Hanse Spirit 2024 in Hamburg – Explore the Liquid Life (Fair) | BarleyMania

“Explore the Liquid Life” – ever since its first installment back in 2011, that’s been the claim of the Hanse Spirit fair, which is traditionally held in my home town of Hamburg in the beginning of the year. And what can I say? When I visited the event this year, I embraced that motto to the fullest and explored the liquid life A LOT! One booth at which I did an extra lot of exploring was that of Rising Brands, whose portfolio includes Douglas Laing, Säntis Malt, Paul John, Writer’s Tears, and others. I started there with a maritime-to-the-max Caol Ila 8yo within Douglas Laing’s lovely lookin’ Premier Barrel selection (filled to me by Brand Ambassador Nils). Then, I continued with various Säntis expressions (handed out by Key Account Manager Detlef). One particular highlight: the Genesis No. 4 deconstruction mini-tasting including the ready-for-sale expression with 46.6 per cent ABV, the base whisky in cask strength, and a sip of the Torso red wine used for the finishing. This was seriously good stuff! As was the delicately sherried Alpstein XIX from which I bought a full bottle – only to put it down somewhere and leave it there a little while later. I know the chance is dim, but I’m trying it nevertheless: If one of you found an abandoned Säntis bag with a bottle and goodies at Hanse Spirit on Saturday, I’d absolutely love to hear from you!

Ah, well. It is how it is … and now it can’t be changed anymore anyway. So let’s not brood over my stupidity for too long, but continue with something more fun, namely the wealth of great drams I enjoyed on the two days I spent at the fair! Another production site that I stood out for me was The Milk & Honey Distillery from Tel-Aviv in Israel. Represented at the show by their Brand Ambassador Shilton, they resided at the stall of their German importer Kammer-Kirsch. From the dozen-or-so whiskies they had available, one was especially appealing to me: Apex Sherry! When I tried it, the malt’s layered mix of red fruits, orange slices, and cherry-flavored lollipops instantly won me over. So I took M&H’s brilliant Apex Sherry home. And this one – thankfully – also really ended up there.

: At the Rising Brands booth

: The Milk & Honey Distillery

: Thousand Mountains “Bottle your own” by Sauerländer Edelbrennerei

: Ardbeg 16yo by The SMWS

: At the Carlos I booth

: At the HAWE Bremen booth

: Fair impressions, pt. 1

: We’re with Shilton!

Whereas the two stops mentioned above were “old acquaintances” of mine, I also made some (half-)new discoveries: like Sauerländer Edelbrennerei. Sure, I had some drops by them before (e.g., their Malts of Germany contribution). Yet, I had never really given them the attention they fully deserved. This changed at Hanse Spirit 2024, where I tried various expressions within their Thousand Mountains brand – including the utterly brilliant Port Cask they had available for self-bottling at their stand. That one was so berry-rich and chocolate-y that I couldn’t help but buy it. Yet, the superb drams weren’t the only thing that made my stint with Sauerländer Edelbrennerei special. The talks I had there with Area Sales Manager Philipp were really interesting and inspiring, too. Be it production processes, wood management, or indie bottlings – we discussed many great topics over the tasty whiskies we had.

Together with my buddy Tim (check out his @Whisky_Tim_e videos!), I went on a far-from-ordinary tasting journey, too. Popping in on his old colleagues from Mack & Schühle, we shared two glasses of Jura 18 Year Old and Dalmore 21 Year Old together, both of which were top-class! The same can also be said about the sherry-finished Ardbeg 16 Years Old, which I drank at the booth of SMWS Germany. Going by the telling name “The Spaniard, the American and the Ileach”, this high-percentage peat fest combined Ardbeg’s in-your-face smokiness with a stunning array of spicy, meaty, chewy, and mineral aromas. This one totally ruled, however, its awesomeness also comes with a price: at more than 450 Euro a bottle, placing an order in the SMWS online shop was unfortunately not an option for me, even though I tremendously enjoyed the drop …

: Slainte mhath!

: Tamdhu Cigar Malt

: At the Thy Whisky booth

: At the Mack & Schühle booth

: At the Sauerländer Edelbrennerei booth

: Clydeside Limited Edition 2023

: Fair impressions, pt. 2

: At the SMWS Germany booth

Though we’re already four paragraphs into this blof post, the list of note-worthy sips I had at Hanse Spirit 2024 remains long and packed as ever. So I will speed things up a little towards the end of my article: The dark-as-night Linkwood 12 Years Old I had at the Kirsch Import stall was a finger-licking good treat for all sherry lovers. The Tamdhu Cigar Malt I got served by my friend Gearoid at the Borco booth was so deep I needed a ladder to get out again once I had reached the bottom of my glass. Thy Whisky’s crops-to-the-front Distillery Edition Imperial Vintage 2019 marked yet another stunner from this wonderful Danish farm distillery. Clydeside’s bright and sweet Limited Edition 2023, which I drank at the Vibrant Stills booth, was maximum-fruity, nectar-like, and oh-so-delish! And the latest two Ambassador’s Choice bottlings by Loch Lomond and Glen Scotia were just as awesome as expected – renowned whisky maven Sebastian AKA The Spirits Alchemist, who represents both brands here in Germany, simply has a super-sure hand for picking top-quality casks!

As is usually the case at an event like this, I concentrated first and foremost on the available whisky. But I also had two “malternatives” in between. The first was Brennerei Scheibel’s Woodka, a barrel-aged vodka that is basically a grain whisky taken out of the cask a little early. This one marked a nice surprise as vodka is a category that rarely ever manages to raise my attention. And the second was Carlos I Brandy’s kingly Legacy Collection aged in finest sherry casks for 27 biblical years! Served to me by my friend Michael, this flavor-intense drop was immensely rich with raisins, blackcurrants, licorice, coarse bread, and roasting flavors. It went down the throat smoothly and galantly, leaving a big impression. Without a doubt, this superb Brandy de Jerez constituted one of my absolute faves from two busy, spirited, and simply helluva good days at North Germany’s biggest whisky and spirits fair!

by Tobi