Finnish sauna
A group of friends went to the sauna, drank rye whisky and started thinking about why nobody in Finland actually makes rye whisky. To everyone’s surprise, the idea of starting their own distillery was still a good one the next morning. This is where the Kyrös story begins.
The old dairy
When looking for a home for the distillery, the founders first visited the Heiniläs family business in Isokyrö. Although charming, the building did not quite match the founders’ ambitious plans. On their way, they noticed an empty dairy. Although, empty is not quite right. In fact, it was filled with cars, as the dairy workers sublet the building as a garage to ensure its upkeep. So, as with many large companies, it all started in a garage.
First distillation
Time for the first distillation: while Head Distiller Kalle’s parents were on vacation, part of the house was quickly converted into a fermentation hall. Within a week, the first attempt was made in the form of distilled beer and the smell of fermentation, with which we have become very familiar over the years, hung in the air. A new hurdle was not far away, however, as the nearest distillery was hundreds of kilometers away in Finland’s first craft whisky distillery in Beerhunters, Pori.
From New Make to Pop up Bar
The good people there were kind enough to lend us the still for our first batch. The result of our first attempt was a clear liquid that smelled and tasted exactly like moonshine. At the time, it was extremely difficult for the inexperienced connoisseurs to tell whether this clear liquid would ever age into a tasty rye whisky.
To get professional feedback quickly, Miika flew to the whisky show in London. There he smuggled in samples and poured them into drams for tasting in the men’s room. He went from stand to stand with them and the “New Make” actually received a lot of positive feedback. After that, it was time to step on the gas. In 2014, the still was heated up for the first time in the old dairy and the first drinks were served at the “Isokyrö Tourism Agency” in a pop-up speakeasy bar in Helsinki. The bar was visited by two types of guests: Friends of the founders and confused-looking older people.
Brutally Finnish
Today, Kyrö has grown from a wild dream to a distillery with a lot of skill and capacity – and some pretty good spirits. They are always made from 100% rye. It all started with a rye whisky in the sauna and rye remains at the heart of Kyrö Distillery. Due to its temperament, rye is extremely difficult to distil, but we still rely on it and use only Finnish whole grain rye for our products – whether it’s whisky, gin or liqueur.
RYE WHISKY
The first Finnish single batch rye whisky made from 100% Finnish whole grain rye
KYRÖ MALT
Kyrö Malt is a single batch rye whisky made from 100% malted rye. It is double distilled and aged for at least three years in new American white oak casks. Rye has a very special place in the hearts of the Finns. It gets its distinctive character from the edgy weather conditions in the far north. Enjoy your Kyrö Malt the way you like it best; neat, on ice or in a cocktail.
0,70 Liter | 47,2% vol
Tasting Notes
Nose: Aromatic notes of vanilla, caramel, dried fruit and earthy rye tones.
Palate: Sweet rye bread, honey, wild berries with peppery Finnish and rounded off with velvety mocha and caramel notes.
It doesn’t get any more Rogg’n’Roll than this
KYRÖ MALT OLOROSO
Kyrö Malt Oloroso is an inspiring example of the possibilities offered by different barrel ageings. It also shows how versatile a rye whisky can be. The sweet cherry flavors and the Finnish rye notes are the perfect match. The Oloroso sherry cask finish gives the whisky an opulent and mature character. The whisky is as full-bodied and rich as the sherry whose aromatic DNA it carries. Kyrö Malt Oloroso is the first Finnish single batch rye whisky made from 100% malted Finnish whole grain rye. It is double distilled and matured in three different types of barrel: Oloroso sherry, new American oak and ex-bourbon.
0,70 Liter | 47,2% vol
Tasting Notes
Nose: Nuts, dried fruit and caramel.
Palate: Sweet notes of rye bread, honey, raisins and nuts with a peppery finish, not smoky.
A gift made from rye, with a bow made from sherry
KYRÖ WOOD SMOKE
Kyrö Wood Smoke is made from 100% Finnish whole grain rye. In keeping with Nordic tradition, the smoking process takes place in a 100-year-old wooden hut. The whisky is distilled using the double pot still method and matured in ex-bourbon casks and barrels made from French oak and American white oak. These give it a peppery spiciness and sweet notes of caramel and vanilla, rounded off with a hint of alder wood smoke. Enjoy your Kyrö Wood Smoke however you feel – straight, on ice or in a cocktail.
0,70 Liter | 47,2% vol
Tasting Notes
NoseAromatic notes of vanilla, caramel and pepper; sweet smoke and tar.
Palate: Strong smoky notes with sweetish hints of rye bread, honey and oak.
