Stauning debuts wine-finished whisky
Danish distiller Stauning has launched a limited edition rye whisky matured in sweet wine casks.
The distillery’s new whisky has been aged for three years in new American oak casks, followed by maturation for two years in Marsala, Gewürztraminer and Romandalo sweet wine casks. It has been crafted with floor-malted Danish grain.Alex Munch, co-founder of Stauning, commented: "The Sweet Wine Rye is part of a big project, where we have done tests on more than 100 different casks – different woods, beers, wines, fortified wines, spirits – to find out which type of casks fits the character of a Danish whisky.
"Over the next few years we will see a lot of different bottlings come from this project. We vat different types of these casks together to find the best match and complexity. Could it be different fortified wines, or Calvados and stout beer, or Mizunara wood or ex-Japanese rum casks? The future will tell."
Delivering a combination of fruity and sweet notes, the liquid is designed for drinkers ‘on the hunt for innovation in whisky-making’. On the palate, Stauning Sweet Wine Rye presents notes of rye kernels, ripe fruits, dark caramel, malt, vanilla, cinnamon and pickled ginger.
The aftertaste is said to be bittersweet.
Only 2,909 bottles of the whisky, made in the brand’s distillery in Jutland, West Denmark, have been released. The 46% ABV bottling is recommended served neat over ice or in a classic cocktail, and retails for £93.42 (US$111.89).
Last month, Denmark and Canada resolved an on-going historical dispute over Hans Island following a plea for ‘whisky peace’ by Stauning.
In February, Stauning announced it would stop the production of its whiskies until authorities put an end to the friendly conflict that had been on-going for more than nine decades, and when peace was confirmed between the nations, it revealed plans to release a bottle ‘in the name of peace’, in collaboration with Canadian whisky distilleries.
Last year the distillery released a rye whisky that had been finished in vermouth casks.
