Catador Itinerante Edicion No. 4 – Slyrs 2015 – 9 Years Old – Pineau des Charentes Finish (375 mL)

Slyrs Distillery (Germany, Editions 03 & 04)

The first time I encountered a Slyrs whisky, it took me two nights to realize the sandalwood scent wasn’t from my wrist but from the glass. I visited the Bavarian distillery in 2022 on a rainy morning, as German tourists queued under umbrellas before opening time. Fortunately, someone was waiting for me. The initial surprise was their beautiful stills, a unique model with a reflux bulb resembling an eau de vie still, reminiscent of the one used for their early distillations before establishing their facilities. Slyrs employs double distillation, a week-long low-temperature fermentation, and uses local barley and Spitzingsee spring water. Their whiskies are characterized by mellow, fruity flavors with a delicate, floral character. The name Slyrs has Iro-Scottish origins but embodies a Bavarian spirit, much like their whisky. In 779, five monks from Ireland and Scotland founded a monastery in the Bavarian wilderness of Schliersee, naming it Slyrs. This historical connection continues to influence the distillery’s identity today.

Pablo Goldbarg