AN INTRODUCTION TO STORK CLUB
Some distilleries are born from meticulous planning. Others, like Stork Club, begin with three friends looking to buy a cask of whisky - only to come home with an entire distillery.
Bastian Heuser, Sebastian Brack , and Steffen Lohr had already built their careers in the drinks industry, founding Bar Convent Berlin, Thomas Henry mixers, and a drinks agency together. But their whisky journey took an unexpected turn in 2016 when their search for a single cask led them to a small distillery in Brandenburg. Instead of just a barrel, they fell in love with the place and decided to buy it outright. With no formal distilling background, they immersed themselves in the craft - learning hands-on with the help of befriended distillers and brewers from across Europe to bring the distillery to life.
Rather than follow the German whisky trend of making Single Malt, they looked to their bartending roots and passion for American whiskey—specifically Rye.
It was a perfect match. The region surrounding Berlin, Brandenburg, is one of the largest rye-growing areas in Europe, producing every third grain of rye in Germany. The cold climate and dry soil provide ideal growing conditions, making rye the logical choice. They saw a gap in the market - Europe had great rye and world-class distilling expertise but no true alternative to American Rye Whisky. This was their opportunity to create something distinctive, combining European ingredients with a bartender’s understanding of balance, versatility, and depth of flavour.
To bring their vision to life, they upgraded the distillery - installing new fermenters, mills, and refining every step of their process.
They distill ‘on grain,’ keeping the grain in throughout distillation for a richer, more intense character (or, as Bastian likes to call it ‘whole wheat’). Unlike American regulations that require new oak barrels, they embraced the flexibility of European cask aging, experimenting with different wood finishes to add complexity. Their two mash bills are equally considered: unmalted rye is fermented with Belgian Saison yeast, enhancing fruit and spice notes, while their malted rye distillate brings together light, caramel, and chocolate rye malts, creating rich notes of dark chocolate, fresh coffee, and warm rye bread - all naturally developed during distillation.
As part of the ‘rye’sing tide of European Rye whiskey
alongside distilleries like Kyrö, Thy, and Fielden, they are helping to define a new category and showcase what European rye whiskey can be. Watch this space; there’s plenty more to come here!
Other Stork Club expressions we enjoy
This is the whiskey that got us onto Stork Club! Rich, chocolatey and with a delicate spice, it’s great neat and also served in a highball with lots of ice and super cold soda.
Stork Club Single Cask Full Proof Rye Whiskey
Their flagship whiskey! This award-winning Rye Whiskey, made from locally grown rye, is big on those spice, vanilla, chocolate and butterscotch notes - having been matured across various cask types, including New German Oak.
