Denmark’s first whisky and rum distillery will open early next year at Raintree Farm’s The Dam restaurant.

The announcement comes as the first-release single-malt whisky reaches its final months of a two-year ageing process.

The Cannabis Botanical Distillery’s owners foray into whisky production comes after the success of the sustainable beverage lines into boutique bars and bottle shops.

These include gins, vodkas and Denmark grown whole-hemp (Cannabis satvia) spirits.

CBD chief executive Matt Beaton says the artesian whisky is complex in flavour, but in a twist along the way it was also steeped in history.

Matt’s ancestors was the first family to distil whisky in the 1800s for the kings of Scotland.

“The CBD brand is revolutionary, young and fresh in so many ways, so it’s been really exciting to find this new layer to who we are,” Matt said.

“The Beatons, whisky experts say, were the first whisky distillers on the planet.“

Head distiller Ben Kagi made the discovery while searching for naming inspiration for the whisky.

Matt said more similarities could be drawn between the Irish/Scottish whisky distilleries and Denmark’s own.

They include a coastal location, ocean swells and breezes, pure air and, just like centuries-old distilleries in Ireland and Scotland, access to ample sources of spring-fed water.

Like in Scotland and Ireland, the distillery is located among limestone filtered aquifers which, in Denmark, originates from William Bay National Park and flow into The Dam via springs.

Matt said the whisky production included the same sustainability and no waste initiatives as the cannabis botanical distillery.

WA-grown barley was a by-product in the whisky maturing process and instead of wasting this it was fed to Raintree farm’s 400-head cattle herd.

Water was sourced from the dam and barrels were recycled from local wineries and, like the CBD, everything operated according to a cradle to grave philosophy.

The operation would set an example for the next generation.

Head distiller Ben Kagi has been distilling and winning awards since the 1980s and has worked with CBD since they opened, nearly two years ago.

His love for distilling whisky comes from the ability to concentrate flavours to a deeper level than any other spirit, while value adding across industries.

This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 12 October 2023.

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