Close Menu
News

Stauning to release bottling to honour ‘whisky peace’

Denmark and Canada have resolved an on-going historical dispute over Hans Island following a plea for ‘whisky peace’ by Danish whisky distiller Stauning.

Stauning
Stauning plans to partner with Canadian whisky producers to release the commemorative bottling

The ‘Whisky War’ dispute, which started in 1930, escalated in 1984 when Canada planted its flag with a bottle of Canadian whisky as the nation’s claim to the otherwise desolate island in the Kennedy Strait, off Greenland’s northwest coast.

The friendly yet provocative act started a historical exchange of alcohol named the ‘Whisky War’, and had since become a recurring event between the two countries.

In February, Stauning announced it would stop the production of its whiskies until authorities put an end to the friendly conflict that had been on-going for more than nine decades.

“We made a stand for whisky peace with a series of videos and reaching out to other whisky manufacturers,” said Stauning co-founder Alex Munch. “I believe that whisky is about togetherness, intimacy, and friendship – we are not a prop in a war.”

Last week a new peace deal was reached, and the historical ‘whisky peace’ was announced with the agreement that Hans Island will be split down the middle between Canada and Greenland.

Although the era of swapping bottles and flags on the island is now over, Stauning plans to celebrate with a bottle ‘in the name of peace’, in collaboration with Canadian whisky distilleries.

Munch said: “We are excited and happy that a peace agreement is finally in place, especially in these conflict-ridden times. We are proud to have made our small contribution to resolving the Hans Island conflict.

“We want to create a peace bottle that celebrates the good relationship between Denmark, Canada, and Greenland. It is always worth toasting to peace and the fact that whisky once again only stands for unity and togetherness.”

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No