Kyrö Distillery began with five Finnish friends drinking American rye whisky in a sauna. As rye bread is the national food in Finland, these friends wondered why nobody was making Finnish rye whisky. Surprisingly, the idea of starting their own distillery still seemed like a good idea the following morning, and from there, the journey of Kyrö began.

Today Kyrö Distillery has grown from a wild dream in a sauna to a craft powerhouse with skill and capacity — and pretty good spirits, always made from 100% Finnish rye. It all started with rye whisky in the sauna, and Finish rye remains at the very core of Kyrö Distillery. Rye may be the hardest grain to distill due to its temperament, but Kyrö still only uses Finnish wholegrain rye in its products — be it whisky, gin, or liqueur.

Jouni Ritola is one of the five friends who founded Kyrö Distillery and its current CEO. Founded in 2013, Kyrö has grown into a strong lifestyle brand in its home turf of Scandinavia and is getting increasingly popular in Central Europe and the USA. Jouni is also one of the five courageous men running in the rye field in their famous Kyrö Distillery ad campaign.

It is our true pleasure to have him visit us here in the United States.