St. Kilian Bud Spencer – Whisky (mild)

“Mach’ schon Platz, ich bin der Landvogt!“ – For featuring such a rough-and-ready movie character, this blend of German and Irish Whisk(e)y starts of pretty tame: There is something in between sweet pear and unripe apricot on the nose, underpinned by fresh, light wooden beams on the shelves of a DIY superstore. The sweetness quickly becomes artificial, unfortunately, and the overall richness wears off pretty soon, as well.

On the palate, however, the marketing concept begins to make a certain amount of sense. While the medicinally sharp edges of the NAS-destillates remind you again that this is by no means a premium product, the character of the wood spice makes tasting this whisky, at least within the confines of my experience to date, nothing short of unique, because it is so hearty that I cannot help perceiving it as venison, like saddle of venison or wild boar meat. Maybe this weird, but kind of yummy note is the result of the specific combination of St. Kilians very wood-forward style and the wet, maybe even rotting hay that I often get from Irish whiskeys, but in any case, the venison is this whisky’s absolute party piece, even though the finish is somewhat bland again. You’re getting your bang for the buck with this one.