A little while ago we ran an article covering the raging B.Y.O.B. war between Canada and Denmark. This so-called "Whiskey War" is the result of a disputed border between the Canadian high arctic and Denmark (on the behalf of Greenland - the world's largest island that everyone should visit). The dispute is over the extremely remote and uninhabited Hans Island.
Stauning Whiskey (a Danish whiskey distillery) after learning about the Whiskey War has begun a campaign to end the "war" and bring Whiskey Peace. They have already held a meeting with the Canadian ambassador and there are rumors that there may soon be a resolution in the air. They contacted TheTravel.com in response to our earlier article on the topic.
Background of the Whiskey War
The "Whisky War is the territorial dispute between Canada and Denmark's autonomous territory, Greenland. Hans Island is little more than a large rock, but the problem is that it lies "smack dab" (as the NY Times puts it) in the middle of the Nares Strait.
- Nares Strait: 22 Mile Wide Channel that Separates Canada and Greenland
The island falls within the 12-mile territorial limit of the shores on either side. Under international law, this means that both countries can (and do) lay claim to it. Canada and Denmark establish a definitive border through the strait in 1973 but could agree on Hans Island.
- 1973: When Canada And Denmark Settled Most Of Their Border Disputes
In 1984 when Canadian troops visited the island and planted the marble leave flag of Canada but also left a prized bottle of Canadian whisky. The Danes responded by replacing the flag and leaving their own bottle of Danish snaps (with a note stating "Welcome to the Danish Island.") Since then whenever the border soldiers visit, they remove the other country's bottle and replace it with their own.
- Aggressor: Canada
- 1984: Start of The Whisky War By Canadian Frontier Troops
Long-term TheTravel contributor (and six years non-stop traveler), Aaron Spray spoke with Alex Munch of Stauning Whisky about their campaign for a resolution.
Do You Think Your Whisky Will Ever Replace The Danish Snapps On The Island?
"Never, Never!" Was the firm reply before going on to explain how Snaps and other such spirits in Denmark are not so popular. Schnapps is much more popular just over the border in Germany. He noted that mostly the older generation in Denmark still drinks Snaps in the traditional Danish way and that Whiskey (like his own brewery), rum, and the like are also not so popular in the Nordic country.
How Did You First Hear About The Whisky War?
He replied that one of the co-founders of Stauning Whiskey is a helicopter pilot working for the Danish military. He told them about Hans Island and the dispute. At first, they laughed about it all - a Danish bottle of Snaps and a Canadian Whiskey, it was just fun.
They even bandied about the idea of getting the Danish military to put a bottle of Danish dry whiskey on the island, just for fun. But then realized that that could escalate the situation as it would be copying the Canadian dry whiskey.
That was until they learned about its name later on "the Whiskey War." When they learned about they were horrified as whiskey could be about friendship, "cozy situations... positive situations" and not "war". Especially when alcohol already has a number of social issues.
Why Is It An Important Issue?
He stated that it is all fun and games when people don't have something to fight about. Canadians and Danes are great friends and so it's all fun and games for now. But what happens if there are major disagreements between the countries down the line? That could mean that Hans Island could become a point of less than friendly contention between the two countries.
But perhaps more importantly there are other disputes in the High Arctic. Russia has extended its claim to the Arctic Ocean seabed and this has the potential to get ugly later on.
It is known that the Arctic has extensive minerals and resources under the ocean. With climate change this could soon become feasible to extract - and that could be a serious confrontation. Plus the melting sea ice means that the Northwest Passage is becoming more and more feasible.
"We (Canadians) actually have another dispute, with another country, that are not as nice as the Danes. And soon we'll have to go into a dialogue with this country"
- Canadian Amabassador - Recalled by Alex Munch
Mature countries like Denmark and Canada should settle their differences as an example so that they can use that as a template to settle differences with less friendly countries.