Santis Malt Edition Marwees Review

Country: Switzerland

Brand: Santis Cream Whisky Liqueur  

Type: Edition “Marwees”

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 18%

Date: 04/10/2012

Colour: Cafe au Lait (French Breakfast Coffee)

Nose: Pleasant and Creamy with Cocoa (Chocomel) Caramel and Butterscotch. Hints of Malt, Hazelnut and Oak. The Whisky is there but really hidden in the back of the glass. And that’s the whole idea of course.

Taste: Medium-Bodied. Sweet but not too Sweet. Smooth and Creamy with Nougat, Caramel and Butterscotch. Again, only a touch of whisky.

Finish: A bit light and on the short side. I think this liqueur would benefit when bottled at a slightly higher Alcohol percentage.

I added a bit of ice. This practically kills the Nose of course but taste wise it’s a very nice combination.

Rating:  82 

Nose: 21.5– Taste: 21– Finish: 19  – Overall: 20,5

General Remarks: General Remarks: The Brewery in Appenzell (Switzerland) produces beer since around 1830 but was purchased by the Locher Family in 1886. Today they produce a wide range of beers, with or without Alcohol. In 1999 the Brewery started distilling whisky that was presented to the market for the first time in 2002. It uses water from the Alpstein Mountains and the whisky is matured in old used Oak Beer Casks. There are a number expressions, all named after Alpstein Mountain formations. They are Santis, Sigel, Drei-faltigkeit and Marwees. There is also a Single Cask expression finished in a fresh Merlot Cask and bottled at 48% that is called Edition "Germany ". And new expressions are being presented to the market as I write. The Whisky Liqueur that I taste today is a mixture of the Edition Santis and Cream made of Milk from the Alps.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: This is certainly a well-made liqueur with a pleasant Nose and a Palate that’s not too sweet and has a remarkable Nougat taste. You can enjoy it both neat and with a bit of Ice. The Finish is a bit short. Personally, I think that the Marwees would benefit from a higher Alcohol percentage in the range of 25%. Still a very pleasant whisky Liqueur that will appeal to most people!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      October 2012

Santis Malt Edition Germany Review

Country: Switzerland

Brand: Santis (Appenzeller Single Malt)

Type: Edition “Germany”

Age: NAS (Around 5 Year)

Alcohol: 48%

Date: 06/09/2012

Colour: Golden/Red Glow

Nose: Pleasant with Malt, Apple, Red Fruit, Red Grape Juice, Wood, Honey, Vanilla and Buttered Toast.

Taste: Herbal and Dry, Wood, Spice, Sweet Red Fruit and hints of Licorice and Honey.

Finish: Middle-Long, quite dry and bitter-sweet with Caramel and Berries.

I added a bit of water and that removed the last bit of Alcohol on the Nose. Apple Pie with Honey and Red Fruit Topping. Delicious! Taste and Finish don’t change that much in my opinion although the Licorice note gets stronger and extends to the Finish. You can experiment with a few drops here.

Rating:  81.5  

Nose: 22 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Brewery in Appenzell (Switzerland) produces beer since around 1830 but was purchased by the Locher Family in 1886. Today they produce a wide range of beers, with or without Alcohol. In 1999 the Brewery started distilling whisky that was presented to the market for the first time in 2002. It uses water from the Alpstein Mountains and the whisky is matured in old used Oak Beer Casks. There are 5 expressions, 4 of them named after Alpstein Mtn. formations. They are Santis, Sigel, Drei-Faeltigkeit and Marwees. The fifth - and most recent addition, that is being reviewed today, is called the Edition “ Germany”,  a Single Cask expression, bottled at 48%. This whisky matured for 4,5 years in Old Beer Casks before being finished for 6 months in a Fresh Merlot Cask.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is the most “ Scottish” of the Swiss Malts I have tasted so far and I enjoyed it. I found the nose very pleasant with delicious Apple Pie, Honey and Red Fruits. I expected the Palate to be much sweeter but in fact it’s quite dry and herbal with some licorice notes. The Red Fruits go all the way from Nose to Finish. That Finish was a bit on the dry side in my opinion. This is the best Santis Malt so far and the extra years and bottling at 48% certainly added to the quality. This is the way to go certainly!

