Sild Triple Cask

“Confused Holzhacker”

Whisky Review # 1033

Country: Germany 🇩🇪

Region: Bavaria

Brand: Sild Triple Cask

Distilled at: Lantenhammer Distillery, Hausham, Bavaria

Type: Single Malt German Whisky

Age: 5 Years

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 44%
Maturation: Mix of 1st-Fill Amontillado, 2nd-Fill Port Wine & Burgundy Wine casks

Chill Filtration: No

Price Range: US$ 50-55 (September 2024)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😑 Okay
Buying Advice: 😒 Unbalanced and too Woody for me

Colour: Dark Amber (Natural Colour)

Nose:

The Alcohol is noticeable so it's best to nose around the edges of your glass. There is a strong Aroma of New Wood, quite common in West-European mainland Malts. I also get a light Sulphur note. It's Young and mainly Sweet and presents lots of Grain (Bread), Caramel and Oak. It's not bad but the variety of casks is somewhat confusing.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Toasted Barley, German Butter Biscuits, Caramel, Charred Oak, Dried Fruit like Plums, Apricots and Raisins, Baked Apples, Dried Herbs, Straw, Caffe Latte & Pepper.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Cooked Vegetables, Nuts and Nutshells, Sulphur, Varnish, Hazelnut-Milk Chocolate, Nectarine, Nutmeg, Cloves and Sherry.

Palate:

Young, slightly off-balance and Bitter-Sweet. The Alcohol remains noticeable.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Caramel, Charred Oak, Dried Fruit like Apricots, Plums, Raisins & Apples, Straw, Dark Chocolate, Pepper and Cloves.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Vanilla, Nuts and Nutshells, Sherry, Bitter Orange, Hazelnut, Burnt Heather, Dried Herbs, Strong Espresso, Varnish, Cardamom and Nutmeg.

Finish:

Short/Middle Long. Bitter Sweet and quite Dry toward the end. The Malt can't hide its relative Youth and the Alcohol stings a bit. Lots of Oak, Spices and Herbs. I find Toasted Barley, Caramel, Vanilla, Burnt Heather, Charred Oak, Dried Herbs, Dried Fruit like Plums, Apricot and Sultanas, Bitter Orange, Fortified Red Wine, Dark Chocolate, Menthol, Cardamom, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves and Varnish. A hint of Black Espresso.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water kills this Sild.

Rating: 6.5 (******1/2)

Nose: 6.5 - Taste: 6.5 - Finish: 6

*** Important Note with respect to Rating.

If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.

Drinking Experience Neat: Borderline Okay

Conclusion:

Sild Whisky is a project started by German Whisky pioneer Alexander Sievers, the Lantenhammer Distillery (Anton Stetter) & Slyrs Whisky. The Triple Cask is one of the more recent expressions in the portfolio. It is made with Bavarian Bio Malt and Water from the Bannwaldquelle in the Alps. It matures in the various casks and is married before bottling.

This Sild Triple Cask not only suffers from almost overpowering (Virgin) Oak but also lacks direction and cohesion. The variety of casks looks great on paper but works confused in reality. The Malt is Creamy by itself. It just needs more time in adequate casks. Kilchoman comes to mind as a good example of what young Malt and good coherent casks can produce. Based on the above I can't recommend this Sild Triple Cask.

Cheers! 🥃

Jan van den Ende                                                               September 19, 2024