Always nice to try new distilleries for the first time! In this case I’m looking at two Nordic single malts brought to my attention (and imported to Belgium) by Raf Rombouts aka Kasko NN.House. You may remember this name from the Smögen whisky I reviewed a couple of weeks ago.
The first is a single cask release exclusive to Belgium, from Sall Whisky. Sall is a single farm whisky in Denmark, founded by two families (backed by the entire village), with barley coming from their own organic fields. Full traceability from the field to the bottle. They started in 2016, distilled for the first time in 2019 and the inaugural release was bottled in 2022. Now the project is slowly growing from a weekend project to a proper crowdfunded distillery.
This release was made from Evergreen barley, with seven days of fermentation and distillation in directly fired stills. It comes from a very old Amontillado cask that was recovered from a local tabanco in the Barrio de Santiago in Jerez.
Sall Single Malt 5 yo (58,2%, OB for Kasko NN.House 2026, Amontillado cask + bourbon finish, 50 btl.)
Nose: very close to an actual Amontillado, with a sour woody character, some saline sharpness, plenty of salted walnuts and a good dose of iodine. Also a little worn leather and wet tobacco leaves. Lemony notes. Then an earthy maltiness and sourdough in the background, with a wee mustardy edge and a toasted element.
Mouth: again a firm acidity – probably not for everyone. Lemon peels and Seville orange. White pepper and allspice, along with some rancio notes, Brazil nuts and a few drops of herbal bitters. Then the leathery side takes over, as well as some cedar and hints of salted caramel. Eventually the sweetness balances most of the acidity.
Finish: long, with more citrus zest, leather and drying leafy notes.
The sourness gives away the old Amontillado cask – totally unlike the vanilla and caramel sweetness that you’re often getting in quickly seasoned Amontillado casks. As a sherry aficionado I quite like this mash-up, but you could argue some of the whisky character is lost along the way. Interesting choice. Available for around € 110 in Belgium stores.
The other one comes from Hinrichsen’s, another single estate farm distillery in Germany, located on the island of Föhr in the North Sea (close to Sylt). It’s a family business, with father Jan and son Jonas taking care of distillation while mother Marret and two daughters are involved in tours, marketing and general business matters.
Wonter 2026 obviously refers to winter in Frisian – they are mostly working with seasonal releases. The recent edition is produced with Avalon spring barley, matured for over 4 years in new American oak casks, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks (taken over from Auchentoshan if I understand correctly) and also red vermouth casks. Its predecessor from 2025 won a gold medal at the World Whisky Awards.
Hinrichsen’s Wonter 2026 (56,4%, OB 2026, 50 cl, 1060 btl.)
Nose: starts like a red berry lemonade. Some caramelized malty notes, along with blackberry sweets and hints of cassis. Then elderberry syrup. Hints of dark honey and vanilla, as well as a hint of salted butter and light oak spice.
Mouth: powerful attack, with a nice sweet and sour balance. There’s dried fruit, like caramelized nuts, raisins and cranberries. Mid-palate it moves towards bittersweet notes – that must be the vermouth? Some clove oil, increasing leafy notes, bitter almond and dried herbs. Salted caramel notes as well.
Finish: medium long, with more bittersweet elements, hints of roasted coffee beans, sour berries and dried fruits.
Still young, of course, but not without merit. It has some rich flavours and the bittersweet profile is certainly not middle-of-the-road. There’s something wintery about it indeed. Around € 125 for 50 cl, which seems a bit high, but remember it’s organic and small-scale. Score: 85/100