Finnish whisky was first distilled from 1981 to 2000 at the Koskenkorva alcohol distillery in Ilmajoki, Finland, run by the state-owned alcohol monopoly Alko (later Primalco, now Altia). After years of research and trials, the first brand to enter Finnish liquor stores was simply called Alko Whisky. In 1983 Alko introduced Viski 88 (later called Double Eight 88) that became the best-selling whisky in Finland and remained in production until the year 2000. A 10-year-old whisky was sold from 1991, until the company discontinued all whisky production in 2000. [1] [2]
The second coming for Finnish whisky took place on 8 November 2001 at Panimoravintola Beer Hunter's in the city of Pori. [3] There are currently two operational distilleries in Finland, however, there is also a number of projects to bring forth many more in the future. [4]
Kyrö and Teerenpeli whiskies were noted in the 2020 International Wine and Spirit Competition. [5]
Panimoravintola Beer Hunter's was founded on 8 April 1998 in the city of Pori. First it served as a restaurant and a brewery. On 8 November 2001 at six PM, self-taught Mika Heikkinen began distilling the first batch of malt whisky produced in Finland. The first batch's casks are to be opened in 2034 when Mika Heikkinen turns 60 years of age. An auction of 100 bottles of Old Buck whisky from the second batch was held on 1 December 2004 and the rest was resealed back into the casks. Future batches will mainly be sold to wholesalers in hand blown bottles made by Estonian Tarbeklaas. The copper stills used by Beer Hunter's were manufactured by German Arnold Holstein and the casks used are old sherry casks from Spain and new ones from Portugal. In April 2004, Beer Hunter's had produced a total of 2000 liters of malt whisky. [3] Beer Hunter's Old Buck second release was also chosen by Jim Murray as the "European Mainland Whisky of the Year" in his "Whisky Bible 2009". [6] Murray describes the whisky as "pure bourbon: with the nose offering every degree of honeycomb-liquorice imaginable". [7] According to Mika Heikkinen "If there was to be a page written about us, I do not know how we would be described. I feel that we can produce malt whisky like Glenfiddich without a smoky aroma, as well as Laphroaig style smoky whisky." [3]
Teerenpeli ("dalliance", literally: "black grouse play") started brewing beer in 1995 in the city of Lahti. The distillery begun its operations seven years later, in 2002. Teerenpeli Distillery is independent company owned by Mr and Mrs Anssi Pyysing. In 2008, Alko (Finnish national alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly) begun retail sales of their first entirely Finnish whisky: Teerenpeli Single Malt 5 yo. Teerenpeli Single Malt 5 yo is bottled at 43% alcohol by volume and the manufacturer describes its palette as vanilla with a fruity aroma. At 2009 was new release of 6 yo. Teerenpeli Single Malt. The bottle and the label were designed by Markus Pyörälä and Valtteri Vitakoski of Lahti University of Applied Sciences's Institute of Design. [8] Teerenpeli Single Malt is distilled with entirely Finnish malted barley from the Finnish malter Viking Malt and with fresh groundwater from the Salpausselkä ridge. [9]
Panimoravintola Koulu in Turku has been mainly focused on beer and brewing, but as of spring 2013 they now offer their own three-year-old single malt whisky. The whisky was named "Sgoil" after the Gaelic word for school and it is partly produced on site and partly in Tuorla, Kaarina. The malt is processed at the in house brewery, but it is then distilled at Tuorla as Panimoravintola Koulu does not house a still. The whisky was distilled in the autumn of 2009 and it is already sold at Panimoravintola Koulu, but the supply is limited (one cask of 150 liters) as the Tuorla facilities are currently undergoing renovation. Most of the first whisky batch is still maturing in old Jack Daniel's bourbon casks and there are plans for many future whisky editions. [10]
Kyrö Distillery Company started distilling rye whisky in April 2014 at the old dairy of Isokyrö. According to the CEO Miika Lipiäinen, their goal is to distill delicious rye whisky and make the distillery into the world's most renown rye whisky distillery in 5 to 10 years. They plan to produce 20 000 litres of whisky a year and to distinguish themselves from other rye whisky distillers by using pure rye malts instead of mixing in corn. The first batch will become available after it has matured for three years, in 2017. [11] They'll use 16, 32 and 62 liter New American Oak casks for maturing the malted rye whisky. [12]
Scotch whisky is malt whisky or grain whisky, made in Scotland.
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.
Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, a single malt means that the whisky has not been blended elsewhere with whisky from other distilleries. As with any Scotch whisky, a single malt Scotch must be distilled in Scotland and matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years, although most single malts are matured longer.
Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery.
A blended malt, formerly called a vatted malt, or pure malt, is a blend of different single malt whiskies from different distilleries. These terms are most commonly used in reference to Scotch whisky, or whisky in that style, such as Japanese whisky.
J.P. Wiser's Whisky is a Canadian whisky producer and one of the oldest in the country, established in 1857. Since 1935, it has held a majority stake in Corby Spirit and Wine. In 2005 the international Liquor company Pernod Ricard took ownership of both companies. Hiram Walker & Sons Limited currently produce J.P. Wiser's Whisky at their Windsor, Ontario, distillery.
Benromach distillery is a Speyside distillery founded by Duncan McCallum and F.W. Brickman in 1898 and currently owned and run by Gordon and Macphail of Elgin. It is situated near Forres in Morayshire and is fed with spring water from the Chapelton Springs in the Romach Hills beside Forres.
Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey is a 94 proof, small batch whiskey distilled in Denver, Colorado. Stranahan's was the first modern microdistillery to legally make whiskey in Colorado, and an early craft whiskey distiller in the United States.
Tamdhu distillery is a single malt Scotch Speyside whisky distillery, located in the village of Knockando in Banffshire, Scotland. Tamdhu comes from Gaelic for "little dark hill".
German whisky is a distilled beverage produced in Germany made from grains traditionally associated with the production of whisky. The distillation of German-made whisky is a relatively recent phenomenon having only started in the last 30 years. The styles produced resemble those made in Ireland, Scotland and the United States: single malts, blends, and bourbon styles. There is no standard spelling of German whiskies with distilleries using both "whisky" and "whiskey" and one even using "Whesskey", a play on the word whisky and Hessen, the state in which it is produced. There are currently 23 distilleries in Germany producing whisky.
Panimoravintola Beer Hunter's is a Finnish brewery, distillery and a restaurant. Founded in 1998 and located in the city of Pori, the brewery restaurant started distilling malt whisky in 2001.
Willett Distillery Ltd, is a private, family-owned-and-operated company that produces bourbon and rye whiskey. Over the years, the company has bottled whiskeys that range from two years of aging maturity up to 28 years. The company was named Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) between 1984 and 2012.
It has been common practice in the whisky industry for more than a century for distilleries to sell barrels of whisky to blenders and independent bottlers as a means of making additional income. In fact, some distilleries exist solely to serve independent bottlers, and do not market any brands themselves.
English whisky is a liquor made from cereal grains, malt and water. There are currently two types of English whiskies produced malt whisky and grain whisky.
Dingle Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery established in 2012 and billing itself as an 'artisan' distillery. The distillery is located in a converted sawmill in Milltown on the outskirts of Dingle, in a Gaeltacht in the southwest of Ireland. The first whiskeys distilled and matured at the distillery were released in late 2016. In addition to whiskey, the distillery also produces and markets Dingle vodka and Dingle Gin.
St George's Distillery is a distillery based in Roudham, Norfolk. It is owned by the English Whisky Company who are a producer of single malt whisky and other malt-based alcoholic spirits. It is notable for being the first dedicated English distillery for single malt whisky in 100 years at the time of the building's completion in 2006. Their first mature batch went on sale in 2009.
Stauning Whisky is a whisky distillery in Denmark. It is located in the western part of Jutland just south of a small village called Stauning near Skjern. The distillery was founded in May 2005 by nine Danish whisky enthusiasts and is the oldest whisky distillery in the Kingdom of Denmark. The idea was originally to create a whisky resembling the peated whisky produced on the Scottish isle of Islay. The production is done mainly by hand using local grain and water. Everything is produced following the traditional Scottish methods of whisky production. The preparations started in a building owned by one of the nine founders, formerly used as a private slaughter-house. The building was renovated and official permission obtained.
Kyrö Distillery Company is a Finnish rye distillery founded in a sauna in 2012. Kyrö uses 100 per cent Finnish rye to produce rye gin and rye whisky. In 2015, Kyrö Napue Gin, formerly known as Napue, won the Best Gin for Gin & Tonic category in the International Wine and Spirit competition. In August 2020 Kyrö launched its rye whisky, Kyrö Malt. To support health care workers during COVID-19, Kyrö started producing hand sanitizer. Through the sales of hand sanitizer, the company managed to avoid layoffs, and they have continued in production.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:
| Whisky types | ||
|---|---|---|
| Other designations | ||
| Whisky by region | ||
| Whisky production | ||
| Whisky tourism | ||
| See also | ||
