Fjord Whisky: a new Danish series by Enghaven, bottled exclusively for Whisky.dk

Three bottles from Enghaven, made for Whisky.dk

Today I have 3 bottlings on the table, from bottles made especially for Whisky.dk. Enghaven whisky, with their very exciting "from soil to table" philosophy, and this is a series called Fjord. Normally this is where a beer from Randers Fjord would be poked open, unless I do a backflip, so today the menu is whisky, and a rum.

This is what they write about the series themselves (our translation from the Danish).

The Fjord series: spirits with fjord, ferry and story. Right by the bank of Randers Fjord, just a stone's throw from the little ferry berth between Mellerup and Voer, you find Brænderiet Enghaven. Here, where the fjord meets the fields, and where Denmark's smallest car ferry has sailed since 1963, a series of spirits with deep roots in the local area is created. The Mellerup–Voer ferry does not just connect two villages, it connects generations. A short five minute crossing, but an experience full of calm, views and maritime charm. The fjord has been crossed here since the 1740s, and today the ferry glides silently across the water, electric and still true to tradition. It is exactly this blend of craft, history and the rhythm of the fjord that has inspired the Fjord series: Fjord Whisky, a Danish single malt with depth, calm and character from Enghaven's own craft. Fjord Rye, a rye whisky with edge, grain and Nordic strength. Fjord Rum, a molasses rum with warmth, sweetness and maritime soul. Every bottle carries the taste of the place: the fjord breeze, the calm pendulum movement of the ferry and the down to earth pride that characterises Enghaven and the whole area around Randers Fjord. The Fjord series is created as a tribute to the little ferry, the great craft and the short but unforgettable journey across the fjord. Fjord Whisky, Fjord Rye and Fjord Rum are created as a tribute to the fjord, the ferry and the landscape that binds them together, a taste of the place, carried by the wind, the water and the craft.

You can read more about the house on Brænderiet Enghaven's own website, and about the crossing on Wikipedia's Mellerup page. Here on the site you will find more in Enghaven whisky and Enghaven rum.

Enghaven Fjord Rum 8 years 2018/2026 48% only 19 bottles

I am starting with the rum, because as a whisky man I probably find greater nuances in the other two bottlings, which I know quite a lot about.

Enghaven itself describes the Fjord Rum as a molasses rum with warmth, sweetness and maritime soul. I can actually buy into that a little, because under this, for me, heavy sweetness on the nose there is a hint of salty aromas, I cannot remember when my mouth last watered from nosing a rum, but it does here. This raw, salty character breaks right through the taste and surprises me quite a bit, it is not traditional rum as I have tasted them but more biting in its nature. It definitely gives warmth and I can also taste this maritime part in the bottling itself, from the salt. A bottling that leaves a rather positive impression on me, maybe we in Denmark can also give the world's rum productions a bit of a shove. Good start to the series.

See Fjord Rum 8 years 48% at Whisky.dk

Enghaven Fjord Rye 8 years 2018/2026 45.4% only 13 bottles

Now I am more on home turf with bottling no. 2, which is the whisky that has lain on rye. Something I find exciting about the Danish distilleries is all the experimenting with the different grains, and rye is no stranger to Danish whisky. I usually say enjoy the nose and imagine a freshly baked rye bread, just in liquid form, people find it quickly because it is something they know. What lies beneath is these lovely casks it has afterwards been allowed to rest in. Enghaven does not say directly which casks they use, which for me is in theory completely irrelevant, because whisky is simply something to be enjoyed, and preferably for a long time.

The rye whisky here, at 45.4%, is a really lovely rye whisky that lies nicely on the palate and just pulses a little at the back of the throat. Enghaven itself believes there should be a kind of Nordic strength in the bottle and I do not quite get that feeling. Stauning is for me the world champion of rye whisky on Danish soil, and luckily more are joining the chorus of exciting bottlings. Enghaven is in, but not quite at the level of what you know from the other producers. That it has lain in cask for 8 years is nothing to complain about, the complexity of the whisky luckily does not disappear.

See Fjord Rye 8 years 45.4% at Whisky.dk

Enghaven Fjord Whisky 8 years 2018/2026 54.3% only 24 bottles

We finish with a real whopper of a bottling. A full 54.3%

Already with my nose in the glass I am interested. 54.3% must be a typo, because they do not show up at all when you nose your whisky. I remember my first meeting with a 50% plus whisky, I thought wow, there is a punch here, and I do not experience that at all here in the glass. Lovely soft whisky with lots of fresh notes that we all know. Dried fruit, vanilla, bananas, a hint of an oak cask slowly lying down at the bottom, you can sense it, 54.3, yes, I am surprised, it is not what dominates the nose at all.

The taste is extremely interesting, it is warm and capricious, lovely, lots of body in the mouth. I am still not hit by the 54.3%, they lie nicely hidden behind the tongue, not a dry experience at all, warms nicely in the mouth, an exciting acquaintance. With the Danish bottlings I have had many exciting taste experiences, and this bottling is no exception. It is truly worth recommending if you want to try good Danish whisky.

See Fjord Whisky 8 years 54.3% at Whisky.dk

Tasting notes: Fjord Whisky, Rye and Rum in Jan's glass

How to approach the Fjord Whisky series

Jan takes the bottles in the order rum, rye and finally whisky, because as a whisky man he finds the most nuances in the last two. You can safely copy that order if you taste all three. Fjord Whisky is the strongest at 54.3%, so give it time in the glass. Jan found that it did not dominate the nose at all.

Conclusion

I love Danish whisky, full stop, that is what I wrote when I had blogged about 4 exciting bottlings from the Thornæs distillery. Enghaven here is no exception, why people keep snubbing it when buying whisky is a mystery to me. Why does it have to be Scotch, why does there have to be some fancy age statement on the bottle, why do we not simply embrace good Danish craft and buy into the distillers who every day try to put Denmark on the whisky map. The answer is a mystery to me, and yet not, we tend to buy what we feel safe with, just look at the Danish supermarkets, they are bursting with black and white products and nothing more exploratory or nuanced in flavour.

That is what I think Danish whisky is, they set standards and try to break them every single day they bottle their lovely raw spirit to cask-age it for us enjoyers.

The Fjord series is exciting and interesting, and with so few bottles on the market I would not hesitate to get one before it is too late.

Sweet spot: which Fjord bottle should you start with?

Jan calls the rum a good start to the series and the whisky truly worth recommending if you want to try good Danish whisky. The rye is the one he places below Stauning's level, but still a really lovely rye whisky. If you are into single malt, Fjord Whisky is the obvious place to start. And with only 24 bottles it is the first to go.

Read and listen on

You will find more Danish whisky under Danish whisky, including Stauning and Thornæs. You can also see our range of rye whiskey and independent whisky bottlers.

Want to get hold of a Fjord bottle?

Here are the three bottles: Fjord Whisky, Fjord Rye and Fjord Rum. You can also see the whole range of Enghaven whisky here at Whisky.dk, before the last bottles are gone.

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