Finland doesn't make anything. Well actually they do. They make Whisky and apparently its quite good.

In fact, those Vikings have been distilling the elixir of the (Norse) gods since ancient times, 1981. It began with the Koskenkorva distillery in Ilmajoki, Finland, one of the most difficult to pronounce distilleries…in the world.

The distillery, like pleather outfits and bandana headbands, didn’t survive the 1990’s. Closing in the year 2000. Its most notable whisky being the Viski 88. Viski being the Finnish word for Whisky, I’m some what of a linguist.

Then Finnish whisky sort of stopped. They just didn’t do anything. But not for long! A new distillery stepped up to the playing field: Teerenpeli distillery. Where do they get these crazy names from? Anyway. It carried on its shoulder the deep Viski tradition. The 1980’s and the 1990's. Decades famed for their respect of traditional culture and not much else. Val Kilmer I guess.

The owners of Treerenpeli, Mr and Mrs Anssi Pyysing, opened in 2002. And one wonders if the couple has even had trouble pissing. Sorry. But they are Finnish, I’m sure they are lovely.

Teerenpeli produced a Single Malt 5 year bottled at 43 percent. The Pyysing describe the flavours as rich with vanilla and fruity aromas. And the Pyysings’ wouldn’t lie.

The couple found success and in 2009 produced a 2009 new release, a 6 year, this time. The new bottle set Finland ablaze. Separating itself by being one year older. And by useing entirely Finnish malted barley and fresh groundwater from the Salpausselka. Which I assume is an absolutely lovely place. Probably idyllic mountains, fjords little log cabins. The kind of place that looks incredible on the BBC, but if you lived there a nightmare because you know snow, small roads, the neighbour that runs even though its 5 below. Anyway, the Pyssing’s stream came in strong but there's more.

Kyro. Now that's a cool name. Like Cairo or Spyro. And that name started making rye-whisky. Kyro-Rye. Sounding like a flippin Finnish ninja. They set up shop in an old dairy farm. Brought from the previous workforce who wanted to retire and move south for the better climate and tastier grass.

Anyway Kyro makes a large selection of things from hand sanitiser to gin (both drinkable with varying results). But it is only the whiskey we care about. Which if the whisky competitions have anything to say, are actually quite great. They won some awards. People seem to like em. 

So, that’s the story of Finnish whisky. I don’t think it is Finished, WaHAY. But seriously, try it. Try and find a Kyro or Teerenpeli and give it a go! Now here is a poem I have just written.

Poem: 

Up in land of a thousand lakes, 

Where the cold bites and your bones shake,

Odin and Loki come down to your hearts, 

And they implore you to make, 

A whisky to rival those Scottish counterparts