Jan van den Ende                                                                September 2012

Santis Malt Edition Sigel Review

Country: Switzerland

Brand: Santis (Appenzeller Single Malt) - 

Type: Small Oak Beer Casks Matured - "Edition Sigel"

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 16/08/2012

Colour: Golden

Nose: Pleasant, Crisp and Fresh. Savoury Malt, Anise, Wood, lightly Buttered Sweet Bread, Dried Apricots, Brown Sugar, Orange Liquor. Hints of Amber coloured Belgian Beer (Kwak), Cinnamon and Dark Chocolate.

Taste: Sweet Malt, Spices (White Pepper), Anise, Wood, Orange Liquor and Hints of Kwak.

Finish: Middle Long with Light Spices (White Pepper and Cloves) and Sweet Orange Liquor.

I added a bit of water but that does not improve the dram. It just waters things down in my opinion. Still, feel free to try out a couple of drops and see what you prefer.

Rating:  80  

Nose: 21.5 – Taste: 19.5 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20

Part of the Brewery Complex.

General Remarks: The Brewery in Appenzell (Switzerland) produces beer since around 1830 but was purchased by the Locher Family in 1886. Today they produce a wide range of beers, with or without Alcohol. In 1999 the Brewery started distilling whisky that was presented to the market for the first time in 2002. It uses water from the Alpstein Mountains and the whisky is matured in old used Oak Beer Casks. There are 4 expressions all named after Alpstein Mtn. formations. They are Santis, Sigel, Drei-faltigkeit and Marwees. 

One of the fine beers of the Locher Brewery.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good

Conclusion: When you are used to drink Scottish whisky or American Bourbon you will need to get used to this Swiss whisky. The Nose is pleasant and interesting enough with a variety of tones. Palate and Finish are slightly comparable to triple distilled Irish whiskey. Spices and Orange Liquor tend to be a bit dominant here. Still, this is a good effort of a young Distillery. Would be interesting to see what would happen to this Malt when given more time to mature and bottled at around 46%.

Jan van den Ende                                                    August 2012

Santis Malt Edition Santis Review

Country: Switzerland

Brand: Santis Malt (Appenzeller Single Malt)

Type: Old Oak Beer Casks Matured " Edition Santis" 

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 21/07/2012

Colour: Golden

Nose: My first impressions were Underberg, the famous German liquor made of Herbs, sweet Brioche Bread from France and Oak. Tones of Anise, Sweet Grain and Orange Liquor. A hint of Varnish and only light Alcohol. Can’t detect too much Beer influences here. The Nose is quite different when compared to Scottish Whisky or American Bourbon. I smelled the empty glass again the next morning and the Malt/Beer tones were stronger.

Taste: Underberg, Sweet Grain, Wood and mild Spices (White Pepper).

Finish: Sour-Sweet with some Cinnamon and Wood.

I added a bit of water and Toasted Grain starts to dominate the Nose. On the Palate everything just waters down but the Finish gets too Sugary with hints of Anise, Plastic and Licorice. I advise to enjoy this dram neat.

Rating: 76.5 

Nose: 20 – Taste: 19 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 19.5

Part of the Brewery Complex.

General Remarks: The Brewery in Appenzell (Switzerland) produces beer since around 1830 and was purchased by the Locher Family in 1886. Today they produce a wide range of beers, with or without Alcohol. In 1999 the Brewery started distilling whisky that was presented to the market for the first time in 2002. It uses water from the Alpstein Mountains. This specific expression is matured in very old used Oak Beer Casks. There are 4 expressions all together,named after Alpstein Mountain formations. They are Santis, Sigel, Dreifaltigkeit and Marwees. 

One of the fine beers of the Locher Brewery.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good

Conclusion: When you are used to drink Scottish whisky or American Bourbon you will need to get used to this Swiss whisky. On the Nose it has strong liquor tones while the Palate and Finish are slightly comparable to triple distilled Irish whiskey. I found the Nose very interesting while Palate and Finish can be further improved. This is a very young Distillery and I’m really looking forward to taste further expressions.

Jan van den Ende                                                                  July 2012