Etikettarkiv: Swedish whisky review

Mackmyra Svensk Rök

juni 23, 2024 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.1 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and smoky. The juniper wood smokiness is really jumping out of the glass. The smoke is subtle yet clearly present. There are notes of honey, lemon and a hint of oak. It feels young and fresh with a vibrant and aromatic character without being too spirity. This is a good nose overall with a twist on a smoky whisky without using peat.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweetness with honey and muted butterscotch notes. The juniper wood mixes nicely with the dusty, dry smoke. A spicyness builds up, which fits well with the special wood notes that the juniper wood brings. It’s not especially complex but brings its own version of smoke.

Finish: The transition starts with a menthol note before the smoke and wood takes over. The dusty juniper wood is a red thread throughout. The wood gives a hint of mango and peaches somewhere in the middle of the finish. The spices carry all the way through. The late finish is nice and the original smoke and wood notes lingering. This is a great and original take on a smoky whisky.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2013. The smoke comes from burning both peat and juniper to stop the germination. The casks used for maturation is american oak, swedish oak, refills and ex-oloroso sherry casks.

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Brukswhisky

juni 23, 2024 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 41.4 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very fruity and floral. The nose is fresh and crisp with lemongrass and green grapes. It’s got a white wine aura with a perfume-like overlay. It’s a tiny bit spicy and there’s a drizzle of honey on top. Everything seem to be coated with a thin layer of vanilla cream. It’s easy on the nose with pleasant oak notes around the edges. It grows sweeter and warmer with time in the glass.

Mouth: It start out sweet and somewhat malty (without being dense and dusty). The spicyness comes rolling in together with an aromatic oak note. The fruitiness and white wine note take a few steps back, but the sour lemon stays up front. The vanilla cream and honey give the whole thing a nice, varm comforting roundness. It feels a bit young but not in a harsh way. There’s a tiny cardboard note as well as some bitterness sitting in the background.

Finish: The finish is very oak driven. The vanilla and honey notes keep the oak company as a baseline. The fruitiness dies rather quickly. The oak note is dry but not astringent and comes with just a touch of nuttiness. The youthness is still very obvious but still not in an unpleasant way. The spices tag along down the road creating a full experience.

Additional information
This was released in 2010 and it’s part of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels, ex-sherry casks and virgin swedish oak casks. Part of the barley is dried with swedish peat and juniper wood.

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1766, Fulltofta, Sweden

1766 Fulltofta Whisky Cask #1

juni 5, 2024 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sharp. At first there’s a piney, green note mixed with honey and black liquorice. There’s a young and sharp ethanol note sitting in the back. With time in the glass the sweetness grows in intensity and a fruity top note arrives. There’s an oakiness coming up towards the edges which brings a nice vanilla side to the mix. This is not the greatest nose overall. There are some nice things popping up but they are overrun by typical young, craft whisky notes.

Mouth: It starts out with a young, green pine note surrounded by honey and vanilla. The ethanol almost gives the whole a fizzy feeling at the start. There’s a bitterness in the back which makes it even weirder. After a few seconds an oakiness arrives and overrun most of the flavours which in this case is a good thing. There’s a nice evenly spread spicyness overall which helps it along, but it’s not enough to rectify the bad things.

Finish: The spicyness floats out nicely over the palate. The bitterness stays in the back and a whiff of unidentfiable fruits, pine and vanilla swish by and then the oakiness dries out the palate together with a side note of liquorice. The late finish is all about an aggressive fresh sawdust oakiness. This is not a good whisky. There are elements which shows future promise, but this is too young, too oaky and too unbalanced.

Additional information
This whisky is released by a small brewery. It’s a limited first release. There’s no information about aging or casks used.

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Agitator, Selected Swedes, Sweden, Tobermory

Agitator Whiskymakare Bourbon Cask (Selected Swedes)

november 14, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 52.9 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single grain (four grain)
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first there’s a vanilla and honey center with a very pronouned oakiness from the start. It’s young and quite powerful which creates a menthol overlay and a slightly harsh spirit note underneath. There’s a dusty corn note floating by together with hints of liquorice and banana. With time in the glass a nice candy cane sweetness forms in the center. This is a decent nose with a good array of flavours to be found.

Mouth: It starts out very distillate heavy and very different from the nose. It’s harsh and spiky and it mostly delivers spicyness, a weird bitter background note and a dry oakiness. After a while there are some honey, vanilla and dusty corn notes arriving, but at this point the mouth is too overrun with oak and spirit notes to really appreciate what’s happening.

