There’s been no shortage of foreign language thrillers landing on streaming lately – including the political satire Whiskey on the Rocks. The show, developed by Swedish broadcasting network Sveriges Television, was officially released on Hulu and Disney+ on Jan. 22, immediately turning heads. For those unfamiliar with the story, Whiskey on the Rocks follows the fallout of a major political mishap that happened in 1981, when a Soviet submarine crashed on the beaches of Sweden. As the trailer for the farcical comedy of errors suggests, the original program is loosely based on a true story. Of course, as you might have guessed, the series also takes significant creative liberties with the source material to tell its story humorously and concisely.

For those interested in learning more about the Cold War era international incident, we’ve got you covered. We’ll unpack a comprehensive overview of the historical event, and a brief guide to separate fact from fiction in the over-the-top show. There won’t be any major spoilers for the series ahead, but we will be discussing the real events that inspired the narrative, so if you really want to go in blind, feel free to bookmark this page and return later. Still, like most historical adaptations, you may find that knowing the true context of Whiskey on the Rocks ahead of time actually enhances your viewing experience rather than spoiling it.

What Happens in ‘Whiskey on the Rocks’?

Those who have already seen the mini-series know that Whiskey on the Rocks follows the crew of the Soviet submarine, U-137. The series depicts this crew as a gang of hard-partying binge drinkers with a penchant for ignoring basic directions, which ultimately results in the vessel running aground on Swedish maritime territory. Given that the tale takes place during the height of the Cold War, tensions are already nearing a boiling point and the threat of mutually assured nuclear annihilation causes global governments to respond in panic. American President Ronald Reagan sees the crash as an act of foreign aggression from the Soviet Union. He addresses his constituents between rousing ventures at the shooting range, where he sports a ridiculous cowboy hat. Meanwhile, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev mitigates the damage while battling with his latent alcohol dependencies.

Though the series is presented in a highly farcical way, the real-life tale was actually about as tense as the Cuban Missile Crisis and threatened the lives of millions of people across the globe. Hopefully, we don’t need to outline exactly how the respective heads of state were caricatured for Whiskey on the Rocks, but suffice is to say, their most audacious qualities are respectively scaled up to 11. The series gets its name from the submarine’s nickname, as the U-137 was one of several Russian vessels sailing under the designation of “whiskey-class submarines.” Needless to say, this designation lends itself to an uproarious comedy of errors wherein each of the key characters are constantly inebriated, explaining some of their more baffling decisions.

What Really Happened to U-137?

In reality, the crew of the submarine were almost certainly stone-cold sober during the crash, as they were regarded as one of the most capable forces in the entire Baltic Fleet. Depending on who you ask, two major issues can be identified as potential causes for the U-137 crash in Sweden’s restricted military zone. Captain Pyotr Gushchin and staff officer Joseph Avrukevich have gone on the record as saying foul weather pushed them into the zone against their best efforts and ran them aground as they attempted to uphold safety precautions. The ship’s political officer on board, Vasily Besedin, argued that the cause of the crash was technical failure, as the navigational systems went down while the crew was facing near-zero visibility. Though firsthand accounts differ on which of these issues were truly to blame, we can rest assured that operating while under the influence was not a component.

When the vessel crashed ashore, they were discovered not by a pair of hapless fishermen, as seen in Whiskey on the Rocks, but by a platoon of Swedish naval officers, who were in the process of testing new materials in that part of the shore. Though the Soviets maintained their stance that their arrival on Swedish waters was an accident, Swedish and American forces continued to investigate the entire affair for signs of foreign aggression for years to come. The Swedish National Defense Research Institute tested U-137 for radioactive materials and concluded that there were trace amounts of uranium-238 on board, suggesting that the sub may have been carrying nuclear warheads at one point in its journey. Swedish Air Force jets were scrambled along the coast to scan for other incoming vessels, equipped with anti-ship missiles.

How Did the International Incident Conclude?

'Whiskey on the Rocks' True Story pictured: Rolf Lassgård — (Gerald Matzka/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Needless to say, the Swedish Air Force found no other Russian ships in their harbor. If they had, the Cold War could easily have escalated into a heated conflict. U-137 remained trapped on the rocks amid inclement weather for roughly ten days before the Soviets were allowed to return home. At that point, the Swedish Navy towed the vessel into international waters before handing it over to the Soviet fleet. Though many American historians still believe that the Soviets were in Swedish waters with the intent to violate international statutes, the official story is that the whole situation was a catastrophic misunderstanding. To get further insight into the bizarre event, be sure to check out Whiskey on the Rocks on Hulu. The series obviously takes major liberties with the fine details, but the broad strokes of the show tend to be in line with the true story.

Whiskey on the Rocks

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