What Kind of Whisky Does St. Kilian Make? 5 Things That Make It Scottish in Style

St. Kilian makes single malt in the Scottish style in Rüdenau, Lower Franconia: distilled twice in two copper stills from Forsyths of Rothes, in two house styles, unpeated and heavily peated, from more than 370 cask types, and matured in former munitions bunkers in the Odenwald. Lucky & Punch by Michael Mittermeier, two single casks from a former Moscatel cask and a former Tawny Port cask, come from this same programme.

Key Takeaways

• Two copper stills with swan necks, 6,000 litres each, come from Forsyths in Rothes. The whisky is slowly double distilled.

• St. Kilian works with a traditional mash tun and four wooden washbacks. According to the distillery, one peated batch fermented for more than 70 hours.

• There are two house styles: Classic without smoke, and Peated from heavily peated malt from the Scottish Highlands, given as 80 ppm on the product page.

• The distillery names more than 370 cask types. The core range matures 70 percent in ex bourbon casks and 30 percent in sherry casks.

• Lucky & Punch are 500 bottles of each from two single casks: Lucky from a former Moscatel de Setúbal cask, Punch from a former Tawny Port cask.

Tip: Taste Classic and Peated side by side. The cask mix and the stills are the same, so the difference comes mainly from the malt.

Two Copper Stills From Rothes, Double Distilled

The heart of the distillery is a pair of copper stills of 6,000 litres each. They have swan necks and, according to St. Kilian, come from Forsyths in Rothes, which the distillery calls one of Scotland's most renowned coppersmiths. Planning and building took about four years before the first spirit ran through these stills on St. Patrick's Day 2016.

The spirit runs through the stills twice. In a 2023 press release the distillery describes slow double distillation, the same approach that is standard for Scottish single malt. St. Kilian does not publish details on cut points or distillation strength.

A Mash Tun and Wooden Washbacks

Before distillation comes the wash. St. Kilian names a traditional mash tun and four wooden washbacks. According to the distillery, it brews a hopless beer there, called Distillers Beer, at roughly 8% ABV. One peated batch fermented for more than 70 hours, the distillery says. St. Kilian does not state which yeast it uses.

The People Behind It

The founder is Andreas Thümmler, a former technology investment banker and whisky collector. The idea took shape at the end of 2011 with his Irish friend David F. Hynes, whom the distillery calls the "Irish whisky legend from Dublin". Until July 2026 the Master Distiller was Mario Rudolf, a master brewer from Amorbach according to St. Kilian, who shaped the whiskies for eleven years. According to about-drinks.com, the company is now led by owner Andreas Thümmler and Sales & Marketing Director Kai Bentlage together with the twins Kim Dippel (mainly production) and Kevin Dippel (mainly operations). In 2022 Thümmler told about-drinks.com that the aim is to make whisky as authentically as in Scotland.

Two House Styles: Unpeated and Heavily Peated

St. Kilian uses two kinds of barley. The mild whiskies use malt from Germany, the smoky whiskies use peated malt from Scotland. Thümmler said in 2023 that it is delivered from Glenesk Maltings and that St. Kilian is the only customer there in continental Europe.

• St. Kilian Classic: the mild style without smoke, 46% ABV.

• St. Kilian Peated: heavily peated barley malt from the Scottish Highlands, 80 ppm according to the current product page, also 46% ABV.

The distillery has published its own explanation of the ppm figure. Until mid 2023 the malt was measured by colorimetry and came out at 54 ppm. After switching to HPLC, the same malt showed a total phenol content of 80 ppm. Older bottlings therefore still state 54 ppm. For how peat tastes in the glass, read Peated vs Unpeated Whisky.

More Than 370 Cask Types, but No Finishing

St. Kilian speaks of more than 370 cask types in which its spirit matures. In the core range, Classic and Peated, the distillery says about 70 percent sits in former bourbon casks and about 30 percent in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. In a 2023 press release St. Kilian also stated that its whiskies are not finished: they mature in the chosen cask from the start, without a second cask stage at the end.