Finish: The finish starts out with a steep increase in the very dry oakiness, which luckily delivers some assorted nuts. The bitter background notes increase as well. Otherwise it’s mostly notes of a harsh distillate seeping through the cracks. The late finish is very oaky but the nutty side of it is a nice little addition, mainly because it refuses to go away. This is a not-so-good whisky with a surprisingly nice nose. Unfortunatley that only adds to the disappointment when it comes to taste.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in bourbon casks for just over 3 years (2018-09/2022-01). 719 bottled were released. It’s unchillfiltered and no colour was added.

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Agitator, Selected Swedes, Sweden, Tobermory

Agitator Whiskymakare PX Casks (Selected Swedes)

november 12, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 52.9 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet fruits and sawdust. At first there’s a thick lid of fresh oak, very sweet dried fruits and mixed spices. There are liqeuer-soaked rasisns and figs with a hint of chocolate and heavy vanilla from the extreme oakiness (which grows even bigger with time). Underneath a young and slightly unpleasant and spiky distillate peeks through. The whole is extremely unbalanced and over-oaked. The sherry notes are strong but they haven’t had enough time to mix with the distillate, yet they still can’t compete with the oakiness. This is a manufactured nose typical to the new craft whisky era.

Mouth: It starts out with an immidiate oakiness and a hefty peppery spicyness. Soon after, a dark mix of raisins, figs and really dark chocolate arrives. Underneath lies the young distillate. It’s pointy and lacks refinement. Everything feels unbalanced and extremely top heavy. The oakiness is attacking the palate and ruins most of the other flavours. The vanilla is not as pronounced in taste as on the nose.

Finish: The transition elevates the young, harsh distillate for a second or two before the oak and sherry mask returns. The dark, dried fruits and dark chocolate is actually quite nice at this point but once again the oakiness return to overrun everything. The late finish is like chewing on a newly plained oak plank without the possibility to stop. This is a rather bad whisky. It’s too young, top heavy and over-oaked.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in PX sherry casks for just over 3 years (2018-10/2022-01). 719 bottled were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has no colour added.

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Agitator, Selected Swedes, Sweden, Tobermory

Agitator Whiskymakare Ex-Islay Casks (Selected Swedes)

november 5, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 52.9 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and peaty. At first there’s a mineral rich peatiness and a spiky ethanol spicyness. It’s somewhat sweet and there’s a malty and vanilla rich center. There’ also some coastal notes with seaweed and ocean air floating around. The sweetness grows with time in the glass. A mild fruitiness can be found but it’s not really definable. This is a decent nose. It feels quite simple and the peatiness rescues it from being too sharp and boring.

Mouth: It starts out with a peppery spicyness and it comes through as ethanol heavy. The vanilla sweetness is joined by a funky maltiness and creates a nice mid palate experience. There is a slightly metallic lemon sourness in the back. It’s not the greatest note but it does create a depth and makes the whole a bit more three dimensional. The peatiness is covering the outside of the palate and it comes through as mineral rich with a coastal character in taste too.

Finish: The transition doubles down on just about everything. When it starts to settle the peat, the lemon and a dry oakiness take over and creates a sour woody log fire. The funky center expands slightly but everything dies down rather quickly and a quite boring oakiness remains. This is a decent whisky with a nice enough set of flavours. It feels a bit brittle which contrasts the otherwise robust peaty character.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in ex-islay casks for just over 3 years (2018-12/2022-01). 719 bottled were released. It’s unchillfiltered and no colour was added.

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Reserve Swedish Oak/Elegant

oktober 21, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 55.6 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a spicy oak with sweetness surrounding it. There’s an unpleasant piney side to it which makes the wood notes pointy and aggressive. It doesn’t help that the spirit is young and quite harsh. There’s a peppermint note on top and a hint of sweet liquorice underneath with a small spot of funky complexity attached to it. This is a boring nose, which lacks balance is way over-oaked.

Mouth: It starts out with a big spicyness and a very aggressive piney oakiness. When it settles there’s a young, harsh distillate in the center and a slight generic bitterness in the back. There’s a hint of honey and tropical fruits floating around but they are not highlighted in any way. It feels simple and lacks any complexity.

