St. Kilian Signature Edition EIGHTEEN Ends Series with Tequila Casks
St. Kilian is closing the book on its Signature Edition series, and the last chapter has a twist: ex-tequila casks. Signature Edition EIGHTEEN is a limited, unpeated single malt from the Bavarian distillery, built from Spanish wine casks, fresh European oak and a 10% slice of former tequila barrels. Only 3,187 full-size bottles exist, so collectors who have followed the series will want to act quickly.
What Makes This Release Special?
This is the finale. St. Kilian calls EIGHTEEN the grand finale of the Signature Edition series, which the distillery says showed a different side of cask maturation with every release. EIGHTEEN ends that run with one of its more unusual cask recipes, mixing Spanish wine, brand-new oak and tequila.
The tequila casks make up just 10% of the blend, so think of them as a seasoning rather than the main ingredient. The distillery says they add "another exciting facet" to the whisky. The bulk of the liquid comes from Spanish wine casks, which should make this a fruit-forward pour rather than a tequila-flavored one.
It is a genuinely new expression, not a repackage, and it follows the Signature tradition of a one-off cask mix that will not be repeated.
Inside the Bottle
EIGHTEEN is an unpeated single malt, meaning the malted barley was not dried over peat smoke, so expect fruit and sweetness rather than a campfire. It matured for 4 to 5.5 years and is bottled at 52.8% ABV (105.6 proof).
The cask lineup, according to the distillery:
54% ex-Oloroso Montilla casks, the heart of the blend, which bring a fruity, winey character. These held fortified wine from Montilla in southern Spain.
20% virgin European oak, meaning brand-new oak that never held anything else. It adds oak spice and structure.
16% ex-PX Málaga casks, which add sweetness and a lighter fruity touch. PX is Pedro Ximénez, a grape known for very sweet wines.
10% ex-tequila casks for that final surprise.
According to the distillery, the nose shows fresh grapes, ripe red apple and juicy pear with a hint of apricot, plus creamy vanilla, honey and shortbread. The palate opens with round grape sweetness and a winey character, then fine oak spice, soft tannins, ripe fruit and a touch of mango. The finish is medium in length and warming, ending on apples, pears, vanilla and toffee.
The Story Behind St. Kilian
St. Kilian Distillers is based in Rüdenau, Bavaria, and was founded in 2016 by David F. Hynes, Andreas Thümmler and Mario Rudolf, according to whisky.com. That makes it a young distillery, and one that chose to make noise early with its casks instead of waiting for age statements to do the talking.
The Signature Editions became the place where the team played with cask ideas, and the distillery says each release gave its own view of what maturation can do. Rather than settle on one house style, St. Kilian used the series to show how many directions its spirit could go.
The distillery runs two 6,000 liter stills, according to whisky.com, and its output is on the small side compared with the big Scottish names. That scale is part of why a run of 3,187 bottles feels like a real event for its fans. With EIGHTEEN, the series bows out the same way it lived: curious, cask-driven and a little unexpected.
Price, Proof and Availability
Official Name: St. Kilian Signature Edition EIGHTEEN
Category: Unpeated single malt whisky (Germany)
Bottle Size: 0.5 L (500 ml), plus 0.05 L (50 ml) miniatures
ABV/Proof: 52.8% ABV (105.6 proof)
Age: 4 to 5.5 years
Price (SRP): €49.90 for 0.5 L (about $56); €11.90 for 0.05 L (about $13). These are German euro prices, not US prices.
US Availability: No US release or US price has been announced
Release Date: Announced in October 2026; no exact on-sale date given
Limited Edition: 3,187 bottles of 0.5 L and 300 miniatures of 0.05 L
Did You Know?
According to retailer Brandgeister, St. Kilian also makes whiskies honoring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, the Italian film duo famous for comedy westerns, aimed at a broader audience than the Signature series.
The Signature series began in 2019 with a release called "One," per the same retailer, so EIGHTEEN closes out the run that started there.
Tonights Poison Take
A final edition with tequila casks in the mix is the kind of detail collectors love to talk about, and at €49.90 for a 0.5 L bottle at 52.8% ABV it is priced like the previous Signature Edition SIXTEEN, which carried the same distillery price. For German single malt fans, this is a chance to own the last piece of a series that put St. Kilian's cask creativity front and center. Anyone outside Germany should keep an eye out, since no US plans have been announced yet.
Bar Talk: St. Kilian's last Signature Edition is a Bavarian single malt with 10% ex-tequila casks, and just 3,187 bottles were made.
Know a collector who has every Signature Edition on the shelf? Send them this one before the last chapter closes.
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About the author: Jas Sawhney (Tonights Poison) has spent 18 years in the beverage alcohol industry and shares new releases, tastings and spirits news as @tonightspoison on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
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