The 6 best Scandinavian whiskies to be sipping this summer

First you had your prime Scotch whiskys. Then you had your Bourbon and American rye. After that, Japanese whisky had its moment in the sun. And now, finally, we turn to Scandinavia and the Nordic regions – the hottest new destination for dreamy drams.

Pioneered by Mackmyra, which opened in Sweden in 1999, the region has been steadily growing as a go-to destination over the years, perfectly combining Scandi ingenuity and experimentation with classic methods and the abundance of locally grown grains. These days, you’re had pressed to find a bar worth its salt that doesn’t stock a whisky from a Scandi or Nordic country, from Kyrö – which was born out of a productive sauna session – to Thy which has breathed new life into a centuries-old family farm.

From the southern corner of Denmark all the way up to the Arctic, across this northern corner of the globe there are a number of distilleries putting their Scottish neighbours to the test, and slowly carving out a definition of Scandinavian whisky as they go.

Related: The magical and medicinal history of snaps in Scandinavia

Founded in 2005 by a group of friends frustrated by the lack of Danish whiskies behind the bar, Stauning is now Denmark’s oldest whisky distillery. Nestled in a small coastal village on the country’s rugged west coast, they built their operation using whatever they could find locally: barley from a nearby farmer, floor malting in an old slaughterhouse, grain milled with a meat mincer, with an old smokehouse grill used to peat the barley.

While originally only producing 400-500 litres per year, the whisky’s unique style quickly attracted international attention, and demand skyrocketed. Rather than upgrade the equipment, though, the Stauning kept things as is, letting their independent way of making whisky define the brand and style. To this day, it remains a liquid full of personality and a sense of place.

stauningwhisky.com

Like many good ideas coming out of the Nordics, Kyrö was born in a sauna. Five friends, mid-sweat session and sipping American rye, had a revelation: Finland is rich in rye grain – so why wasn’t anyone making Finnish whisky? Soon after, they set up shop in a disused dairy in Isokyrö and Kyrö came to be. Smuggling their new make spirit into the London Whisky Show, they received rave reviews and put the liquid down to age. While waiting, they launched an award-winning gin, eventually releasing their first whisky in 2019. Judging by the many nude bottoms gracing their website, Kyrö does things its own way, with a core range complemented by playful special editions aged in vin santo and amarone casks.

kyrodistillery.com

Founded in 1999, Mackmyra was one of the first distilleries in Scandinavia and played a pivotal role in putting the region on the whisky map. Like Stauning and Kyrö, the idea was sparked by friends sharing a drink – on a Swedish ski trip, they realised they’d all brought a bottle of rye for their host and found themselves asking: why wasn’t anyone making whisky in Sweden?

That question led to Mackmyra’s creation, first housed in an old mill in Gästrikland, and later in a cutting-edge gravity distillery in Gävle. Towering 37 metres high, the innovative facility uses gravity to streamline the production process, cutting energy consumption by 45%.

mackmyra.se

Related: The 10 best Swedish vineyards to visit this summer

In true Swedish fashion, Agitator Whisky thrives on experimentation. The secret behind their intensely concentrated flavour? Vacuum distillation – an uncommon technique that lowers the pressure in the stills, allowing the spirit to distil at a lower temperature. Think of it as slow-cooking whisky: gently coaxing out nuanced flavours that conventional methods might miss. Bonus points: it’s more energy-efficient, too. For a taste of that bold, dialled-in character, start with their Swedish Single Malt.

agitatorwhisky.com

There’s locally grown – and then there’s Thy. Hailing from the Gyrup estate in north-west Denmark, where organic grains have been farmed for eight generations, Thy Whisky is one of the rare few that can truly call itself single estate. What began as a small-scale experiment quickly evolved into a dedicated distillery and malthouse, now producing an impressive 50,000 litres of organic new make whisky each year. We’ll raise a glass to that.

thy-whisky.dk

High above the Arctic Circle, on a remote island with just a dozen permanent residents, sits Myken Destilleri, the world’s first Arctic whisky distillery. While rooted in traditional Scottish methods, Myken makes space for innovation, using desalinated Arctic seawater in its process. And those subtle saline notes in the whisky? Likely the result of the bracing Arctic air, which seeps into the ageing barrels, leaving its mark on every drop.

myken.no