Finish: The transition makes the spicyness disperse and gives way to a massive, dry and astingent oakiness. There still is a hint of the young, harsh distillate but it’s all about the oak. After a while the oakiness switch to a more tropical fruit version with hints of coconut and the late finish is actually the best part of the journey. This is a so-and-so whisky. It’s just harsh and over-oaked. This should only be used as a mixer.

Additional information
This single cask whisky was aged for just shy of 2 years in a 30L swedish oak cask (2020-12/2022-09).

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Reserve Bourbon/Elegant

oktober 20, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 48.4 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a mix of vanilla, honey and oak. The notes are top heavy and underneath there’s a young and quite sharp distillate. The oakiness is very pronounced and overruns everything else. There’s a minty overlay on top. It feels very simple and lacks complexity. This is a so-and-so nose. It’s way over-oaked, young and boring.

Mouth: It starts out with a honey sweetness coating the mouth while the spicyness slowly grows. It’s astringent from the start and the young distillate shines through immidiately. It doesn’t take long before the oakiness fills the palate with a dry sawdust oakiness. It feels too young and too simple.

Finish: The young distillate is the forerunner through the transition with the oak close behind. There a thin bitterness building up in the back and the honey and vanilla occupies the center. Everything else is astringent sawdust oak. The late finish comes with a small nutty note. It’s maybe hazelnuts with some imagination. This is a bad whisky which lacks age, balance and complexity. It’s way over-oaked.

Additional information
This single cask whisky was aged for just shy of 6 years in a 30L ex-bourbon cask (2016-11/2022-09).

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Reserve American Oak/Smoky

oktober 20, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.2 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and ashy. At first there’s a quite ashy peatiness sitting within a mix of oak and honey. There are hints of menthol on top and fudge in the center, but the oak and peat combination dominates everything. There’s a nice balance between the two though. The whole feels slightly pointy with some slightly sharp edges all over. The peatiness switches character over time and becomes more earthy as the ashy notes simmer down. This is a very good nose with a well balanced character overall.

Mouth: It starts out with a nice spicyness and a slight bitterness in the back. There’s a young spirit note coming through heavily in the middle which isn’t all that nice. The oakiness fills the outside of the palate with notes of sawdust and assorted tropical fruits. On the inside there’s still a honey/fudge sweetness but it’s overrun by everything else. Everything feels a bit weird and chaotic at this point in the journey.

Finish: The spicyness spikes hard through the transition. When it starts to subside the whole still comes through as young and spirity. Now there’s a hint of wet cardboard coming through as well. The peatiness becomes more and more meaningless as the finish progresses and the oak just keeps on increasing in intensity. The late finish is all about the heavy fresh oak notes. This is a good whisky but it’s over-oaked and loses its balance over time.

Additional information
This single cask whisky was aged for about 4.5 years in a 30L american oak cask (2018-02/2022-09).

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Reserve Oloroso/Elegant

oktober 20, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46.7 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a thick honey and berry note mixed with a sawdust oakiness. Underneath there’s a darker section with coffee, raisins and cocoa. Everything feels young and the cask notes feels extremely superficial. With time in the glass it becomes sweeter and vanilla heavy with a butterscotch side to it. It lacks richness and complexity. This is a so-and-so nose which has all the telltale signs of small cask maturation.

Mouth: It starts out with a heavy oakiness coating the outside of the palate together with a nice peppery spicyness. The sherry notes are there but are drowned out. A hint of cocoa, raisins and butterscotch, assorted dried fruits fight to get noticed in the center but the outside oak gets all the attention. The whole is rough and lacks sophistication.

Finish: The spicyness spreads out and mellows through the transition. There’s a swift second of fresh red berries before the heavy oakiness once again creates unpleasantries. The darker sherry notes, mainly the cocoa and raisins, fight through once again but soon have to give in. The late oakiness sees a slight nuttiness but is still making the whole experience utterly unbalanced. This is a so-and-so whisky which is over-oaked and top heavy.

Additional information
This single cask whisky was aged for just shy of 4 years in a 30L ex-Oloroso sherry cask (2018-10/2022-09).

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Box, High Coast, Sweden

High Coast Silent Mills Collection 04

september 16, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 51 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet oak and mild peat. At first there’s a sharp sourness coated with honey and vanilla. There’s an immidiate oakiness connected to the vanilla. It sits together with a mild and moist peatiness. The whole thing feels young and a bit prickly. There’s a slight ripe note underneath but most of the flavours are drowned by the boring, fresh oakiness. There’s a minty note on top and a fresher fruitiness somewhere within as well. This is a so-and-so nose. It feels unbalanced and over-oaked.

