Copenhagen Distillery - our Whisky bloggers Mads & Kristian have tasted RAW

Close to the heart of Copenhagen you'll find Copenhagen Distillery, which is only a 10-minute drive from Copenhagen - our Whisky bloggers Mads & Kristian have delved into the history of the Danish distillery and tasted two flavors RAW & RARE Edition

Post by Mads Thorup and Kristian HenriksenClose to the heart of Copenhagen you will find Copenhagen Distillery, which is only a 10-minute drive from Copenhagen Central Station to the distillery in northern Amager. Copenhagen distillery strives to discover and create new flavors in their production of spirits, which includes both gin, aquavit and not least whiskey, which is their major focus. They try hard to create combinations and aromas that have not been seen before and make a virtue of their products being a delight to the eye as well as the palate. This can be seen in their first whisky release from 2020, which was bottled in handmade cluck bottles from Holmegaard. The distillery opened back in 2014, primarily following their critically acclaimed gin and aquavit, but now their whiskies are starting to become ready after sufficient time in cask. One of their core values is to ensure that their production and products are sustainable. This applies from their production of electricity via wind turbines, to corks made from recycled cork, and that the by-product of whisky production is used as animal feed and residual water is used for cleaning before being discharged as uncontaminated water. The distillery gets their grain from Gyrypgård in Thy, where Thy Whisky is located. This plays well into Copenhagen Distillery's commitment to sustainability, as the grain from Thy Whisky is organic, which is one of their hallmarks. Similarly, you can smell a bit of consistency in Copenhagen Distillery's råsprit, which offers some of the same characteristics with intense notes of tart fruits and lovely grains. However, it is also different and not completely identical, which is probably because they have a different pot still than Thy whisky. Exciting to experience how this can have such an impact on the distillate.

Copenhagen Distillery have created a series they call "RAW Edition", which in all its simplicity is about creating a whisky based on simple principles, where simplicity and naturalness come through. This is a whisky produced entirely from barley, which has been aged in pure oak casks for only three years. This brings out the natural aromas of barley and oak without any influence from other flavours that you might otherwise get when using, for example, used sherry or bourbon casks. In addition, the distillery is trying to challenge the mindset of age and whisky, where whisky does not need to be aged for 10-15-18-30 years before you have a top-class whisky. Several of their whiskies have only been aged for three years, and with their simple mindset in production and their selection of fine goods, they believe they have done well with such a "young" whisky. Perhaps there is something to it, as it has received high praise from whisky guru Jim Murray, among others.Copenhagen Distillery Rare Edition 48.9% Batch 3This time we have tasted their Rare edition batch 3, which has an alcohol percentage of 48.9% and Raw edition batch 2 at 51.6% alcohol. Rare edition has a lovely dark chestnut color, which is a virtue to the eye. The aroma brings out plenty of sweetness with hints of a slight spiciness and notes of fresh grain. Otherwise, there is a pervasive scent of caramel, reminiscent of a freshly opened bag of toffee sticks. When the whisky hits the tongue, you feel a full-bodied whisky that flows over the tongue with plenty of power and flavor, which then subsides. Lovely flavor notes of salted caramel and dried barley also linger in the aftertaste. The caramel notes are reminiscent of childhood days of walking through the stalls at the amusement park or shopping at the movie theater. Overall, a lovely dram that is perfect for the person with a sweet tooth.

Copenhagen Distillery Rare Edition 48.9% Batch 3Raw edition also has a color reminiscent of chestnuts or dark amber. The aroma has notes of ripe fruits towards banana and sweetness from vanilla. When the whisky hits the tongue, traditional notes of oak, vanilla, mild caramel, light sweetness. A slight spicy flavor that you often get in a rye whisky hides behind the other flavors - a more traditional whisky than rare edition. A whisky that would go perfectly with a classic flambéed banana split with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, which can enhance the flavors of the whisky and compliment the comparable flavors.