Down in the Foundations: Exploring the Home of Finnish Single Malt at Teerenpeli Distillery

You’ve likely seen me talk a lot about Teerenpeli, and plenty of their bottles go through EuroWhisky tastings / the webshop. Back in July of this year, I finally got to visit as the last point on my summer trip through the Nordics. Here’s what it was like to visit one of the first modern European whisky distilleries…

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

While the modern Teerenpeli distillery is located on the eastern edge of Lahti, it wasn’t always so. In fact, Teerenpeli started life as a restaurant in the town center. I met up with Veera Pastinen (Sales & Marketing Manager / Exports) to first have lunch at this restaurant - it’s still there! Having taken the train from Helsinki and had this bit of a refresher, I then got shown down to the basement where Teerenpeli’s whiskymaking history began… 

Maybe having me in the frame gives you a proper idea of these stills’ small scale! It’s not quite Fary Lochan small, but these stills couldn’t be any bigger while still squeezing into this basement’s narrow headroom. The spirit still has a little boiling ball, and the wash has quite a wide base. Otherwise, these generally wouldn’t look out of place at any Scottish distillery. Little wonder, seeing as they were sourced from Forsyths (at a time when few people outside Scotland had managed to secure that).

You can see how the lyne arms slope down into shell and tube condensers, and how everything barely fits into the room.

Teerenpeli is what I call a ‘first generation’ European distillery. Like Mackmyra, Slyrs, Puni (and others), they were trailblazers in the ‘90s and 00’s, back when you could practically count ‘world whisky’ distilleries on your fingers. In general, these 1st Gen distilleries all followed Scottish styles and methods of production very closely. They couldn't risk so much experimentation, as they had a lot to prove to a very sceptical whisky market. It's not a flaw - rather, it's worth knowing in order to understand how these particular distilleries developed. They aren’t just older than most others across Europe - they were subject to distinct influences/contexts. 

Here under the restaurant, they keep samples of the first spirit ever produced here (on 23/09/2002), the first ever release of three year old whisky (in numbered bottle 007), and old styles of commercial release. One of these old bottles came from a brandy cask, but you can see the 10 Year Old which was bottled in a style you might still see occasionally in an old whisky shop somewhere. You can see that the logo hasn’t changed much - it’s still a dapper wee grouse today, only a little more stylised and less smiley. ‘Teerenpeli’ is a Finnish term referring to the mating dance of the grouse, though it can also refer to people flirting.

This newer site opened in stages - brewing moved here in 2009, followed by the distillery in 2015. 

I had to put a pin in the visitor centre map for Weert!

While the early years naturally involved some experimentation, Teerenpeli's distillation process has remained consistent since 2009. That's when they really took off the training wheels and the whisky stopped being an offshoot of the brewing happening here in Lahti. 

Teerenpeli’s grain comes from the Viking maltings, using unpeated barley sourced within 100km of Lahti. The peated grain currently comes from Denmark, but maybe that’ll change in the future. I think we can guess where exactly in Denmark some of the malt is coming from, if this bag above is anything to go by…

The brewery is no small operation - a large part of this building is solely dedicated to beer! The main outlet for these beers is the Teerenpeli restaurants around Finland, so they are your best bet if you want to try some.

THE DETAILS 

• 2x 3000L batches of wash per day (can be doubled if an extra shift is added to the work day)
• 6000L washbacks [makes sense…]
• 72 hour fermentation using a secret yeast variety 
• Double distilled in Forsyth pot stills 
• 1x 3600L wash still, 2x 900L spirit stills
• Approx. 50,000 LPA per year of whisky (it has been 100,000 some years, and 160,000 is their maximum capacity)

Voila - the new stills! You can see the efforts made to ensure continuity: these pots are almost exactly the same as those sitting underneath the restaurant downtown, only now a little larger (being freed of the basement’s height constraints). Having Scottish-made stills no doubt contributes to the very Scottish style of the spirit made at Teerenpeli. I can see the wash still has a downward sloping lyne arm, while the spirit stills are mostly level. 

The spirit safe is straight out of Forsyths too, and everything is freshly clean. None of the grunge of some old Scottish distilleries. I enjoy that despite Teerenpeli’s respectable capacity, the stillroom still feels small enough to be manageable rather than overwhelming. Some Scottish stillrooms feel a bit too imposing to me!

After the stillroom, it was time to cross the distillery under Finland’s best summer sun, going in search of Teerenpeli casks. The lupins I saw around High Coast are here again. The photo above was taken directly across from the shipping containers holding Teerenpeli’s ageing whisky, showing how the distillery really backs straight on to the countryside outside Lahti.

You can see the countryside trying to take over the shipping containers in the form of wild hops…

In case you hadn’t heard about that before, yes - Teerenpeli whisky ages in shipping containers! Their 32 original shipping containers have expanded to 49, allowing Teerenpeli to mature around 500,000 liters of spirit in total.