Mouth: It starts out with a big spicy kick and a sour maltiness. The oakiness is not holding back and covers the edges and soon most of the palate. There’s a mix of ripe fruits, a wet peatiness and vanilla, but everything feels detached from the oak. The flavours within do put up a better fight on the palate than they did on the nose, but everything still feels like it’s too young with a rushed cask maturation. There’s bitter tang in the back as well as sweet liquorice but it makes the profile more confusing rather than contributing to the whole.

Finish: The transition begins with an increase in spicyness and the oakiness starts to become dry and astringent almost from the get-go. The ripe assorted fruits and the way too mild peat hide in the back with the bitter and sour notes. The oakiness spreads out over the palate and creates an entire woodshop. The late finish sees some bitterness in the back as well. This isn’t the best of whiskies. It lacks balance, age and feels a bit over-engineered.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels (75 %) and ex-port casks (25 %). The whisky is between 6-10 years old. 6200 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Box, High Coast, Sweden

High Coast Harbour Collection 02 – Bönhamn

juli 10, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 51 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet vanilla and oak center part and a bright fruitiness, with a sour accent, surrounding it. It’s a bit harsh and spicy from the get-go and it needs a good amount of time in the glass to settle down. When it settles a mild peatiness is available. There are also notes of ginger, cinnamon, honey and lemon. Baked pears and marzipan slowly seeps through from the back as well. This is a great nose as long as it gets time to breathe.

Mouth: It starts out with an oakiness out on the edges of the palate. Soon there’s a sweet mix of peat, vanilla and honey building up in the center. There’s bitter dark chocolate in the back which increases in intensity throughout. It’s not as fruity as on the nose and the lemon note is almost gone, but the baked fruits are still in there. The oakiness moves in towards the center and it feels a bit crowded in the middle. The flavours seem to be a bit mismatched. The ginger also return after a while which adds to this notion.

Finish: The transition increases the spicyness a lot. Otherwise, the dark chocolate bitterness in the back just keeps on ramping up. The fruitiness shows up around the edges and the peat is there as well, but it almost feels forgotten at this point. It adds an earthy note to the oakiness though, which finally do beat the dark chocolate note. It leaves a string of bitterness behind though. The oakiness left behind is a decent one but, with everything else in disarray, it almost feels like it’s there to salvage what’s left. It’s a decent oakiness though with a mix of new and old attached to it. This is a good whisky with a great nose. It’s a bit too busy and nothing seem to sit in the right spot.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels (80 %) and ex-cognac casks (20 %). The whisky is about 8-9 years old. 5536 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Isle of Lime, Sweden

Isle of Lime Gotland

juni 24, 2023 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 46 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and spirity. At first there’s a spiky ethanol note sitting on top of a sweetness with malt, honey, vanilla and just a hint of red berries. It feels young and it takes time for it to mellow out in the glass. There’s a peaty touch slowly increasing over time. It has an earthy and grassy character. The ethanol note shifts and becomes a menthol layer sitting on top of everything else. There are liquorice and tobacco to be found as well. This is a decent nose. It young and spirity, but it still manages to produce some complexity.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness, the spiky ethanol and a slightly bitter oakiness. It’s malty and robust. Honey, vanilla and some raisins are joined by a tobacco note which seems to sit between the red fruitiness and the mild peatiness. There’s a dry garden soil note floating around as well as a floral note and some liquorice. It’s got a nice spicyness to it which gives it a nice presence.

Finish: The transition is mostly dry and earthy with the spicyness increasing slowly. It takes a while for it to settle and when it does there’s a bitter note in the back and the oakiness in the center. The floral note and the tobacco is now residing out towards the edges. The late finish is dry and slightly astringent. The oakiness never impresses but makes a competent effort to fit in to the profile. This is a good whisky for what it is; A young expression with a rushed flavour infusion.

Additional information
This whisky was aged for 4-7 years in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-PX and Oloroso sherry hogsheads.

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Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn, Sweden

Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn Old Hare

december 9, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40.4 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spirity. At first there’s a bad, spirity ethanol note popping out of the glass which is quite unpleasant. Underneath lies a butterscotch, vanilla and honey sweetness with young, green apples within. There’s a metallic note in the back which eventually switches to more of a lemon sourness. There’s also a very rounded oakiness floating around and maybe a hint of red berries. This is not the best of noses. It’s very simple and unpleasant.

Mouth: It starts out with a small surge of apples and lemon before the cheap ethanol note takes over. It soon gets contested by the butterscotch/vanilla and a heavy oak. There’s a hint of dusty corn in there as well. The heavy oak brings a lot of spicyness to the mouthfeel which simulates a higher ABV, which in this case is a good thing. The entire thing gets overrun by the oak fairly shortly in the journey.

Finish: Except for the spicyness of the oak, the transition is fairly uneventful. The background is filled with bad ethanol notes, butterscotch and woodshop oak while the spicyness is high. When it settles the woodshop oak takes over and the late finish is like chewing on an oakboard. There is a fruitiness floating around on top and the metallic note in the back is barely noticable. This is a not the greatest whisky out there. It tries to cover up the bad spirit with a heavy new oak maturation, which somewhat succeeds.

Additional information
The grain whisky part was aged for 3-5 years in new european and american oak casks and then married with single malt for 6-12 months in ex-PX sherry and ex-red wine casks.

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Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn, Sweden

Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn MerCurious Corn Whisky

oktober 29, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 45.6 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Corn Whisky
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet corn and fresh mint. At first there’s a layer of sweet, dusty corn and a vanilla sweetness covering everything. The rest of the space is filled with a fresh minty cloud. After a few seconds a butterscotch note appears in the center and spreads out and merges with the vanilla. There are few changes on the nose over time. This is a simple but pleasant nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet with a pertruding corn note and a hard to define fruitiness. Soon the background gets crowded with a dry oakiness, anise seeds and dried herbs. It’s got a clear bitter note shining through. After a few seconds it becomes very dusty and slightly astringent. The corn note moves to the top layer as the bitterness increases. It becomes spicy after a while and the thin butterscotch layer returns.

Finish: a wave of bitterness and dry oak rolls in with notes of dried herbs and anise. The minty freshness returns before a sweet mix of honey and vanilla breaks through. Then it becomes very oaky. It’s a very fresh, woodshop kind of oakiness. It’s astringent and dry. This is an interesting whisky because of it’s origin, but an average whisky by taste. Kudos for the courage to venture outside the box!

Additional information
This swedish corn whisky was released in 2019. It has a mashbill of 88 % corn, 5 % wheat, 3,5 % rye and 3,5 % malted barley. Each batch (this is batch 1) consists of 14 virgin american oak casks. It’s unchillfiltered with natural color and matured between 3-8 years.

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Bergslagen, Sweden

Bergslagens Santa -18 Julmust Cask Finish

september 23, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 51 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is somewhat fruity and very spicy. The first thing coming through is rye, with anise root and spices together with the sweetness of honey and vanilla. There’s a chalk note residing in the background. The ”julmust” is not detectable on the nose, but it makes the whisky very perfumey. This is not the greatest Nose in the world.

Mouth: It starts out very spicy and it still could pass off as a rye. The chalk note is still sitting on top of some vanilla and processed sugar sweetness. The oak makes an early entrance and it comes with a hefty astringency. The perfumey notes still come through and there’s a very small, (maybe even suggestive) note of Julmust.

Finish: Finally some of the sherry notes comes through with assorted red fruits and berries. It quickly goes back to the rye notes and the chalk. A hint of the ”julmust” is still peeking through with a slight bitterness. A pleasant oak finish follows with some freshly brewed coffee. After a while when everything else is gone some tropical fruits makes a late appearance. This is not the best whisky out there, but it’s a nice innovation, a fun and kind of weird experiment.

Additional information
This is first aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels for about 6 years, then finished for 12 months in third fill american ex-Oloroso sherry casks, where the second fill of the cask was the swedish seasonal beverage ”Julmust” which is made from malt and hops (It sort of tastes like a mix of Coca-Cola and a stout).

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Agitator, Sweden

Sweden Rock 22 Kastanj och Sherry

september 23, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 40 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spirity. At first there’s a sweet center part with a mix of brown sugar, cherry and raspberries. On the outside there’s a sharp ethanol layer which makes it slightly unpleasant. It has a very fruity character overall and it’s a bit sticky. It feels very engineered and lacks a bit of soul. The sharpness disappears after a while in the glass. When it settles in the glass it becomes vanilla rich, and there’s just a tiny hint of dark fruits and chocolate in the back. Everything feels a bit subdued and too mellow. The fruitiness stands out though. This is a decent nose which leaves a lot more to offer.

