Bavarian Single Malt

Frau A and I hosted the German Beer Tournament last year, and are starting to plan the next tournament.  It might be German wines, sausages, or just more bier.

In the mean time we continue to look for new/unique things, so when Frau A saw a German-distilled malt whiskey, we had to try it.

Slyrs is produced in Bavaria, about an hour south of Munich in the start of the Alps.  Its home in Schliersee is not far from Tegernsee -- unsurprisingly, both Slyrs and the most popular malt beverage in this area trumpet the quality of their mountain water.  (Both lakes have essentially drinking-quality water.  Bavaria really has an excellent track record of keeping things clean and healthy.)

Slyrs was launched in 1999.  Its founder was a beer brewer, and it took a few "unsuccessful attempts" before the result was "harmonised".  The data look like typical single malts:  beechwood smoked grain, copper kettle, (American) white oak barrels...but foreshot and feints are not used again (as in Scottish whiskey) but dumped, and the mash is washed only once (vs. multiple times for scotch). 

But how does it taste?

First, the packaging was the essence of German quality and understatement.  This is NOT an economy bottle, however -- check out the prices here.

Personally, I loved the taste.  Slyrs was exceptionally smooth -- maybe the mountain water working its magic?  There was one note in its flavor that was unusual and we couldn't place it.  Not bad, just different.  Frau A likes it too.  It finishes so well, it might be the best "scotch" for non-whiskey drinkers.  (Of course if you prefer strong smokey/mineral/earthy whiskey, this will be too soft.)

We were both surprised and impressed.  This will stay in the liquor cabinet.

Now we're interested in trying their other products, especially the "whiskey liqueur" -  diluted to 30% alcohol, added honey, plus accents of vanilla and caramel.  Sounds perfect for post-skiing relaxation this winter. 

Also, we have moved a Slyrs distillery-tour higher up the to-do list.  Maybe we'll pick up some of their whiskey-infused chocolates or fruit spreads while we're there.

Follow-up:  we also tried Slyrs' "cask strength" whiskey called "Raritas Diaboli".  Whoa - 55.9% alcohol, and it tastes every bit of it.  A little too much alcohol for our preference.  They claim that it has hints of cinnamon, but I couldn't get any subtlety past the alcohol.  We're going to try again with a few drops of water to see if it "relaxes" a bit.

Germans are experts with malt, so it's not too surprising that they're moving on to whiskey.  It's a good start.