The idea of a distillery came to founders Jouni, Miika, Kalle, Mikko and Miko, while enjoying a sauna together (as Finns do). They may or may not have been drinking rye whisky in the sauna at the time, and rye subsequently became their focus and, indeed, obsession.
Founded in 2012, the location for the distillery is an old dairy overlooking the great plains of Ostrobothnia in Isokyrö, which is around five hours drive from Helsinki.
But like many new whisky distilleries, they realised it takes a while to make great whisky, so they set about making gin while their whisky matured. This gin is made from the same rye base as their whisky and serves almost like an additional botanical with its subtle nuttiness and spice.
Kyrö Napue gin is designed to capture the free-spirited and wild nature of Finland. Kyrö ask us: "Have you ever stood barefoot on a misty meadow after sauna, or run through a field of rye (naked)?" If you haven't - and let's face it no matter how rock and roll we like to think we are, most of us haven't - Napue gin is designed to be an excellent stand-in.
Sixteen different botanicals are used for the Kyrö Gin. Twelve of them are dried, ten are macerated, two are added to the aroma basket inside the still and four of the herbs are fresh. Birch leaves, meadowsweet and wood sorrel are picked in the local area.
The distillery has great sustainability credentials too. It is powered entirely by biogas and wind turbine, with only a single diesel powered tractor preventing them from claiming 100% renewable. Spent grain for the mashing of the rye is sent to feed cattle in the nearby area, while the stills are cooled using water from the Kyrö river, which is cycled back in to the river (unspoilt) once it's been used.
