Review 227. Broadening the whisky horizon, part 4: a German single malt.

It should come as little to no surprise to learn that there are two countries in Europe which vastly outnumber any other in terms of number of distilleries, including Scotland. I’m not making any statements about capacity or quality of the output, merely stating numbers, as many in both these countries will likely be either working at ‘craft distillery’ capacity or some level just beyond that – and many will by no means  be cranking out millions and millions of new make spirit like a lot of Scotch distilleries. I’m of course talking about France and Germany, where anno 2025 there are literally hundreds and hundreds of distilleries active. The reason we don’t see much of these sitting on shelves near us, I’ve tackled in my last review on German whisky  I did about 18 months ago.

So today I thought I’d close the series on non-Scotches by taking another look at a German distillery. Thousand Mountains MC Raven  single malt is produced at the ‘Sauerländer Edelbrennerei’ (Sauerland meaning ‘southern land’. It’s the name of the mountainous region in the Western state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. Brennerei  meaning distillery and edel meaning ‘noble’). The distillery was established in 2000, very much at craft level, originally focussing on Schnaps and liqueurs,  and prides itself in using locally sourced grain and other base ingredients. Around 2007 the idea took root to also start making whisky, but soon they stumbled on serious capacity and warehousing issues, meaning expansion was required. They bought and renovated an old sawmill which enabled them to fulfil this dream and finally, in 2016, to also start making whisky.

What I like about this story is that it’s very much one of a distillery built from the ground up, taking small steps to bring them to where they are today. With all the stories of (hastily) established distilleries looking to surf the wave of the whisky hype that are now going bust again almost before even releasing their inaugural batch, this seems like one where growth and investment came gradually, which will hopefully mean the foundations are solid enough to enable them to grow and develop further, rather than having to call it quits due to jumping the hype train for the sake of things.

1000 Mountains McRaven. German single malt, 59.6% ABV, NC, UCF, matured in red wine casks and bourbon barrels, €70 (£60).

Nose

Young and somewhat acidic, suggesting a bit of a ‘bite’, but give it some 10 minutes and things turn richer: pleasant grain and bread notes lead the way, followed by notes of berries, wet wood and a hint of sweetness from sugar and honey. Adding water provides quite some richness and density as the honey and red fruit notes now come bursting out of the glass.

Palate

Fruity arrival and then almost immediately after, the ABV kicks in with a feisty and peppery note. Once the palate adjusts  itself from the near 60% ABV, I’m picking up strawberry and vanilla flavours, sitting on a dense mouthfeel. Again: some added water is strongly recommended. It definitely helps to take the heat off things while allowing for notes of mellow fruit, berries and honey. Over time an almost tropical wood note becomes the main trait.

Finish

Quite long and clinging, a bit peppery with echoes of dark honey.

Final thoughts

Overall it noses and tastes as a  ‘typical’ young malt: it shows enough of its intrinsic quality with the grainy flavours, but there’s also no denying the fact that the casks, particularly the wine casks, are being put the work to help lift things. Absolutely decent quality and fairly priced, but the youthfulness in the end makes me feel it’s still somewhat of a work in progress. The balance between spirit and casks is well in check, delivering a decent yet perhaps also somewhat predictable result. Like many other German malts I tried, they seem to put quite some emphasis on the casks to impact flavours. With a whisky this young, the spirit character is still there, making itself known, but with all the young whiskies that are now setting new standards, I wouldn’t mind revisiting this one somewhere down the road, when (if?) they are confident enough to leave their spirit to the mercy of a combination of 1st and 2nd fill bourbon casks and just let the magic happen.

And on that note, it’s time to push the Easter pause button. Spring break at Malty Towers, meaning I’ll be back in a  week or 2. Until then: Slainte Mhath!