Etikettarkiv: Swedish whisky review

Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn, Sweden

Spirit of Hven Backafallsbyn Old Hare

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Mack

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample in queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

(Scribbles)

Nose: Ripe red apples, butterscotch, vanilla, undefined bitter note in the back. Oaky.

Mouth: Smooth butterscotch, vanilla, sweetness, citrus, oak spices, bitter note’s still in there. Still oaky.

Finish: Oak, black pepper, oak spices linger, dry mouthfeel, bitter note lingers, Hazelnuts.

Additional information
This is Mackmyra’s entry level whisky. It’s matured in american ex-bourbon oak barrels for 5 years before bottling.

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Vinterglöd

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ABV: 46,1 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is honey sweet with a fruity tang. There’s vanilla and oranges and a hint of cinnamon. There’s some notes of anise in the background together with notes of mulled wine. There’s also peppermint and sweet black liquorice. A hint of raspberries comes through after a while. It’s very aromatic and suits the winter season very well.

Mouth: It’s got a very fruity overlay, but the main core is the honey and vanilla. There’s anise and liquorice, but now those are attached to a thin note of ripe bananas. There’s cinnamon a-plenty and the fruitiness is packed with oranges and black grapes. The spicyness seems to be connected to the cinnamon and comes forward slowly. After a couple of seconds butterscotch arrives. The oak is there but acts like a backdrop and completing the scenery.

Finish: The spicyness just kind of floats over to the finish and the cinnamon and anise move up in front. Behind those a very pleasant oak starts to roll in. The mulled wine comes back and gives the finish a nice touch together with a pleasant butterscotch note. The distillate is noticable and it feels a bit young, but the perfumey flavours of everything else mask the youthness well. The raspberries comes through once again and bring some company in some tropical fruitiness and bananas before the oakiness makes a solo exit. This is spot on as a seasonal release.

Additional information
The ”Vinterglöd” (Winter Embers) is a seasonal release from Mackmyra. It’s finished in casks that previously held mulled wine and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry.

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Brukswhisky

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ABV: 41.4 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
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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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Stjärnrök

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ABV: 46.1 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is acidic and peaty. At first there’s a sour sharpness and a peatiness with juniper and pine attached to it. After a few seconds a fruitiness is added to the sour note with unripe berries and green apples. It’s malty and there are notes of vanilla, but it main focal point is the mix of peat and sour fruits. When it starts to settle a more dense side arrives with tobacco and raisins, but it seems to lack some dept. A fresh oakiness is sitting out towards the edges. Overall it’s a nice and interesting nose but it doesn’t seem very cohesive. The flavours sit by themselves and refuse to interact with each other.

Mouth: It starts out with a sourness in the back and the peat and sweetness up front. In between the darker notes slowly increases in intensity and creates a wall of raisins, dark chocolate and tobacco. There’s also a smidge of sulfur within. The fruitiness in the back is still sour unripe berries and soon the oakiness starts to increase in volume starting from the same spot. When it finds its full potential the whole becomes unbalanced and a bit too oaky.

Finish: The finish begins with all the nice flavours finally merging and create a very nice experience for a short period of time before the oakiness once again steps in and makes it unbalanced. Fortunatly the oakiness is a nice one and it creates a very nice mix of vanilla and tropical fruits together with the unripe berries and the sweetness. A much needed spicyness do arrive late and gives it a nice power-up together with the peatiness which finally gets a place in the spotlight. This is a very good whisky with a lot to offer. It’s almost too busy and a lot of the flavours sit like islands on the palate.

Additional information
This whisky was aged in a mix of ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso, new american oak and cloudberry wine casks made from swedish oak. The smoke comes from using juniper instead of peat. It’s a 2021 seasonal release.

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High Coast, Sweden

High Coast Älv (River)

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and sweet. At first there’s a sweet honey and vanilla layer surrounding the edges of the glass while the center core reveals a ”spirity” green apple distillate. There’s an overlay of sweet liquorice and a salty character comes through from the back. It becomes sweeter with time in the glass. This is not a complex nose and it’s young but it has no sharp edges or harshness coming through.

Mouth: There’s a big immidiate impact of sweetness, ABV spicyness and liquorice. When it settles the green apples arrive. It does show a little harshness on the palate. There’s a thin but nice black coffee bitterness showing up in the background but it’s way back and isn’t making any claims to be in focus. It feels a bit uneventful at this point.

Finish: It starts out with the ABV turning into a black pepper spicyness. Otherwise there’s the same sweetness, the same thin coffee note in the back and liquorice is still a main part of the experience. The green apples are pushed to the back when the oakiness arrives. It’s a nice fresh oakiness which makes a subtle entrance and slowly takes over. The liquorice remains and the two stays for the late finish. This is a decent whisky which really shows a good distillery character, but as a standalone whisky it lacks in both age and complexity.

Additional information
This is part of the High Coast Origins series. It’s aged for around 6-7 years in ex-bourbon barrels and quarter casks. 8259 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Svensk Ek

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

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and sweet. At first there’s a mix of vanilla and ripe apples and pears. There’s also a second layer behind the fruitiness with honey and fresh oak. It feels quite young and spirity. There are some wood spices coming through as well as liquorice. This is a decent nose but there’s not much happening in the glass. It stays the same throughout which makes it a bit uninteresting.

Mouth: It starts out with the same ripe apples and pears covered in vanilla and oak. It’s quite spicy with black pepper and wood spices. The oak is a bit hard to pinpoint and it feels a bit dry and weird. The whole feels a bit more homogenous at this point but there’s still not much to discover other than what is presented from the start. For those who wait there’s a hint of toffee and a savory note emerging from the back.

Finish: The fruitiness dies down rather quickly and all that’s left is the oakiness and the black pepper spicyness. It’s a dry oak with a perfumey character which actually makes the finish a bit weird. It still feels young and the cask influence feels rushed. This is an ok whisky but it feels a bit boring and rushed for flavour. It should be good as a base in longdrinks and cocktails.

Additional information
10 % of this whisky is aged for 18 months in new heavily charred swedish oak casks. The rest is aged in ex-bourbon american oak barrels.

Mackmyra, Sweden

Mackmyra Vit Hund

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ABV: 46.1 %
Origin: Sweden
Type: Unaged whisk(e)y
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Sample in queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

Additional information
”Vit hund” is the raw Mackmyra malt distillate, the new make. Vit hund means ”white dog” in Swedish. This is diluted and sold as an aperitif or mixer.