The story of Napue Gin began with 5 guys in a sauna

Kyro's two gins are the regular Napue Gin and the barrel-aged Koskue Gin. Photo: The Star/Michael Cheang

The story of Finland’s first ever gin, Napue Gin, began with five men in a sauna.

The five founders of Kyro Disttillery Company – Miika Lipiäinen, Mikko Koskinen, Kalle Valkonen, Miko Heinilä, Jouni Ritola – were drinking American rye whiskey together in the sauna, when someone raised this question: why hadn’t anyone made rye whiskey in Finland?