Stauning Whisky has joined with nine other distilleries to launch The Danish Whisky Manifesto, which establishes standards for whisky produced in Denmark.

The announcement follows Stauning co-founder Alex Munch announcing last week that there were plans afoot to protect ‘Danish Whisky’ as a regional appellation in the future. 

Munch spoke out after the industry discovered that the EU had signed an agreement with Canada in 2003 that prohibited European whisky producers from labelling their rye whiskies ‘rye whisky’.

At the time the production of rye whisky in EU countries was close to non-existent, however European distilleries have embraced making whisky from rye in recent years, including Stauning and Thy in Denmark, Kyrö in Finland, Storck in Germany and Ruotker’s in Austria. Stauning recently won Best Single Cask Rye Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards.

“Nobody was aware of [the ruling] – and it hasn’t been enforced for the last 20 years,” Munch said.

“We went through a long approval process to get into Canada and our rye whisky was approved without any problems. In the US market, it is a requirement that we label it as rye whisky. This clearly shows that it is a strange situation.

“We are recognised for our rye whisky all over the world, and we will continue to make Danish rye whisky exactly as we always have. Even if we eventually have to change the wording on the label, we will never compromise on our way to make whisky or on the quality of the spirit that we deliver to the world.”

The founders behind The Danish Whisky Manifesto said it was not about copying Scotch or Bourbon.

“It’s about defining what Danish whisky is — with respect for our land, our ingredients, and our shared values,” they said.

Co-founder Hans Martin Chege Hansgaard explained: “We know what Scotch whisky is. We know what American bourbon is. But Danish whisky? Until now, we didn’t know.”

The manifesto sets out clear ambitions for all the Danish distilleries:

• 100% Danish grains by 2030
• Full transparency and honest communication
• Room for creativity, as long as it’s rooted in Denmark

To mark the launch of The Danish Whisky Manifesto, the distillers blended whiskies from all 10 founding distilleries into one cask as a symbol of unity and shared purpose.

Learn more about The Danish Whisky Manifesto here.