Among whisky brands here in Germany, Thousand Mountains by Sauerländer Edelbrennerei has a most excellent reputation. Still, I only just got to know them properly a few months ago, when I spent some real quality time at their stand at Hanse Spirit 2024. Of the many great drams they served me – some regularly available, some strictly limited – one blew me away more than all the others: a 4 Years Old with a Tawny Port Finish, which was sold there as a fair exclusive.

Despite its young age, this most excellent drop was immensely rich with taste and character! The 58 per cent ABV perfectly bolstered up the pour, and the offered scents and flavors instantly put a spell on me. During the degustation, the drop literally yelled at me: “Don’t just have one glass of me! Buy a complete bottle, so you can come back and revist me many times!” And what can I say? I gladly followed up on that offer.

Normally, I would now close by recommending you to do the same. However, since this one-time-only release was sold exclusively at this year’s Hanse Spirit, it might be hard to still find a bottle. Therefore, I slightly alter my recommendation, suggesting you’d not necessarily try out this particular bottling, but any Thousand Mountains whisky you could find. If you haven’t done so anyway, give this top-quality brand a try and let it impress you just as much as it impressed me!

by Tobi

---

Eye: Reddish brown with a brass shimmer.
Nose: Copious, alluring, and delightful with cocoa powder, nougat creme, pan cake, apricot jam, and wild berries. From underneath, thick-yet-distant notes of milk coffee and burnt brittle come through – but you need to sniff deeply to register them and have ’em enrich the already amazing bouquet even further! Also, there’s some velvet-y curtain scent most likely coming from the Port cask.
Palate: A luscious rush of red n’ blue fruits goes first: Cherry. Strawberry. Rosehip. Cowberry. Bramble. Once they’ve all made their entry, they get drenched in a flood of dark chocolate sauce. Purple wine gums, cooked plums, and powdery spices are part of the mix as well. The spirit, while generally on the dry side, totally makes you drool. This, without a doubt, is some seriously awesome stuff!
Finish: The strong, long-lasting aftertaste emphasizes on blackberry, licorice, raisin, and more purple wine gum. Plus study wood and coffee ground and lotsa creamy n’ tasty Black Forest cake … with a wee mint leaf on top.

---

---

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Region: Germany
Age: 4 years
Alc. volume: 58 per cent
Cask type: ex-Red wine, ex-Bourbon, Tawny Port
Bottle size: 0.5 litres
Price: ~60 Euro
More info: https://sauerlaender-edelbrennerei.de/ (Distillery)

*** I bought the bottle as a regular customer. ***