master distiller is Mario Rudolf, a master brewer from Amorbach.
Many casks mature in former munitions bunkers in the Odenwald, an area the distillery calls Bunker City. According to Andreas Thümmler, the thick walls keep the temperature very steady. In 2023 he spoke of more than 370 cask types in use at St. Kilian. That is why, with St. Kilian, the cask details on the label often tell you more about the style than the name of the bottling. For how peat and cask work together, read Peated vs Unpeated Whisky.
Classic, Peated and Cigar Malt
The two core whiskies, Classic and Peated, mature in the same mix of casks, about 70 percent ex bourbon and 30 percent Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. Both are bottled at 46% ABV. The difference comes mainly from the malt.
- St. Kilian Classic, Mild & Fruity is the mild, unpeated style and the house style of the distillery.
- St. Kilian Peated, Rich & Smoky is made from heavily peated malt from the Scottish Highlands, given as 80 ppm on the distillery's current product page.
- St. Kilian Cigar Malt joined the core range in May 2026. It matures in ex Tawny Port, ex sweet wine and virgin oak casks, is unpeated and bottled at 46% ABV.
The Signature Editions
In the limited Signature Editions, St. Kilian keeps trying new casks and peat levels. Each edition carries a number and its own cask concept. For collectors, the series is the best way to get to know the range of the distillery.
- Signature Edition Eleven pairs Scottish peated malt at 54 ppm with maximum reflux for a mild smoke. It matured only in 190 litre casks that previously held Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey and was bottled at 46.2% ABV, 8,340 bottles.
- Signature Edition Twelve matured mainly in Moscatel de Setúbal barriques.
- Signature Edition Fourteen is unpeated and matured in casks that previously held Rhum Agricole, Armagnac, Cognac, Sauternes, red Margaux and Champagne base wine. 4,260 bottles at 49.8% ABV.
- Signature Edition Fifteen was released in February 2025. Malt peated to 80 ppm matured for three years entirely in former Amarone casks, bottled at 53.3% ABV.
Whisky Solera and Single Casks
With the Whisky Solera, St. Kilian has built its own solera system. The 2025 Whisky Solera IV is unpeated, six years old and bottled at cask strength, 57.5% ABV, in an edition of 728 bottles. Its final stage is made up only of Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.
St. Kilian also bottles single casks at cask strength, such as the 6 Years Old 2017 Ultra Heavily Peated, Cask Nr.1784 at 58.9% ABV. With single casks, look closely at the cask number, age and strength, because every cask is one of a kind.
Lucky & Punch, Only on Spiritory
For his first whisky, Michael Mittermeier travelled to Rüdenau and chose two casks himself at St. Kilian. They are named after his comedy club, Lucky Punch. There are 500 bottles of each, and both are sold only on Spiritory.
- Lucky comes from Cask Nr.9394, an ex Moscatel de Setúbal cask, and is bottled at 46.7% ABV.
- Punch comes from Cask Nr.5914, an ex Tawny Port cask, is heavily peated at 80 ppm and bottled at 48.3% ABV.
- Both are also available together as the Lucky & Punch Set.
Music and Film Editions
Alongside its own series, St. Kilian bottles editions with well known names from music and film. On Spiritory you will find bottlings with Judas Priest and Grave Digger, as well as the ranges around Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. Some of them are liqueurs or gin, so check the category on each listing. For every bottle in one place, see the St. Kilian search.
Is St. Kilian Worth Collecting?
St. Kilian has only sold whisky since 2019. The whole story of the distillery can still be followed bottle by bottle, from the First Kilian through the numbered Signature Editions to limited single casks.
Small editions are the most interesting for collectors, such as the First Kilian with 760 bottles, the Whisky Solera IV with 728 bottles and Lucky & Punch with 500 bottles each. For how St. Kilian compares with other German distilleries, read What Is the Best German Single Malt Whisky in 2026?
Where can I buy St. Kilian whisky online?
On Spiritory, collectors and dealers trade St. Kilian bottlings on a marketplace of bids and asks. You can buy a bottle straight away at the lowest ask or place your own bid. Bottles from private sellers are checked by Spiritory's experts from photos before you pay. Your payment is held in escrow and only released to the seller once delivery is confirmed. Besides the core range, you will also find older Signature Editions, early bottlings such as the First Kilian and Lucky & Punch, which are sold only on Spiritory.
Can I sell St. Kilian bottles on Spiritory?
Yes. You list an ask at your own price, with no listing fee, and can change it at any time until it sells. Once a sale is made, you ship the bottle within five business days. The payout follows by SEPA bank transfer after delivery is confirmed.