Stauning El Clasico Rye Whisky Vermouth Finish

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 45.7% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Spanish vermouth casks give this rye whisky its distinctive accent. After maturation in new American oak casks, the whisky receives its finish in these vermouth casks. The idea draws on the Manhattan cocktail, which brings together rye whisky and sweet vermouth. El Clásico carries this pairing into cask maturation, combining grain character with fruity, spicy and bittersweet impressions.

El Clásico is the third release in the experimental Research Series. Stauning uses locally grown rye and barley, malts the grain on its own malting floors and distils it twice in small, direct-fired copper pot stills. Batch #2 was bottled on site in 2022 at 45.7% in 0.7-litre bottles. The whisky is non-chill filtered and contains no added colouring.

The bottle artwork was created by tattoo artist Thit Hansgaard. Her figure combines a bull with a demon, giving the edition a distinctive appearance. The whisky can be enjoyed neat or used in cocktails.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, apples, oranges and ripe plums meet warm spices. Cinnamon and toasted caramel complement the fruity aromas.
• Palate: On the palate, the sweetness of dried fruit combines with lively citrus notes and ground pepper.
• Finish: The long finish is warm, with lingering bittersweet vermouth notes.

Distillery/Bottler:

Stauning began in 2005 as a project by nine friends on Denmark’s west coast. They started in a former butcher’s shop with two small stills and improvised equipment. The barley came from a local farmer and was malted on the tiled floor of the cold room. In August 2006, they collected the heart of their second distillation for the first time; their first commercial bottlings followed in 2011.

These beginnings developed into a deliberately maintained approach: regional rye and barley, floor malting and small, direct-fired stills. Stauning retained these methods when its new distillery opened in 2018. The Research Series builds on this foundation with experiments in unusual cask maturation, such as the vermouth finish used for El Clásico.

Facts: