Stauning Smoke - Batch 01-2020 - Floor Malted Danish Whisky

Bottler: Stauning
Distillery: Stauning
Alcohol by volume: 47 % vol.
Bottling: 2020
Cask number: Batch 01-2020
Equipment: GiftBox / Tube / Metal Tube
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Bottling: Non chill-filtered
Colouring: natural colour
Origin: Denmark

Tasting Notes:

The taste of buzzing bees and the heather of the moorland in a bottle: Gentle campfire smoke blends with elegant notes of citrus and honey. On the palate, an intense composition of tobacco, nuts, vanilla and fresh herbs unfolds.

The experimental spirit of the nine friends extends equally to their Danish Whiskies. Their goal: whiskies with a clear Danish character that aromatically reflect and celebrate their origin. The basis for Stauning's production is therefore everything that grows around the distillery: locally grown barley and rye, peat from the Klosterlund Museum, which documents Denmark's peat extraction, and heather.

Distillation over an open fire gives the partly smoked new make deep, complex aromas. It matures to full maturity in Bourbon Barrels and Virgin Oak Casks or in casks previously filled with Mezcal, Cognac, Calvados, Rum or Vermouth.

This results in fascinating bottlings such as RYE. 51% rye and 49% barley malt – each from the in-house malt floor – form the basis for Stauning's standard. This reflects the founders' adventurous spirit, as malting rye is rather unusual for good reason. The effort for this whisky with distinct grain notes and a long, soft, fruity-sweet finish is worthwhile.

In addition to this liquid version of a freshly baked rye bread, SMOKE is part of the Core Range. For the further development of PEAT, malt is smoked over a combination of peat and some heather, which gives the whisky uniquely Danish aromas. Matured with ample air supply from the west coast of Denmark, the smoky Dane balances fresh lemon notes and campfire smoke.

The third in the trio is KAOS – essentially everything Stauning does, in one bottle. A little smoke, a little spice, sweetness and much complexity unite in an extremely versatile whisky. For this, the distillers blend RYE with smoky single malt whiskies from the distillery. The name KAOS is based on Thorvald Stauning, who used the slogan "Stauning or Chaos" to be re-elected as Danish Prime Minister in 1935.

What makes Stauning special is no longer just in the bottle. The new bottles represent the history of the distillery on Ringkøbing Fjord – elaborately illustrated by Danish artist Asbjørn Staunstrup Lund. The slanted coating in matt black is based on the striking angles of the distillery building. The best part: Despite more content, the likeable Danes largely adhere to their pricing.