Spirit Of Hven Hvenus Rye Whisky

On the Island of Hven located in the strait of Öresund between Denmark and Sweden lies the Spirit of Hven distillery. Founded in 2008, this family owned distillery became the third pot still distillery ever to be built in Sweden and is one of the world’s smallest commercial pot distilleries.

The latest release from Spirit of Hven is a superb Rye, inspired by US whiskies and assembled with the typical precision and grace of this island distillery. The whisky is a blend of four recipes, with a large rye content (78.6%) and the remainder made up by wheat, corn and barley, all aged from 3-6 years in 100% Quercus Alba casks.

Hvenus continues the astronomical theme that runs through Henric Molin’s whiskies, a homage to Tycho Brahe, the renaissance astronomer who was the island’s most famous son. The name has subtler connotations too: the prefix -us references the American oak that pairs with Hven’s distillate, and in alchemy the distillers’ art, the planet Venus was associated with the metal copper, the essential material of the whisky still.

Tasting Notes: A spicy, peppery nose with notes of vanilla and eucalyptus; initially spicy on the palate with chocolate and dark fruit. Exceptional balance and an oily mouthfeel, followed by a lengthy, rich finish.