Many racks hold smaller casks, and similar to a dunnage warehouse, everything lies three casks deep. There’s no headroom for anything else! In the container Veera opens for me, smaller barrels seasoned with port by J. L. Rodriguez are destined for future bottles of PORTTI (see more on that below). 

That said, there are plenty of full size sherry casks at Teerenpeli (and the proportion of those is only set to increase). Unsurprisingly, you can’t fit so many of these in each container, but I’m not complaining at the chance to get up close and personal with them. 

There are some obvious advantages to using shipping containers which makes me wonder why other distilleries haven’t followed Teerenpeli’s lead. They’re modular, making it easy to add/remove storage capacity by degrees. They are extremely durable, and even containers no longer fit for the duresses of international shipping can still last years sitting here in a yard. They are also a sustainable use of these old materials - Re-use is better than recycling!

They do require some extra considerations. Teerenpeli’s containers do have some insulation added, and a small heater just to keep the casks above 5°C in the depths of winter. Don't want the wood to freeze and crack!

A little artwork made of old barrel staves feels a little like a monument… 

While Veera shows me around, some other containers are opened as workers un/load more casks, giving me a chance to see a bit more variety. This includes a cream sherry cask with a very fun label…

Working for Teerenpeli has some perks - this is Veera’s own private cask! I also get to see some private casks belonging to the Finnish Whisky Women (Suomen viskinaiset), a group Veera helped to start about one year before my visit. You can see them filling one of these casks together (an amontillado) on Instagram. If you’re curious about more Finnish whisky culture, you should also know that 23rd May is Finnish Whisky Day, which was established about a decade ago. 

The distillery visitor centre wants you to know that the water used here is filtered through the nearby Salpausselkä ridge. It's very pure, in line with Finland's high tap water standards, and a pipeline from this area to Helsinki supplies much of the capital’s drinking water. That said, you know my position - this does not affect the whisky’s final taste. It’s something worth knowing about for the landscape and surrounding economy, but Teerenpeli gets its good stuff from a lot of other places, not the water! 

TASTING

N.B. - While I'm very familiar with the standard Teerenpeli range from my own shop and tastings, I’ve never had a chance to try the wider range before!

I get to taste the new make (at 63.5% abv, just the way it goes into the cask). On the nose, peach skin - the palate doesn't have the new make sourness I instinctively brace for. Of course, it's very strong, but very very nice too! 

Take it from someone who in general does not appreciate unaged spirit. Obviously it lacks anything oak-related, but it has a nice maltiness when you give it a little time. Spilling a little into my palm and cupping my hands (you've likely seen this trick on a distillery tour), Veera says the smell reminds her of the barley on her family's farm in the midsummer. Adding a drop of water, the little edge of peat emerges from the new make; the palate becomes a little more spicy.

Besides the new make, we kick off with LÄNKI. A travel exclusive bourbon cask bottled at 46 ABV, This is well balanced. ‘No hassle’, as Veera says. The palate has a light spring to it, the sweetness coloured by something a little floral. Veera also suggests this is a summer whisky, and I can absolutely see why. Even without any dilution, it's very refreshing on a day when Lahti is sunny and 21°C. 

I can see why Veera is a fan - Länki might be a simple bourbon cask bottling, but it really does a lot more than that might suggest, even compared to its peated sibling, the SAVU. Adding a drop of water, the nose is extra clear and sweet, though the body falls apart a little. This is where we get to talk about pears…

See, pear is a very common tasting note for light Scottish malts: it might be the classic Speyside aroma. Teerenpeli in general reminds me of Speyside malts, or a lighter Highland (such as Glencadam or Balblair). Pears are a much bigger deal in Finland than Scotland. Pear ice cream, for example, is a classic here whereas almost no-one in Scotland would have ever tried it. Having had some myself, I can see the appeal! And I personally love fresh pears (though they are cursed to only achieve perfect ripeness for about 5 seconds before turning to mush). Finland had a pear cider boom in the 90s, and this helped inspire Teerenpeli’s distilling style. The distiller here is always looking for pear and (maybe even more so) green apple as their characteristic notes.

Next, the 43 ABV PORTTI. This gets four years in bourbon before one in port, and the name nods to this cask finish while also meaning ‘gate’ in Finnish. You need a gate to keep animals out of your nice barley fields, Veera explains: all Teerenpeli’s whisky names nod to agricultural developments in Finland.

The port aromas on the nose are slightly dry, and I can feel a little more peat on the palate. However, the finish then shifts to sweeter blackcurrant notes. It's not heavy or tannic at all. A bit of a journey in a sip, from interesting, to confused, to very good. That last one is probably what matters most! 

