As international recognition for Danish and Nordic whisky grew, producers realised that a more organised approach to their community was needed. A few years ago, industry colleagues from Thy, Fary Lochan, and Stauning got together, and the topic of defining Danish whisky came up. “We realised that we had worked hard to build something up, but it wasn’t protected in any way,” says Stjernholm. The ultimate result of these conversations, and many more, was the Danish Whisky Manifesto. Launched earlier this year in Copenhagen, it ensures that Danish whisky remains rooted in the principles that have come to define the industry, including the use of local ingredients, innovation traditional craftsmanship, and sustainable, traceable production.

National-level collaboration is, however, far from being viewed as a final stop: in 2023, the Nordic Whisky Forum met for the first time in Sweden. Representatives from distilleries in the Nordics and beyond came together to discuss the future of whisky in the region, which was receiving increasing international interest and recognition for quality. This gathering kickstarted another organised community, the Nordic Whisky Collaboration. Progress has been made slowly through working groups, exploring everything from possible futures to practical logistical solutions. The first gathering took place earlier this year in Copenhagen and aimed to be as inclusive and open as possible — the Nordics are also famous for flat structures, after all. “It was everyone from the really tiny to the big players, all keen to learn from one another,” explained Ingjerd Sørsand, head of marketing at Aurora Spirit Distillery in Norway.

Aurora Spirit is the world’s most northerly distillery, situated on a mountainous peninsula in the arctic. Considering this location, it would be easy to assume it to be a rather cut-off place, but that would quite inaccurate. Industry links across the Nordics and beyond have always been integral to the operation, one of the co-founders is a Scot, and staff come from locations as diverse as England and Latvia. Each spring, the distillery closes down to take the whole team to visit industry friends abroad. But that isn’t to say the local isn’t equally valued — one of the most exciting projects in the distillery’s maturation warehouse is Arctic Barley, working with farmers in the area to truly push the boundaries of agriculture and whisky production.

Sørsand and Stjernholm are national representatives for Norway and Denmark, respectively, and have worked together closely on the project. Despite the distilleries being situated nearly 1,000 miles apart, the two see common understanding and approach in their work. “It’s about the fact that really, we’re doing many of the same things in Denmark, Iceland, Norway — there are certain threads that make our region a whisky region,” explains Stjernholm. Spontaneous problem solving has happened during their meetings, from sharing pallets when shipping equipment and casks long distance to attendance at one another’s events. Sørsand also sees the group as a great way to share learning: “You have access to people with expertise in everything from lobbying to distribution, who share the same challenges but also the same passion for building up the industry.”

Nobody can deny that these are challenging times in whisky. Mackmyra, the darling of the Nordic whisky industry, shocked last year when it filed for bankruptcy. Since then, a range of distilleries in the region were also informed they were no longer allowed to name their products ‘rye whisky’. Rye is an integral part of cuisine in many of the Nordic countries, so it had been warmly embraced by distillers looking for a local take on the water of life. The current problem stems from terms in a long-overlooked 2004 trade agreement between the EU and Canada, which pre-dates almost all Nordic distilleries. While it is a huge challenge, the fact distilleries were already well connected has already shown to be key to finding ways to move forward. On 1st April 2025, a coordinated social media campaign was launched by big brands such as Stauning and Kyrö to highlight the issue. The date played on the fact that it wouldn’t be possible to even make up such absurd rules. Relabelling and redesigns have followed, while the industry continues to look for paths forward, together.

“Consumers naturally make generalisations about collective groups, particularly when it comes to products which fall under categories like luxury, consumable, and credence — which whisky does,” comments Professor Andrea Fujarczuk, who teaches Artisan Distilling at Niagara College in Canada. She is currently researching consumer perceptions of whisky, so has a natural interest in the ways whisky regions across the globe are working to introduce standards and protections. The Nordics benefit from an image of quality and premium products, but more needs to be done to steer an image or brand for it to thrive. “Although neighbouring distilleries can be competitors, they ultimately need to work together to establish a collective reputation. Then, going forward, they need consensus on how to maintain that credibility, considering how to maintain standards while also allowing innovation and avoiding unintentional barriers.”

Another person considering this is Tor Petter W Christensen, co-founder of Aurora Spirit Distillery. “We are competitors, of course, but through collaboration we are lifting one another up,” he said. He is devoting time to another collaborative body, Norske Destillerier or Norwegian Distilleries. The society was launched in 2024 to represent craft distilleries in Norway, and covers the entire country, from the temperate farming region around Oslo to the Arctic.

Christensen is also well in the loop of thoughts and developments on a Nordic level, through his colleague Sørsand. “Think of it like working with tiers of collaboration,” she explains. National bodies can focus on domestic issues — such as the fact distilleries can’t sell their whisky on premises, in the case of Norwegian Distilleries — while the Nordic Whisky Collaboration will take a broader look at the development of a whisky region. “We also want to open people’s eyes to the breadth of whisky from the Nordics — we have such diverse styles!” Sørsand says. This might sound contradictory at first, but she quickly makes the point that consumers easily think of Scotch as coming from Scotland, while also identifying key regions with associated characteristics. Why not the same in the Nordics?

Most of the Nordic countries have high taxes, state-controlled alcohol shops, and strict restrictions on advertising — on first glance, it doesn’t look like the most promising market for developing whisky. But take another look, and regions famous for farming combined with pure natural resources are revealed. The fundamentals for great whisky were just waiting to be noticed. Beyond that, there are then the people with enough curiosity and drive to take their regional flavours and techniques down new paths. The ideals of New Nordic Cuisine are now ingrained, dating back over 20 years, so bringing them to the world of drinks is perhaps a natural development. Of course, every distillery has its own story, but seeing this web of people, place, history, and flavour emerge in a new place is exciting. “We’re much stronger when we stand together,” Stjernholm says towards the end of our discussion. The early recognition of this, coupled with action towards maintaining and developing it, is truly what makes this community so special.