Typically Denmark – Mermaids and Danish Whiskey

When you think of Denmark, you envision happy people, the rugged Viking era, and Andersen’s Little Mermaid. But for a few years now, there has been something new in the state of Denmark; more precisely in the small village of Stauning on Ringkøbing Fjord: whiskey! Wh…at?

The History of the Stauning Whiskey Distillery

The story of Stauning Whiskey is somewhat reminiscent of the founding story of the drivethru surf camps: a few friends somehow liked the idea of a mutual friend. So they decided to join in without further ado. Nobody really had a clue. Nobody really had any money. But the idea was born. And there was also a rough plan and the willingness to throw it overboard at the first opportunity.

Who would have expected that the whiskey, initially produced in an old slaughterhouse, would one day achieve worldwide fame? Especially since there were by no means professionals at work here and the old slaughterhouse equipment was used for production.

Long story short: With a lot of passion, a crazy idea ultimately turned into such a good drink that even the feared author of the “Whisky Bible,” Jim Murray, was completely blown away by his first sip. It was also Jim Murray who awarded the nine friends the Gold Award in 2017 for their Stauning KAOS Whiskey. Today it is impossible to imagine the whiskey world without Stauning Whiskey.

What Makes Stauning Whiskey So Special?

But how could a butcher, four engineers, a teacher, a chef, a pilot, and a doctor create such good whiskeys? They kept it simple. And they always retained their curiosity and the unbridled will to continue experimenting and creating new things. In the end, they were able to create something very special using the simplest of resources and a few local ingredients and put Denmark on the map as a whiskey country.

And even today, despite moving to the newly built super distillery in 2018, the award-winning Stauning whiskey is still produced in almost the same way as it was back then in the old slaughterhouse: with traditional floor malting, small, directly fired stills, the finest Danish water, and local grain. And that’s exactly what makes Stauning Whiskey so special!

Many distilleries these days do not buy grain locally and outsource individual production steps to external companies. At Stauning Whiskey, every step takes place in the in-house distillery – which would have deserved an award for its insane architecture alone; and which you should definitely watch live.

Experience the Story of Stauning Whiskey at Ringkøbing Fjord

So, if you are interested in the architecture and whiskey production at Stauning Whiskey – and are spending your vacation at Ringkøbing Fjord – we definitely (!) recommend that you take a tour of Stauning Whiskey. On-site you will find out everything you need to know about the award-winning Stauning Whiskey in the typical Danish, relaxed way, and of course, you can also try the distillate yourself. If you don’t drink alcohol or aren’t a whiskey fan (yet), you can book the tour without tasting.

By the way: From the drivethru surf camp, you can even see Stauning on the other side of the fjord if the weather is good and the diopters are low. Skål and see you soon at Ringkøbing Fjord!