Germany’s Stork Club got its hands on some whiskey casks from Islay’s Laphroaig and matured some of its own rye whiskey in them, creating… Stork Club Smoky Rye! Alongside first-fill American oak casks and German Napoleon oak casks, the Laphroaig casks have given a distinct peaty hint to this expression, which works well with the rye’s familiar spiciness. Think this will make for some really exciting cocktails!
Nose: Toasted bread with a layer of Nutella, campfire embers and orange oil.
Taste: Meaty smoke and brown sugar, with a few hints of cassia and black pepper.
Finish: Lingering BBQ flavor
60 kilometers from Berlin, right in the middle of Germany’s granary, Brandenburg, lies the Spreewood Distillery. The fields around the distillery supply the rye for the whiskey – in fact, Brandenburg is Europe’s largest rye-producing area and even American distillers buy grain from here for their rye whiskeys! Steffen Lohr, Bastian Heuser, Sebastian Brack took over the distillery in 2016. Since then, they have spent the time refining the 2 recipes that the distillery operates with: one on 100% malted rye, and the other 100% unmalted rye. The unmalted rye gives a more robust and spicy whisky, while the malted is rounder, softer and sweeter. After the distillation, the spirit is filled into casks at 60% – and here both bourbon, sherry and wine casks from selected wineries in Germany are used.