Signature Editions as a Playground

• Signature Edition Twelve: unpeated, four years old, 50.8% ABV. It matured in Moscatel de Setúbal barriques, Jamaican rum casks and new American white oak.

• Signature Edition Thirteen: peated up to 54 ppm, 53.9% ABV, 8,680 bottles. The casks are Palatinate oak, Hungarian oak, black locust, chestnut and cherry.

• Signature Edition Fifteen: peated malt at 80 ppm in former Amarone casks, 53.3% ABV.

The entry point is First Kilian, the first three year old single malt, presented in May 2019.

Lucky & Punch: Moscatel and Port as Single Casks

For his first whisky, Michael Mittermeier chose two casks himself at St. Kilian in Rüdenau. St. Kilian Lucky by Michael Mittermeier 50cl comes from Cask Nr.9394, a former Moscatel de Setúbal cask, at 46.7% ABV. St. Kilian Punch by Michael Mittermeier 50cl comes from Cask Nr.5914, a former Tawny Port cask, heavily peated at 80 ppm, at 48.3% ABV. There are 500 bottles of each. Lucky costs €59, Punch €59 and the St. Kilian Lucky and Punch by Michael Mittermeier Set €118, each plus shipping. Everything about the edition is on the Lucky & Punch page.

The difference between the two cask types is in Moscatel vs Port Cask, the full story in Lucky & Punch: 7 Things to Know About Michael Mittermeier's First Whisky. Mittermeier presents both whiskies at the whisky unveiling on Friday, 23 October 2026, from 5:00 pm at the Spiritory Shop in the Stemmerhof, Plinganserstraße 6, 81369 Munich.

Maturation Happens in Munitions Bunkers in the Odenwald

Some casks lie on the grounds in Rüdenau, a large share in former munitions bunkers in the forest, which the distillery calls Bunker City. In an interview St. Kilian published on 5 May 2023, Thümmler spoke of 120 bunkers, of which the distillery owns 15, each with room for 500 to 600 casks. According to Thümmler, the thick walls keep the temperature very even. At that time about 10,000 casks were in storage, with around 2,500 added every year.

Thümmler compares the climate in the forest with that of the Scottish Highlands and calls the area the "Kilian Highlands in the Odenwald". That is his assessment, not a measurement, and the distillery gives no figures on evaporation losses or maturation speed compared with Scotland. What is certain is the rule: a spirit may only be called whisky after at least three years in a wooden cask.

For an overview of the German scene, read German Single Malt Whisky: The Distilleries Changing the Map.

Tip: With St. Kilian, always read the cask information on the label. With so many cask types, it often says more about the style than the name of the bottling.

FAQ

Does St. Kilian make Scotch whisky?

No, St. Kilian makes German single malt, but in the Scottish style: copper stills from Forsyths in Rothes, double distillation, a mash tun and wooden washbacks, and peated malt from Scotland.

Is St. Kilian whisky peated?

Both exist. Classic is mild and without smoke, Peated is distilled from heavily peated malt, given as 80 ppm on the current product page. Punch from the Lucky & Punch edition is also heavily peated at 80 ppm.

Which casks does St. Kilian use?

The distillery names more than 370 cask types. The core range matures 70 percent in former bourbon casks and 30 percent in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks, and the Signature Editions use Moscatel, Amarone, rum and local woods, among others.

Where does St. Kilian whisky mature?

On the grounds in Rüdenau and in former munitions bunkers in the Odenwald. According to Thümmler, the thick walls keep the temperature very even.

How do Lucky & Punch fit this style?

Both are single casks from St. Kilian that Michael Mittermeier chose himself in Rüdenau: Lucky from a former Moscatel de Setúbal cask at 46.7% ABV, Punch from a former Tawny Port cask, heavily peated at 80 ppm, at 48.3% ABV. There are 500 bottles of each.