Impression // Stauning’s ‘Research Series’ (Curious, Bastard, El Clásico)

I’m a sucker for experimental whiskies. If you’re a regular on the blog, you probably know that already. I like unconventional cask maturations, I like ‘unfinished’ products, I like whiskies that make me think and go ‘huh, I didn’t expect that'. That’s why I’m very happy to write up this impression of the Danish Stauning distillery, whose ‘research series’ currently contains 3 very unique expressions.

Text by Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove
Photography is © Stauning

If you don’t know Stauning, you’ve been missing out on some seriously delicious whisky. Their story started in 2005, with a very real ‘less is more’ attitude. In 2018, the founders opened up a brand-new, modern, and ‘purpose-built’ distillery. I know I’ve skipped quite a lot of steps, but I’d like to go into their story a bit more in-depth in the article on which I focus on their core range. Call this one an ‘eccentric introduction’ to the brand, featuring something curious, somewhat of a bastard, and a neo-classic expression.

Stauning Curious (43% ABV)

While technically not a whisky, this expression should be the start of your exploration of Stauning’s products. With Curious, the people at the distillery basically offer the consumer the opportunity to taste the new make spirit before it is matured on a variety of casks, and tasting new make is always an educational experience.

This is a rye new make that has been smoked over peat and heather, so it should offer up at least a couple of interesting notes, I thought. I was pleasantly surprised.

At 43%, there’s not really a sharp note in the nose. Instead, I’d call this ‘clear’ or ‘fresh’, ‘crisp’ even, if you’re inclined to use those kind of words while writing about whisky. It is indeed a curious one, simultaneously being ‘upfront’ and ‘pleasant’, with noticeable peated smoke, bringing everything together in an image of wet dirt and an open woodfire in a light drizzle. The flavors are delicate and drawn-out, and the ash and soot only reveal themselves after a second sip.

Stauning Bastard (46,3% ABV)

Next is the Bastard, a double-distilled rye whisky matured in mezcal casks, or as the founders like to call it ‘an illegal love affair in which the wind from the North Sea mixes blood with the desert of Mexico’. 10,000 writing points to the employee who came up with that description!

So, mezcal casks. Pretty interesting maturation, if you ask me, specifically because mezcal is ‘the new and upcoming spirit’ for a while now. I noted down the following references while nosing my sample:

There are flowers and sweets, drifting around. There’s a Southern hemisphere, dried out field vibe to it, basically what happens if you put your nose in one of those wicker baskets of dried flowers at a Sunday market at noon somewhere in the South of France in mid-July. You know what I’m talking about. If not, I urge you to go find out.

On the palate, the liquid is quite light, more subtle than I expected. The Bastard has a warm center, sitting there like a rock, but soon melting down and trickling down the throat. Then, some sweet and spicy, peppery flavors round everything out. But oh is this a fleeting expression! Alas!

The finish is maybe a tad too subtle for me, too short in the sense that the dram loses its potency rapidly, but at the same time long in the sense that the flavor profile just finds something to cling to on your palate. I would have liked this one to be a bit more ‘blistering’, if you get what I mean.

Stauning El Clásico (45,7% ABV)

The third and final sample I’d like to write about, is the newest addition to Stauning’s ‘research series’. El Clásico is “a matured rye whisky that has additionally been aged in vermouth casks” (stauning.com). Another daring cask maturation. If I’m honest, I’m not really a fan of vermouth. But I gave this one a go, and there’s definitely something worth to explore in this one.

If you pour yourself a sample of this “Nordic whisky demon with Iberian blood“ (stauning.com), you can already smell the vermouth influences the moment the fragrance starts to move around the room. There’s the distinct vermouth ‘bitter’, but it’s not repulsive, but inviting. This is a demon that is all about seduction. There’s also a mellow note in there, making this a ‘toned down’ version of a red vermouth, as if you have blended this with a bourbon. It’s a delicate balance, and it somehow works.

On the palate, the familiar red vermouth flavors of dry red fruits and the bitter note. Quite nice, not a blast to the face, but I’m missing the whisky influence in this. Perhaps on the palate, the rye is a bit too subtle. The finish is short, dry, with a bitter note crystalizing on your tongue. In tandem with the texture being a bit thicker than water, this is one of the added bonuses of this expression.

Special thanks go to Bruno from Young Charly, who kindly arranged a set of samples for me to review. Many thanks!