Mackmyra Whisky: Tasting ‘The Magical Forest of Sweden’
Mackmyra is a unique and forward-thinking distillery that’s continually pushing the boundaries of whisky. The company was founded in 1999 by eight friends with a passion to create Sweden’s first whisky. They use only Swedish ingredients, including barley, locally cut peat, spring water and Swedish oak. They are committed to producing single malt that reflects the nature and heritage of their country.
Unique smoking
Mackmyra is one of the few distilleries in the world which malts its own barley. Also, they smoke their malt, using locally cut peat and freshly cut juniper twigs. This lends a unique character to their whiskies.
Swedish Oak adds another element
Combining whisky matured in oak casks of different origins adds another dimension to the finished product. While US oak tends to impart sweet vanilla notes, Swedish oak can add hints of oriental spices, plus toffee and almond. Mackmyra uses specially-developed 30-litre casks. These allow the whisky to mature more quickly and intensively than larger sizes with a higher ratio of liquid to wood.
Mackmyra’s wash still holds 10,000 litres & the spirit still has a capacity of 8,000.
Two Distilleries
The company has two distilleries. At their original facility, now called the LAB Distillery, they develop new, creative ranges of spirits and collaborations. The first product they made there was an organic gin, released in 2017.
However, their main facility is the state-of-the-art, eco-friendly Gravity Distillery. This 35-foot tall, innovative, purpose-built building built in 2011 has eight floors. Using the power of gravity, ingredients pass downwards during the different phases of production. The process starts with the raw materials fed in at the top. The finished distillate then collects at the bottom level after around eight days.
Eco-credentials
They use all the heat generated by this process to heat their premises. Energy consumption remains as low as possible and the distillery is fully emission-free. Residue from the distillation process goes to a local biogas plant. There it is turned into biogas and biofertiliser. Electricity is sourced from a nearby power station.
Mackmyra whisky range
Mackmyra makes a core range of four whiskies, as well as seasonal editions which they release twice a year, often in collaboration with other drinks producers. The Moment series comprises the distillery’s most exclusive casks. This results in a series of unique limited editions.
… and if you want a truly individual whisky, Mackmyra Reserve allows you to own your personal 30-litre cask. You can choose from two whisky recipes and three types of cask and then follow the whisky’s progress for your chosen maturation period.
Latest seasonal whisky
The latest seasonal release is Jaktlycka, which means ‘happy hunting’ (Jakt is hunting and lycka is happiness). It’s a celebration of autumn and nature, encompassing everything in the ancient Swedish woodlands. Master Blender and Chief Nose Officer (CNO), Angela D’Orazio, explains further: “Happy Hunting is the direct translation. Hunting refers to roaming the woods and looking for all the treasures there. At this time of year, the woods are full of blueberries, lingonberries, chanterelles etc.. So those are the treasures!”
Different whisky casks
To make this latest seasonal whisky, they used a variety of casks of different sizes, ages and smokiness. These include new and first-fill Oloroso and US oak casks plus saturated US, Swedish and ex-Bourbon casks. A proportion of the casks used to mature the spirit previously contained separately aged batches of blueberry and lingonberry wine, called Jakt, from craft producer, Grythyttan. So Jaktlycka is also a nod to the ‘happy hunting’ of this wine with the original foraging of the berries.
Mackmyra’s latest seasonal whisky was born in the Swedish forest!
Tasting notes
Nose: aromatic with notes of pear, ground ginger, Chinese 5 spice, jasmine, anise, vanilla cream and raisins plus a hint of coconut.
Palate: fruity, creamy and spicy with warming notes of Szechuan pepper, touches of ginger and liquorice, dried pears, raisins and vanilla. Sweeter fruity notes of grapes and berries develop on the finish with subtle hints of raspberry liquorice and toasted coconut too.
This is a deliciously fruity, medium-bodied whisky of 46.1% ABV, with plenty of depth and complexity. The use of different casks, including those previously saturated with fruit wine, provides an intriguing combination of flavours.
You can order from the company’s online shop or buy at selected UK retailers. RRP is £59.90.
Ryebeck supplies used and new top quality stills to customers across Europe, including to Nordic countries. So if you’re interested, do get in touch via their online form or give the team a call on +44 (0) 800 689 3216.
Author: Robin Goldsmith of The Write Taste.
