Dining

Step aside Scotland: Stauning HØST is a distinctive new rye-forward Danish whisky experience

Stauning whisky founder with HØST

Disruptive Danish whisky maker Stauning hopes to broaden its UK fanbase with HØST, a new rye and single malt blend which honours the unique terroir of the farmland surrounding the distillery.

To launch HØST in the UK, which translates to ‘harvest’ in Danish, Stauning staged a takeover of Bloomsbury Flowers, in London’s Covent Garden, the florist providing a novel background for the rye-forward whisky.

Stauning staged a takeover of Bloomsbury Flowers, in London’s Covent Garden, to launch the rye-forward whisky…

Stauning HØST tasting notes

Smooth and well balanced, HØST is an approachable, easy-drinking introduction to the Stauning range. 

The HØST blend is aged in first-fill bourbon and heavily charred new American white oak casks before finishing in first-fill port barrique casks. This process imparts a fruit-forward spirit with floral undertones. There is no added colour or filtering.

Bottled at 40.5% ABV, we found HØST a delightful, delicate dram. On the nose, there are notes of citrus and vanilla, which translates into fairground toffee apples, berries and honey on the palate. It exits with a gentle spice, and a nod to cinnamon.

A Nordic style whisky tribute to West Denmark’s landscape

The distillery, located on Denmark’s west coast, makes full use of local rye and barley, floor-malted in-house. Distillation occurs in 24 small copper pot stills, direct-fired to create complex flavours, adding weight and character to the whisky.

Indicative of the Nordic style of whisky, HØST is a different tasting experience to Scottish single malts, using local barley, rye, peat, and heather, grown “just a bicycle ride away from the distillery.”

HØST is available from Master of Malt, priced at £47.  

The whisky joins Stauning Rye, bottled at 48% ABV and priced at £59, Stauning KAOS, bottled at 46% ABV and priced at £64.99, and Stauning Smoke, 47% ABV, priced at £74.95, in the Stauning range.

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About Steve May

Creator of Home Cinema Choice magazine, and Editor of The Luxe Review, Steve muses and reviews for Trusted Reviews, T3, Home Cinema Choice, Games Radar, Good Housekeeping, Louder Sounds, StereoNet and Boat International. He’s also the editor of professional home cinema website Inside CI. He's on Twitter/X, Tiktok and Instagram as @SteveMay_UK