Butterscotch | Peach | Apricot | Fresh baked bread | Grain | Bubblegum | Smoke | Slight earthiness

Vanilla | Lemon | Cherry | Honeycomb | Light

Rye spice | Peppercorn spice | Dried fruit | Touch of dark chocolate | Touch of smoke

Stauning Whisky Distillery was founded in 2005 by nine friends with the goal of bringing whiskey distilling back to Denmark. Their distillery is located on the west coast of Denmark, outside of Stauning. It features 24 small direct-fired copper pot stills, and the company prides themselves on floor-malting 100% of the grains used in their whiskeys. Though there are a few distilleries in the U.S. that floor malt their grains, such as Cooper Fox, Hillrock Estate, and Leopold Bros., it's a relatively rare practice in American whiskey making.

Another unique aspect of Stauning Danish Whisky Floor Malted Rye that ties into their floor malting is that it's a malted rye whiskey. Malted rye whiskeys were also once non-existent in American whiskey making and have been making inroads over the last few years. Those that are familiar with the style may be surprised that Stauning Danish Whisky Floor Malted Rye doesn’t come off as a carbon copy of its American counterparts. Though malted whiskey typically isn’t known for its punchiness, Stauning Danish Whisky Floor Malted Rye is decidedly much tamer than you’d expect.

The rye opens with a soft nose of butterscotch, fresh baked bread, grain, and sweet bubblegum with a hint of smoke. The palate transitions to vanilla upfront before intriguing notes of lemon, cherry, and honeycomb come in. The finish introduces spice in the form of rye and peppercorn before offering up dried fruit and touches of dark chocolate and smoke.

There’s a lot that I love about this whiskey, from how it's made, its mashbill, its collection of flavors, its balance, and even its striking bottle design. My main qualms with it is that it’s too tame. Perhaps that is the style they're going for, but I think it has more to do with the rye’s age. The flavors are well done, but feel a bit underdeveloped and lack impact. Yet, on the tail end of the finish, the whiskey’s heat ramps up a surprising amount for a 96 proof whiskey. There’s definitely some magic happening here that makes it stand out from so many other ryes on the market, but it just might be a few more years before the whiskey's true colors fully come out.