Next, the Madeira cask-ages, 43 ABV KARHI. Following a port finish, it doesn't smell too strong but it does feel more drying on the palate. The overall effect is more subtle and rounded, with a similarly rich finish. The fruitiness is a bit more complex, but it's still quite close to the PORTTI. The KARHI was bottled back in 2018 and sold out quickly, so this is only a demonstration of what Teerenpeli can do with Madeira. Not something to buy yourself, unfortunately!

Next, it's the turn of an eight year old single cask moscatel bottling (54.9%). It's fresh, with the barley and sweetness integrating well. The nose is beautifully balanced, rather than dumping moscatel sweetness over everything. The higher ABV makes it's presence known, and the effect is very welcome! While I get what Teerenpeli go for in their regular bottlings, which suit a lower ABV, I would always encourage distilleries to go for 48/49% ABV where possible. It makes a big difference!

Next, an eleven year old coffee stout cask bottling at 50.7%. The nose is hard to place, but I do find a little hint of stout in there somewhere. It's sweet enough to remind me of Jameson Caskmates (which I do not consider an insulting comparison). Again, I can feel the higher ABV, and the hint of peat is a little vegetal. At the end, the stout and sweetness really make themselves known: this whisky holds itself back until the finish. I wonder if the coffee is what gives this a vegetal edge at first, but you forget all about that in the finish. This is one that makes you want to sit and ruminate for a while, meditating on exactly what you're tasting.

Now, the 15 Year Old - and this is bottled at 54.9%! Subtle, smooth, with some perfumey sugar dancing around on the nose. This dram hits with more spice than the other Teerenpelis, clove and varnished wood emerging on the palate. Veera explains that this expression comes from bourbon and sherry casks in about a 65/35% split. It all comes from local Finnish malt, as that used to be enough to meet Teerenpeli’s total demand before 2015. At that time, the local maltings burned down(!), hence the move to use both local and Danish malt. 

The finish on the 15 Year Old has buttery rancio notes reminiscent of something 20+ years old from Scotland. Veera likens it to baked apple pie - not wrong, but underselling it a little IMO. She prefers this dram with water, and I'll agree with that. It brings out a richer, chocolatey sweetness on the nose, and the palate pours out more deep Glendullan-esque flavour too. Baked apricot notes, also reminiscent of Glen Elgin. This whisky has won a lot of awards, and I'm not surprised! 

Back to the core range, we have the PALO, a peated sherry cask at 46%. FWIW, this is a more recent addition to EuroWhisky’s own lineup of Teerenpelis, as it was only approved for export recently. Mostly made using 35ppm malt, the PALO comes from the same bas spirit as the SAVU but is aged 100% in sherry (PX & oloroso). The PALO’s peat is slightly vegetal, but the nose has plenty of sweetness. The finish is lighter than most Teerenpelis, the sherry only retaining a very gentle sweetness as the dram fades. If you’re looking for a spicier peat or a heavier bodied dram, this isn’t the one for you, but the sherry flavour is still giving you plenty to think about here.

Speaking of the SAVU, its name refers to a smoky sauna. Veera recommends pairing SAVU with a blue cheese, and describes this dram as an attempt to reflect a Finnish idea - that of smoke passing you by. You’re surrounded by it, but you’re not trying to breathe it in deep. It explains the underlying difference between what Teerenpeli are trying to do with peat vs an Islay distillery (for example). You’re not supposed to feel like you’re chewing on a block of coal here! 

Finally, back to the unique casks - a 60L Amontillado cask exclusive to the visitor centre here in Lahti, bottled at 58.5%! The tannins stand out immediately, accompanied by mouthwatering savoury notes. A peaty edge emerges, before a little bacon on the finish. This is a deliberate contrast to what I was just saying about the normal style of peat at Teerenpeli. It’s more intense, nutty, and creamy. The nose is full of amontillado - and the heavier meatier body reflects it too: everything aligns. Somehow it almost improves further with water, as everything becomes a little bit clearer. If you needed another reason to go to Lahti, let this be it!

Thanks again, Veera! 

Having seen Kyro and Helsinki Distilling Company, I can say Teerenpeli presents an entirely unique face of Finnish whisky. Kyro brings Finnish rye to the table; H.D.C. experiments with new grains and oak; Teerenpeli shows a smoother, Scottish-descended side of things. Single malt in a Nordic context, from one of continental Europe’s oldest whisky distilleries. Since my visit, Teerenpeli has leaned even further into sherry casks, releasing an entry-level expression called SOIDIN. Keep an eye out for more on that soon…

BONUS - TEERENPELI BARS

The night before my distillery tour, I visited one of the Teerenpeli bars. I later found out that this one (in Kamppi) is where Veera used to work back when she lived in Helsinki! I saw they had a blueberry cider, so I had to give it a go. When in Finland…

If you need any proof that it was warm and bright when I went to Lahti, here’s what I saw down by the lake after my tour!