Mouth: It starts out with a hefty vanilla and brown sugar sweetness. It’s a bit bland and the volume is turned way down. The fruitiness is arriving quite fast but now, it’s just adding to the center sweetness. It’s not a bad set of flavours, but they are not interested in participating in creating a whole. A banana note floats around on top and some aromatic oak note is in there as well which creates a bit of complexity, but the whole is not interesting at all.

Finish: The transition is uneventful and at first there’s just vanilla, brown sugar and nothing else. After a while the oakiness starts to arrive and at this point none of the fruity flavours have appeared. It’s a nice enough oakiness and there’s still the aromatic side to the wood notes, but they deteriorate fast. This is a so-and-so whisky which becomes more and more bland the longer down the journey it travels. It makes a very easy mixer for those who doesn’t care about flavour intensity or taste.

Additional information
This whisky was made by the Agitator distillery for the Sweden Rock Festival. It was aged in mainly virgin oak casks, but ex-sherry and portoguese chesnut was also used. This is a limited edition.

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Bergslagen, Sweden

Bergslagens 8 YO Granit

september 23, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 48 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a big sweet honey center with some ripe red berries sitting in a surrounding layer. The peatiness slowly increases in intensity towards the edges of the glass together with a vanilla note. The longer it stays in the glass the more the distillate becomes noticeable. It’s young and spirit driven and it feels quite mineral rich and has a nice power to it. With time a nice milk chocolate note can be found within the sweet core. This is a nice nose with a lot to offer but it do feel a bit shallow and it lacks some depth.

Mouth: It starts out with a peaty and sweet impact. The peatiness stays around the edges while the honey and vanilla resides in the middle. There’s a nice mix of liquorice and earthy peatiness slowly increasing in intensity in there as well. It feels rich and quite powerful. The sherry cask fruitiness mixes nicely with the peatiness and creates a nice outer layer. There is a complexity with tobacco, sulfur and a fresher fruitiness, but the background seems hollow and somewhat empty.

Finish: The finish starts with a mild spicyness. It’s not spiking but it fills the palate with a nice powerful sensation. The sweetness and the ripe berries are joined by dried fruits and a more sweet and haylike peatiness. The finish feels very warm and comforting. The vanilla notes slowly shifts into an oakiness and the casks give away a nice nuttiness as well. This is a very good whisky. It has a lot of nice flavours, but it seems a bit shallow overall.

Additional information
This is a limited edition whisky aged in first fill ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Limousin

september 23, 2022 williamswhiskydatabase Lämna en kommentar

ABV: 49.2 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and oaky. At first there’s a hefty fruitiness popping out of the glass which is quite acidic and sour at one hand, but mellow and round on another. In between there’s a fudge note and on the outside there’s an aromatic oakiness. It takes a good while in the glass before everything gets put together to a homogenous profile. At this point the mellow fruits gets more pronounced with some ripe berries. The aromatic oakiness is ever present and sort of gets in the way of the other flavours which is a bit sad, because underneath lies a very nice concoction of flavours. This is a nice nose which feels slightly unbalanced, but it’s really fun to explore.

Mouth: It starts out with a sour note in the back and a nice, mellow berry mix in the center. On top a peppery spicyness gives it just the right amount of power. It feels great and oily on the palate. After a few seconds there’s vanilla appearing in the center and a distinct oakiness out towards the edges. It feels way more balanced at this point compared to the nose and everything has it’s own space, yet seem to fit together. A small amount of orange zest and tropical fruits start to appear in the background.

Finish: The transition is logical without any spikes or dips. The berry fruitiness and the vanilla is constant and creates a very easy to follow center part. In the back there’s a slow increase of tropical fruits with pineapples and mangos sitting together with some zest and black coffee. The aromatic oakiness is still residing on the edges of the palate but soon joins the tropical fruitiness and when that happens they basically overrun everything else. The late finish is just the aromatic oakiness and the tropical fruits. This is not a bad thing. This is a really good whisky with a lot to offer to the explorer. It’s not an easy sipper by no means.

Additional information
This was first aged in limousin ex-cognac casks from 2008 and then finished in old ex-Oloroso sherry casks and saturated in both ex-raspberry wine casks.

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