Stauning Whisky’s experimentation has led to the world’s first 100 per cent heather-smoked whisky. Like its peat whisky, heather is matured on first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, resulting in a deep, fruitful drink.
The Spirit of Jutland’s west coast In 2005, a radio programme about whisky inspired nine guys in Jutland, Denmark. The group got together to make Denmark’s first whisky, as a hobby project, wondering whether whisky production in Denmark was viable at all. It certainly was – and the international whisky legend Jim Murray caught wind of their project early on. After tasting their first new make, he declared to their amazement that their Stauning Whisky had potential to become one of the best in the world. By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Stauning Whisky
To be exact, Jim Murray uttered that “those who love peated whisky would kill their own mother to get their hands on a bottle like this”. With words like that to keep them going, the nine friends decided to turn their weekend adventure into a serious business venture. 15 years later, Stauning Whisky is the oldest and largest, but by no means the only, successful Danish whisky producer. “As it turns out, Denmark has perfect conditions for whisky. It makes sense if you think about it – we’re just across the water from the British Isles, whisky’s motherland. Our little village 26 | Issue 134 | March 2020
of Stauning is at the same latitude as Edinburgh,” says co-founder Hans Martin Hansgaard. “We have an excellent climate and high-quality rye, barley and water. Whisky actually includes all the same ingredients as beer and rye bread, and the Danes have already made those into an artform.”
A Stauning success In 2019, Stauning Whisky was named World’s Best New Make of the Year at the World Whiskies Awards. “The new make is the pure virgin product, fresh from distillation, before we start aging it in casks,” Hansgaard explains. “The
aging process changes the flavour and look of the whisky – actually, whisky comes out clear and becomes golden from the cask – but it can also mask any imbalances in the flavour of the new make.” In the new make, meanwhile, there’s nowhere to hide. “Having a base whisky that wins awards on its own is a testament to the quality of the raw ingredients and the effort we put in.” In order to give Denmark’s first-ever whisky the best possible start in life, the Stauning group went back to original Scottish production methods. “Traditionally, whisky was produced from whatever barley and rye were available locally. You could taste the nuances of the region in the drink. As distilleries grew, however, and demand and competition became fiercer, a lot of the big distilleries started sourcing their ingredients from far away. The resultant whisky loses a bit of its individual spirit, if you’ll pardon the pun.”