The Spirits Business selected the 50 most innovative launches last year. Finnish alcohol also made it to the list.
Kyrö Sauna Stories has been awarded for its creativity. Jussi Eskola / Kyrö Distillery
The launches of spirits have been ranked. The Spirits Business selected the 50 most creative launches of the past year.
Kyrö Distillery’s Sauna Stories whiskey ranked 10th.
In October, Kyrö announced the Sauna Stories series, which is the “world’s first” sauna finished whiskey.
The limited-edition malted rye was created to celebrate Finnish sauna culture and the 10th anniversary of the distillery’s production. The distillery was founded in sauna in 2012.
According to Kyrö’s website, sauna finishing brings a softness and calmness to the whiskey that normal barrel aging cannot achieve. In the sauna, the barrel releases its last flavors and the heat rounds off the whiskey’s sharpest corners.
The 100% rye malt whiskey is matured in ex-bourbon and Jamaican Planteray rum barrels.
Kyrö’s marketing director Mikko Koskinen states that the recognition is an example of the fact that Finnish culture can be used as export assets.
– In August, we will publish the next batch. The launch of the first exceeded expectations and distributors’ stocks were depleted almost as soon as the products arrived in the country. The products from Alko are already sold out, there were a few bottles left at the airport last Friday, Koskinen lists.
In first place as the world’s most innovative alcohol launch is Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra.
The mixture, which has been in development for five years, is packaged in the world’s lightest 700 ml Scotch whiskey glass bottle. The teardrop-shaped, hand-blown glass bottle weighs just 180g without the cap, beating the previous title holder by 118g.
Only 888 bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra will be released this year. The price of one bottle is 1000 pounds, or about 1200 euros.