Reisetbauer 7 YO

Reisetbauer 7 YO, 43 %

Hey! We have a first here at Whisky Saga HQ. This is the very first Austrain single malt whisky I have reviewed. The reisetbauer 7 YO is released by Reisetbauer Qualitätsbrand GmbH, Kirchberg-Thening, Austria.

Here are a few words from the distillery itself (a quote from their website):

The still was specially designed by Hans Reisetbauer in cooperation with Christian Carl with a number of detail of construction that make it possible to retain an unusually high percentage of the original aroma.

[..] aged until fully mature in [..] casks that the top Austrian winemakers Alois Kracher and Heinz Velich previously used for aging Chardonnay and Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA).

The Trockenbeerenauslese, if this is unknown to you (I had no idea myself) is somewhat like Sauternes. It is a sweet dessert wine made from shrivelled grapes that have been infected with noble rot (botrytis).

You can pick up a bottle of the Reisetbauer 7 YO online at around € 55.

Nose: Funky and weird. Brackish water, old and mouldy wood, root cellar, rotting leaves, milk chocolate (did you see that one coming?), and tomato plant. A really odd one, this.

Taste: In a word - rough. The alcohol bite is what really stands out to me. This is not at all integrated or fully matured. There are winey notes, sure, and it is earthy and a bit fruity, but the aromas all clash. Where is the harmony? This is like an orchestra, without a conductor, and just a few instruments, and the musicians have been assigned instruments they are not used to...

Finish: Short. A bit more fruity now. Earthy, oaky, watery. I would go so far as to call it borderline objectionable. Sorry.

Comments: I am not sure this should have been released... At least not as a single malt whisky.

Score (67/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas