Bladnoch Samsara Release 2021

The Swiss from Freespirited have proclaimed the "Cheers Revolution" with their 0.0% Malt Blend, an initiative for alcohol-free alternatives to popular spirits, ideal for festive occasions when the desire for alcohol is lacking. This cutting-edge concept pursues absolute individual freedom in beverage selection. The noble aim of creating an alcohol-free option for "whisky-based long drinks" is intriguing, even though it's not a whisky but rather an innovative alternative with malt distillate.

Following the previously released unpeated and peated Mizunara full maturations, this bottling is the last from a single virgin Mizunara cask for the time being. To be honest, we were sceptical: can a German distillate really harmonise with the legendary Japanese oak?

With 46% ABV, uncoloured and non-chill filtered, this bottling promises honest craftsmanship. But can a NAS whisky, which was first matured in bourbon casks and then finished in Oloroso sherry butts, really convince? Or does the delicate Glencadam spirit disappear under the powerful sherry wave?

What am I, actually? You experience a similar existential crisis with St. Kilian Handfilled 2025 ex Dry Gin Heimat Distillers. This whisky, available exclusively as a hand-filled edition only at the distillery in Rüdenau, is the result of a daring experiment in which a Franconian single malt was matured in a former gin cask from the Swabian Heimat Distillers. What happens when whisky is transferred to a cask that previously contained Mediterranean botanicals, fresh apples and juniper? The answer is a wonderfully confusing identity crisis.