Augustyn Malzmühlbach: A Munich Single Malt from the Freiham Foundation Distillery

A Munich whisky named after a vanished city stream

The Stiftungsbrennerei, the distillery on the Freiham estate in the west of Munich, is releasing the Augustyn Malzmühlbach Batch 1, a single malt whisky at 48.1% ABV. The estate belongs to the Edith-Haberland-Wagner Foundation, which also owns just over half of the Augustiner brewery. Freiham already had a distillery in 1887. After a careful restoration it is distilling again: fruit brandies, rum and now whisky, distilled, matured and bottled in Munich.

Augustyn is planned as a series. Each whisky takes the name of one of Munich's city streams. The distillery points to the Eisbach, the Glockenbach and the Drei-Mühlen-Bach as images for whiskies with a character of their own. The Malzmühlbach comes first. From 1607 this 279 metre stream drove the malt mill of the ducal Weißbräuhaus, which later became the Hofbräuhaus. It flowed through the old town until 1967, when it was shut down to build the underground railway. A stream that stood for Munich's brewing tradition, as the name for a whisky from the Augustiner circle, feels right.

The recipe: caramel malt, roasted malt and a little peat

The distillery shares its recipe. 73% of the grist is two-row spring barley of the Barke variety. Added to that are 10% each of light caramel malt and peated malt at 35 ppm, plus 7% roasted malt. The wort is made with Munich water and ferments for 168 hours, a full week, with Pinnacle MG+ whisky yeast and brewer's yeast. It is distilled twice in copper pot stills, with the heart cut taken between 62 and 72% ABV.

Caramel and roasted malts are more at home in a brewhouse than in a distillery. They are likely behind the cocoa and espresso notes the distillery describes. For a whisky with brewery roots, that is a fitting signature.

Matured in four cask types

Malzmühlbach matured in sherry and bourbon casks. Oloroso sherry butts make up the largest share at 55%. Cream sherry casks add 22%, bourbon casks 12% and Amontillado sherry butts 11%. The distillery does not state an age. It describes the colour as copper.

Nose, palate, finish

Nose: dark chocolate and cocoa, dried fruit, raisins, espresso beans, ripe grapes, nuts, toffee, a little leather and tobacco.

Palate: caramel, espresso beans, cocoa, dried fruit, red grapes, baking spices such as vanilla and cinnamon, spicy.

Finish: very long.

The distillery describes it as full bodied and creamy. At 48.1% ABV it has noticeably more strength than the usual 40 to 43%.

When and where

The member directory of the Verband Deutscher Whiskybrenner, the German whisky distillers' association, lists Malzmühlbach as available from November 2026. The distillery sells its spirits in the estate shop at Freiham and pours them at the Gasthaus Zum Gustl on the estate. It has not yet named a price or the number of bottles. You can find the Augustyn Malzmühlbach Batch 1 on Spiritory.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Augustyn Malzmühlbach Batch 1?

A single malt whisky from the Stiftungsbrennerei in Munich-Freiham, bottled at 48.1% ABV. It opens the Augustyn series, whose whiskies are named after Munich's city streams.

Who is behind Augustyn?

The Stiftungsbrennerei on the Freiham estate. The estate belongs to the Edith-Haberland-Wagner Foundation, which also owns just over half of the Augustiner brewery.

Which casks was the whisky matured in?

Oloroso sherry butts (55%), cream sherry casks (22%), bourbon casks (12%) and Amontillado sherry butts (11%).

Is Malzmühlbach peated?

Partly. 10% of the grist is peated malt at 35 ppm. In its description, though, the distillery puts chocolate, espresso and dried fruit first.

When and where is it available?

From November 2026, at the distillery's estate shop in Freiham and on Spiritory.