KYRÖ SAUNA STORIES No. 2: THE RETURN OF THE BRADPEAT TO FINLAND
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BradPeat's engine purrs like an old cat under the northern sun. Finnish roads stretch out before me, lined with fields of golden rye and pine trees that seem to whisper secrets with every gust of wind.
This isn't my first time venturing into these parts. And it's not the first time I've answered the call of steam.
I'm returning to where it all began. Where, one winter evening, I met a man with a moustache as imposing as his expertise: Kalle Valkonen, master distiller at KYRÖ. It was in a smoky sauna, a glass of gin in hand, that we talked about rye, fire, and this distillery born from a crazy idea among friends.
Since then, I have followed KYRÖ's footsteps through their daring creations. Sauna Stories No. 1 had already surprised me with its unlikely combination of Paraguay and Finland, of hot cane and smoked rye. A journey I told you about here.
But today, I'm going to tell you another story. Sauna Stories No. 2 awaits me. This time, I have a meeting with Miko Heinilä.
🔥 WHY HAVE A SAUNA?
Miko was waiting for me, as promised, in his bathrobe, with a genuine smile after a management committee meeting, as only KYRÖ knows how to do... in a sauna.
The sauna was already hot, the stones ready to sing. He welcomed me like an old friend, as if our last meeting over KYRÖ Malt Oloroso had taken place only the day before (you can read about that adventure here). This place, this ritual, this moment suspended in time... this is where Kyrö thinks, dreams, distills.
In Finland, the sauna is not a luxury. It is a matrix. An incubator of ideas. A pagan confessional. It is here that the founders imagined their distillery. And it is here that the Sauna Stories are born, limited editions that capture the essence of a summer, a moment, an emotion.
Kyrö board meeting
And since at KYRÖ we don't do things like everywhere else, we will be conducting today's tasting in situ, in the sauna designed for the active aging of Rye.
The sauna is large enough for my faithful Bradpeat to accompany us for once.
🌾 HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Between splashes of water on the hot stones, Miko reminds me how the summer of 2023 was a turning point. Distillers swapped their vats for deckchairs, recipes for guitars, and barrels for laughter.
Sauna Stories No. 2 was born out of this atmosphere: a rye whisky that exudes freedom, warmth and brotherhood.
Ten years ago, in the small Finnish village of Isokyrö, five friends had a slightly crazy idea... and like all good Finnish ideas, it was born in a sauna. That's where KYRÖ DISTILLERY was born, driven by a simple but bold ambition: to reinvent rye whisky with a Nordic twist.
Meeting to establish the distillery in 2013
Today, the distillery is celebrating its tenth anniversary by offering us a new gem: Sauna Stories No.2, a rye whisky that isn't just aged... it's literally relaxed.
At KYRÖ, the rye whisky finishes maturing in a sauna heated to over 55°C, cradled by the residual heat from distillation. It's a kind of spirits hammam where the casks sweat out their last tensions to retain only the essential: harmony.
Maturation sauna
DOUBLE TASTING: BEFORE AND AFTER THE SAUNA
This second instalment of Rye SAUNA STORIES begins its journey in new American oak casks, powerful and generous, offering hints of vanilla and sweet spices, like a warm embrace in the heart of winter.
But it is in the sanctuary of the sauna, heated to 55°C, that the rye whisky undergoes its metamorphosis: the casks sweat, the wood opens up and the aromas intensify. This initiatory passage, both ancestral and daring, infuses the spirit with a velvety texture and woody depth, as if each drop carried within it the warm breath of the Finnish sauna. Let's find out!
It then ventures into casks that previously contained apricot brandy, where stone fruits whisper their sweet secrets, bringing an almost sunny roundness to its Nordic soul.
What if we took it a step further? What if we compared the distillate before and after the sauna based on a rye produced by the distillery? A unique tasting experience, like diving into the creative process.
As for KYRÖ's ‘BRUT’ RYE (before its time in the sauna), it has a pale, almost shy golden colour. Its nose is, of course, dominated by the smell of fresh rye and notes of dried cereals. There are also hints of citrus and, above all, pepper and other spices.
The palate is lively, nervous, almost harsh. The wood is discreet, the spices are there at the beginning and more restrained afterwards.
The finish is dry with hints of rye and woody notes.
The ‘sauna-treated’ RYE has a noticeably darker colour (first impression).
The nose appears rounder and more straightforward. The rye is toned down and becomes almost caramelised. Sweeter notes of forest honey can be detected. The peppery notes have softened, giving way to cinnamon
.
The palate remains lively and still full of spices. These linger longer on the palate. If you linger over it, you can almost detect notes of wood smoke (but perhaps that is the Brad Peat?).
The finish is longer and more persistent. Like a summer evening that never wants to end.
The sauna version makes the distillate a little less ‘rye-like’ and sweeter and more accessible.
👀In the glass, it is the amber of the setting sun on birch forests. A golden, slightly coppery colour that seems to have sweated in a 55°C sauna – which is literally the case.
It's as if the rye whisky itself has had a session of löyly (sauna steam) and emerged with tanned, satiny skin.
👃 As soon as you dip your nose into the glass, you are welcomed like a guest in a Finnish cabin with notes of exotic wood, creamy vanilla, sweet spices and dried fruit.
Apricot makes an appearance on the second pass with warm, enveloping fruity notes, almost as if the rye were offering you a warm towel and contemplative silence.
The third sip releases the usual KYRÖ spices.
👄The attack on the palate is lively, like diving into an icy lake after a sauna. Spicy rye tickles your tongue, followed by warm oak that envelops you like a reindeer wool blanket.
The apricot notes dance like will-o'-the-wisps around a campfire. The texture is velvety, almost indulgent, but always with that Nordic rigour that says, ‘Not too much sugar, eh.’
👅The finish is long and persistent, leaving you with a feeling of calm and wisdom. The rye echoes back, like the crackling of wood in an empty sauna. Spicy and fruity notes linger, like memories of an endless summer night under the midnight sun.
Sauna Stories No. 2 is not just a rye whisky. It is an experience. A liquid memory. An invitation to slow down, listen and feel. And Brad Peat, my faithful companion, has once again proven to me that the most beautiful journeys are those that transform us.
So if you're looking for a rye whisky that tells a story, that exudes Finnish tradition, Sauna Stories No. 2 may be your next stop. You'll find it at your local wine merchant and, of course, at kyrodistillery.com, for those who love spirits that take their time.