Rye over rye, with a hint of smoke
KYRÖ PEAT SMOKE
Kyrö Peat Smoke combines the characteristic Finnish terrain with our rye whisky. We use 100% Finnish malt rye, kilned over Finnish peat, fresh from the bog. We use new American oak casks, ex-bourbon casks and ex-bourbon casks of our Kyrö Malt for the cask finishing. The whole grain rye malt is smoked for 24 hours in a wooden hut. The result is an unmistakable, mossy aroma that makes no secret of the process of its production.
0,70 Liter | 47,2% vol
Tasting Notes
Nose: Mossy peat, cooked apples, honey, spicy rye aromas.
Palate: Sweetness of malted rye, a hint of lemon, warming spices, wet smoke, beeswax on the finish
The perfect union
of two legacies
KYRÖ NEW MAKE
Kyrö New Make is a tribute to the base products of all Kyrö distillates: 100 percent pure and finest Finnish rye malt. It is therefore the concentrated reduction of Finnish single malt rye. It’s where it all begins. The New Make is delicately sweet and spicy, as only a clear whisky that has not yet matured can be. Subtly dry and complex. We recommend trying it neat first – and then mixing it (e.g. as a margarita), maturing it or thinking about what to do with it. At least that’s how we did it.
0,70 Liter | 46,3% vol
Tasting Notes
Nose: Licorice and Finnish rye bread.
Palate: Dry. Sweet. Spicy.
The concentrate of origin
RYE GIN
Awarded Best Gin for Gin & Tonic 2015 by the International Wine & Spirit Competition
KYRÖ GIN
Have you ever spent a Finnish sunrise at 3 a.m. with friends in a foggy meadow, picking berries barefoot after a sauna and a run through a rye field? The Kyrö team distilled exactly this experience. The result: a gin with four local ingredients and 13 other ingredients traditionally used for gin, inspired by the Finnish wind of the wilderness. Enjoy it neat or as a gin & tonic. For the latter, add a load of ice, some cranberries, a sprig of rosemary and tonic water to a glass – and enjoy.
0,50 Liter | 42,6% vol
Tasting Notes
Nose: Gentle lemon.
Palate: Full-bodied herbal notes, pepper, rye ears, essential oils of willow flowers.
Finnish summer in a glass
KYRÖ PINK GIN
Kyrö Pink Gin is produced in small batches and in the traditional way. We have flavored it with foraged lingonberries, strawberries and rhubarb – the aromatic heart of Finnish forests and gardens. A pink gin made for everyone. It gets its color from natural ingredients such as strawberries and rhubarb – which therefore fades over time. But that doesn’t change the taste or quality; and it doesn’t have to age that long. It tastes best with a Fever-Tree tonic or soda water, a slice of grapefruit and lots and lots of ice. It also contains the colorant E124
050 liters | 38,2% vol
Tasting Notes
Nose: Juicyberries.
Palate: Sweetish, gentle, mild, berry notes, juniper berry
Forget unicorns
KYRÖ DARK GIN
What the weather and life have in common is that they can be nasty at times; but aren’t the wildest storms the joy of finding shelter together? We created Kyrö Dark Gin for precisely these situations of escape from the elements. We came up with it precisely in such nasty weather and it is the perfect combination of Finnish mRye whole grain and 17 herbs and spices. It is matured for between 3 and 12 months in American oak barrels. The vegan and gluten-free Kyrö Dark Gin will warm you up and cool you down depending on your mood and needs. Drink it hot or cold, with naturally cloudy apple juice, cinnamon and a freshly sliced apple.
0,50 Liter | 42,6% vol
Tasting Notes
Nose: summer pasture.
Palate: Honey, orange,an interlude of pepper and oak, notes of a flower meadow.
Barrel-matured gin for bad weather
RYE VODKA
KYRÖ VODKA
Kyrö Vodka is an ode to the Ostrobothnian landscape, the vast rye fields and the unconventional people who have worked the land like their ancestors before them. Kyrö Vodka is made from 100% rye with a hint of heart-warming rye malt distillate that gives it its character. The vodka is filtered with birch charcoal to ensure clarity and smoothness. Try it in our perfect drink: Vodka Mule. 0.70 liters | 40.0% vol.
Tasting Notes
NoseDistinct rye flavor with a very faint, distant roasted bread note. Little rock salt or granite. Clean but complex nose for a vodka Palate: Rye with a light cereal sweetness. Crisp but warm, developing into a warming rye spice. The cereal flavor remains even after the alcohol has subsided. Pleasant soft straw and little fall