KYRÖ DISTILLERY

There’s a special point between drunkenness and sobriety that is neither of the two states. It’s a fantastic place to be in many ways and it comes from enjoying dependable drink at a steady rate.

As one’s see-saw of sobriety balances on the apex of intoxication, incredible things can happen.  With each gentle bend of the elbow, the jagged edges of unease are rounded off, everything around you adopts a unique afterglow, drink catalyses camaraderie, it makes music sound better, companions more compelling, conversations more absorbing and it even steadies your cue hand too.

It sharpens your subconscious, it coaxes out courage, confidence and creativity; it awakes your imagination and lights a fire under the rocking chair of unadventurous ideas – and it also, somehow, improve your ability to play pool. But just for a bit.

It was at this ‘special point’ when five Finnish men, whisky in hand, decided to start a “Finnish all-rye distillery” back in 2012. But crucially, they were also completely naked. In a sauna.

You shouldn’t really drink whisky in a sauna but the sauna, reckon the Finns, is where all good ideas are conjured up. Throw in a whisky or two and you’ve got a serious hot spot of inspiration.

Two years after founder Miika Lipiäinen and four of his friends stepped out of the Sauna, and at considerable personal risk and expense, Kyrö started production and saw their rye-based gin take off in 2015. Five years after that,  Kyrö released its first standard rye malt whisky expression

Kyrö blends tradition, innovation, and the community spirit from some old dairy buildings next to the river on the edge of the small town of Isokyrö, located in the South Ostrobothnia region of Finland.

At Kyrö, it’s all about the Rye. It started with a rye whisky in the sauna and it remains at the core of their creativity. The guys are obsessive and acutely knowledgeable about a grain that is notoriously hardy and hard to work with –  but they’ve deliberately built their distillery to coax out the rye’s distinctive character.

Always made from 100% rye, the spirits showcase Finnish wholegrain rye — be it whisky, gin or liqueur – and in just over a decade, the distillery has grown from a sweaty wild dream to a genuine craft powerhouse built on passion and expertise – and no small amount of capacity.