Stauning Whisky
About the distillery
Stauning Whisky is located on the west coast of Jutland in a small village near heathland, peat bogs, and dunes. The distillery began as a project among nine friends in 2005 and today is a modern, purpose-built whisky house that still works with floor malting, small pot stills, and direct flame. It’s one of Denmark’s most distinctive whisky projects because the place and the method are woven together so closely.
History
Stauning Whisky was created in 2005, when nine friends with very different backgrounds—among them a doctor, chef, butcher, teacher, helicopter pilot, and four engineers—came together to create a 100% Danish whisky with a clearly local character. They had neither a great deal of whisky knowledge nor many resources, but they had curiosity and a desire to experiment. In the beginning, the work took place in a disused slaughterhouse, where barley was malted on a tiled floor, peat from a nearby open-air museum was used to dry and smoke the grain, and the malted grain was milled in an old meat grinder. In August 2006, the first drips came from the second distillation. The project grew gradually, and in 2011, the first official bottling reached the market. As demand increased, they converted the founders’ first farm into a real distillery, and in 2018 Stauning opened a new, purpose-built facility. Despite the larger scale, the distillery holds on to the methods that were shaped by necessity in the beginning—and it’s precisely that consistency that has made Stauning something special.
Raw materials and production
Stauning works with locally grown barley and rye, which come from fields just a few kilometers from the distillery. The grain is floor-malted on an elongated floor, where 10 tons at a time are spread out and turned with a self-designed malt-turning machine built by a local blacksmith. During the process, peat from local peat bogs is also used, and the distillery makes a yearly batch of pure heather-smoked malted grain. Mashing takes place in a large drum process, where the grain is mixed with hot water several times, forming a cloudy, solids-free wort. Fermentation lasts four days, which is longer than many will associate with Scottish practice, and it’s exactly that time that contributes to more flavor nuances. The actual distillation happens double in 24 small copper stills—first in a wash still and then in a spirit still. The stills are heated with open flame, which Stauning keeps, because it creates complexity and deeper layers of flavor. After distillation, the whisky is hand-bottled with the help of friends, family, and local people.
Maturation and cask types
Stauning matures its spirit in oak casks of both old bourbon casks and new American oak casks. The bourbon casks contribute touches of vanilla and coconut, while the new American casks add pinewood, confectionery, and spices. In addition, the distillery works with more unexpected casks such as mezcal, cognac, calvados, and vermouth casks, and in the range you can also find single cask and cask share releases featuring, among other things, sherry, pinot noir, moscatel, and maple syrup.
Whiskies
Stauning’s permanent selection brings together the house’s most important expressions: rye whisky, HØST as double malt, RØG as smoked double malt, KAOS as triple malt, and Smoke as single malt. In addition, there is a cask strength version of R.Y.E., along with a few more experimental bottlings with finishes or special casks. The range centers on rye, barley, smoke, and cask influence, but each whisky showcases them in different balances. Overall, the style is Nordic, peat-forward, and grain-focused, but with room for both milder malt expressions and more pronounced smoked versions.
| Whisky | Type / series | Cask and style | Flavor profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stauning R.Y.E. Whisky | Rye whisky | The core range’s rye whisky from Stauning. | Current; Core range; Available via retailer | |
| Stauning R.Y.E. PX | Rye whisky | Sherry Oak | Rye whisky matured with sherry oak influence. | Current; Core range; Available via retailer |
| Stauning HØST | Double malt whisky | Double malt whisky in the permanent range. | Current; Core range; Available via retailer | |
| Stauning RØG | Smoked double malt whisky | smoked/peaty | Smoked double malt whisky in the core range. | Current; Core range; Available via retailer |
| Stauning R.Y.E. Cask Strength | Rye whisky | Cask strength version of Stauning’s rye whisky. | Current; Core range; Available via retailer | |
| Stauning KAOS | Triple malt whisky | Triple malt whisky in the range. | Current; Core range; Available via retailer | |
| Stauning Smoke | Single malt whisky | smoked/peaty | Single malt in the core range with a smoked profile. | Current; Core range; Available via retailer |
| Stauning Dirty Bastard | Whisky with mezcal, tequila, and stout finish | Finish; finish: Mezcal, tequila & stout finish | A release with mezcal, tequila, and stout finish. | Current; Available via retailer |
The whiskies’ style and flavor profile
Stauning’s whiskies are consistently described with grain, light fruit, and smoke that sit on top of the malt’s sweetness. The smoky expressions lean toward heathland landscape, earth, cocoa, and dried flowers, while the open flame in the distillation gives notes of chocolate, caramel, and roasted nuts. The cask aging adds vanilla, coconut, pinewood, confectionery, and spices, so the house style becomes both rustic and precisely built around its local raw material.
Visit the distillery
Stauning Whisky can be visited on guided tours, where you follow the production from malting to distillation and hear the story behind the distillery. The tours last 90–120 minutes, and you can choose both tours with and without tastings. During the visit, you taste signature whiskies such as Single Malt and Single Rye. Booking in advance is recommended, but if you drop by without a booking, you can ask for available spots the same day. Special events, cocktail courses, and group visits can also be arranged.
See times and book a visit.
Philosophy and craft
Stauning’s philosophy is simple and consistent: locally grown raw materials, small pot stills, floor malting, and direct flame must result in a whisky that reflects the place. The founders have turned necessity into a method, and method into identity. At the same time, experiments, curiosity, and collaboration with local farmers and village people play a major role in how the distillery works.