Stauning SMOKE

Profile: The Stauning SMOKE at a glance

• Nine friends, one vision - the result: An authentic Danish whiskey
• The Stauning distillery on the Ringkøbing Fjord in Denmark
• Own malt floor and 24 small, direct-fired pot stills made of copper 
• The joy of experimentation nine friends:Whiskys with a clear Danish character that aromatically reflect their origin 

Portrait: What makes the Stauning SMOKE

Four engineers, a teacher, a cook, a butcher, a helicopter pilot and a doctor meet... 
In Stauning's case, it's not a joke, but the beginning of one extremely successful journey into the world of Single Malt and Co. 
In 2005 the nine friends came together - equipped with a wealth of experience from a wide variety of professions, just not in whisky production. But that in no way stopped the adventurous Danes from putting a common vision into practice: making whiskies with a distinctively Danish character. 

“It captures the smell of the land, the dunes, the heath and the wind. A whisky that reflects the place: open, wild, relaxed, pure,” enthuses whisky author Dave, for example Broomon Stauning. Since the first bottling in 2011, the Young Rye, the distillery has achieved international recognition from the Danish west coast. Now the standard range consists of RYE, KAOS and SMOKE (previously PEAT) in the larger 0.7 liter bottle in a completely new design available.

Their story begins in an old slaughterhouse in the small town of Stauning, which was converted into a distillery with an experimental entrepreneurial spirit. From the labeling machine made of Lego to the “malt turner”, the founders built a lot of things themselves and used what was available. Such as a meat grinder for grinding the grain.

With our own malt flooror the 24 small, direct-fired pot stills made of copper, Stauning still uses a mixture of classic methods that were lost in the course of industrialization in combination with new ideas. Since 2018, they have been at home in the iconic new distillery with its striking silhouette, which makes all the steps in whiskey production understandable through its large windows.

The joy of experimenting of the nine friends also extends to their Danish whiskies. Their goal: Whiskies with a clearly Danish character that aromatically reflect and celebrate their origins. The basis for Stauning 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, heather.

The distillation over an open fire gives the partly smoked New Make deep, complex aromas. It reaches full maturity in Bourbon Barrels and Virgin Oak Casks or in barrels pre-filled with Mezcal, Cognac, Calvados, Rum or Vermouth. 

The SMOKE is the further development of PEAT, for which malt is smoked over a combination of peat and some heather, which gives the whisky uniquely Danish aromas. Matured with plenty of air from the west coast of Denmark, the smoky Dane balances fresh lemon notes and campfire smoke.

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

Tasting Notes: This is what the Stauning SMOKE tastes like

• Nose: gentle campfire smoke mixes with elegant notes of citrus fruits and honey
• Palate: the taste of buzzing bees and the heather of the moorland in one bottle - one intensive composition of tobacco, nuts, vanilla and fresh herbs
• Finish: the long, smoky finish is characterized by tobacco leaves, bourbon vanilla and heather