Tasting single malt SaarWhisky in German Saarland

Germany is a country that consists of 16 states, and one of the smallest of them is Saarland in the southwest, sharing a border for the most part with France and a sliver with Luxembourg. The charming and diverse state is defined by the name giving River Saar and the steel industry that thrived there. If you ever happen to visit Saarland, a visit to the excellently preserved UNESCO World Heritage site Völklingen Ironworks is recommended. The whisky I am going to taste today, I bought in the little town of Saarburg, and even though this quaint location is located in a different state (Rheinland-Pfalz), the bottler is from Saarbrücken, which is the capital of Saarland. In the vicinity of all this splendour, is also the “Saarschleife” (pictured), the amazing bend in the river that is often photographed, but rarely captured in its full beauty. Seeing if for yourself is the best.

SaarWhisky seems to be an independent bottler and importer of drinks. Since 2015 they pride themselves in bottling only those single casks from Scotland and Ireland they think are worthy of putting into glass. We will put that to the test today! We did try to get some more information on the products from SaarWhisky, but sadly they did not grace me with an answer (yet).

SaarWhisky Hüttengold 2008 – 2020, bottled at 58,5 % abv

Makeup: Distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2020, making this roughly an 11 or 12 year old single malt. My 5 cl bottle mentions it being edition number 2. Maturation took place in a bourbon cask.

General impressions: A very clean, crispy peated character dominates the aroma in the glass. The name “Hüttengold” is German for metallurgical gold, which undoubtedly refers to the nearby steel- and ironworks. The whisky does it justice, by all means, smelling like a workshop with old oil dripping from engines. But the peat also directs us to more maritime notes. I am reminded of good, clean Ledaig, but I would not be surprised if the origins belong to Islay. Taking a sip, the warm, bready, creamy note is very pleasant. A banana note gives this SaarWhisky just enough fruit to add some complexity. With water, a nice bitter undertone emerges, putting the whisky on a more chocolatey route.

Are we fooled with a peated Bushmills then? It could all well be.

Conclusion: Impressive, clean, peated single malt whisky. Very balanced for a single cask. A joy to drink.

Score: 87 points

SaarWhisky “Irish 7”, bottled at 54,2 % abv

Makeup: Distilled in 2016 and bottled in 2023, making this a 7 year old single malt. My 5 cl bottle mentions cask number 64. Maturation took place for 2 years in a Ximenez-Spinola sherry cask, after an initial 5 years in bourbon wood. The spirit is Irish single malt whisky.

General impressions: The first impression is that of glue, revealing the Irish pot still character perhaps? It is mingled with sweet smelling vinegar before the more abundant raisins and red grapes emerge. A very powerful and complex nose! It almost feels as if we are nosing the sherry itself. Subtle hints of chalk complete the experience. The taste is riddled with sweet, red fruit, but the alcohol makes this a strong sip. The mouth is coated with sherry taste, never turning towards the bitter, or sulphur for that matter. Very reminiscent of Redbreast, I must say, and that is a big compliment. The spirit battles well with the sherry influence, never losing its integrity. With water, the abundance of sweet notes is just uncanny, but the single malt element stays in place.

Conclusion: Okay, this should have been a full bottle purchase, instead of its smaller brother. Absolutely a whisky for people with a sweet tooth, but it is not winesky, and therefore right up my alley as well. Exciting and stunning stuff, this “Irish 7”.

Score: 89 points

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