Mackmyra 8yo Green Tea and Amontillado Cask

Mackmyra 8yo Green Tea and Amontillado Cask

Permutations Series 2, Fib Whisky
Single malt - Gastrikland
Copper gold
45.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, gooseberries, cinder toffee, dates, hibiscus, pine needles, hints of cloudberries. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, mouth coating, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Cloudberries, gooseberries, peaches, mulberries, vanilla, cream, barley sugar, strawberry jam, hints of pine needles. 
Finish: Short. Cinder toffee, hibiscus, vanilla, cream, hints of mulberries. 

Comments: 

Tastes like a dry, complex, alcoholic fruit tea. There’s barley here too, and some of that pine needle flavour, that accentuates the herbal tea aspect. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Mackmyra Destination

Mackmyra Destination

Official bottling 
Single malt - Gastrikland
Amber
48.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberry jam, juniper, pine needles, white pepper, cinnamon, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loosens, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Blackcurrant cordial, wet stones, pine needles, strawberry jam, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, strawberry jam, cinnamon, hints of juniper. 

Comments: 

Sweet and luscious, but with that Swedish herbal forest tang. Turns malty and cereally on the tongue. Very classic and stripped back whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Milroy’s Exclusive Mackmyra Grand Cuvée Champagne Finish

Milroy’s Exclusive Mackmyra Grand Cuvée Champagne Finish

Milroy’s of Soho
Single malt - Gastrikland
Amber bronze 
44.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, sultanas, peach preserves, musk, pine, lemon zest, hints of hay. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Sultanas, peach preserves, pine, fresh cut grass, marmalade, jasmine, hay. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, fresh cut grass, pine, marmalade, hay. 

Comments: 

Completed the set - have had a dram of the PX, cloudberry wine and now champagne finished Mackmyras from Milroy’s! This one is good, floral and peachy, lots of grassy notes in the background.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Milroy’s Exclusive Mackmyra Cloudberry Wine Cask Finish

Milroy’s Exclusive Mackmyra Cloudberry Wine Cask Finish

Milroy’s of Soho
Single malt - Gästrikland
Bright gold
52.6% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Raspberries, cloudberries, vanilla ice cream, roses, sarsaparilla, juniper berries, malted grains. With water, lemon zest, vanilla ice cream, roses, pine. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, turns oily, sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Vanilla ice cream, malted grains, wheat beer, juniper berries, roses, cloudberries. With water, malted grains, vanilla ice cream, pine, sarsaparilla. 
Finish: Long. Sarsaparilla, wheat beer, malted grains, raspberries. 

Comments: 

Cask 19-1053. One of the best cask finishes I’ve ever tasted, it’s floral and fruity, well integrated into the typical woody Mackmyra flavours. The flavour notes are clean and distinctive, and meld together very well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Milroy's Exclusive Mackmyra Pedro Ximenez Finish

Milroy's Exclusive Mackmyra Pedro Ximenez Finish

Milroy's of Soho
Single malt - Gastrikland
Amber red
50.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, red grapes, honey, fresh cut grass, hints of cedar, hints of strawberries. 
Mouthfeel: Medium, cool, static, slightly, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Blackcurrant cordial, fresh cut grass, cedar, raisins, fresh baked bread, hints of thyme. 
Finish: Medium. Butterscotch, blackcurrant cordial, thyme, fresh baked bread, hints of pine. 

Comments: 

Not your usual Mackmyra. The whisky normally takes its wood finishing quite well (at least, the official bottlings do), retaining quite a lot of distillery character. With this one, it's still woody and herbal, but it's not your usual pine and juniper notes, it's cedar, and perhaps some thyme. The sweet sherry is very evident, with the blackcurrant note making it taste almost medicinal.

Verdict:

I like this.

Mackmyra Gront Te

Mackmyra Gront Te

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Pale amber
46.1% ABV
Tiny taste

Nose: Peppermint, honey, cocoa powder, vanilla, green tea, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, warming, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Honey, green tea, apple juice, vanilla, cinnamon, hints of pine. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, pine, apple juice green tea. 

Comments: 

This is an interesting cask finished Mackmyra. The sherry cask that aged this was seasoned with an infusion of green tea leaves in sherry. I cadged this off a little sample bottle (thanks Eddie) and I was blown away. Very nice, highly complex, and it's picked up the green tea flavour that the cask seasoning was meant to achieve.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mackmyra 12yo

Mackmyra 12yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Gastrikland
Golden
50.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pine, lemon zest, green apples, honey, lemon curd, barley sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, warm, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Pine, lemon zest, barley sweets, juniper berry, black tea, hints of orange blossom. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, juniper berry, green apples, pine. 

Comments: 

Mackmyra, finished in a bourbon cask, rather than those fancy wine cask finishes that the distillery is fond of. It's a pure expression of the spirit's character, and I taste those clean pine notes very clearly. It's floral and herbal as well, with a nice astringently bitter edge. Lovely.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mackmyra Vintersol

Mackmyra Vintersol

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Pink
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, cinnamon, green tea, cookie dough, raisins, butterscotch. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, slightly sticky, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cinnamon, red grapes, nutmeg, green tea, vanilla, cookie dough, hints of honey. 
Finish: Short. Red grapes, green tea, vanilla, nutmeg, honey. 

Comments: 

Thanks, Katie, for the sample. More wine cask Mackmyra, but not so sweet as you'd expect. There's tannins and spice here, it's very pleasant indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Mackmyra Appelblom

Mackmyra Appelblom

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Golden
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apples, lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, pine needles, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, slightly sticky, thickens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Apple juice, dried apples, lemon zest, pine needles, raisins, honeycomb. 
Finish: Long. Apple juice, raisins, lemon zest, honeycomb, hints of gooseberries. 

Comments: 

Mackmyra's herbal, tangy spirit, finished in calvados casks. It shows - it's tremendously appley, and there are lots of sweet, fruity notes. The herbal character shows through, in this case as pine notes. A very enjoyable and successful experiment.

Verdict:

I like this.

Mackmyra Moments Prestige

Mackmyra Moments Prestige

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Light gold
46.1% ABV
Tiny taste

Nose: White wine, white grapes, grape must, fresh baked bread, custard apples, hints of pine. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, airy, almost misty. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, grape must, honey, cloudberries, fresh baked bread, vanilla, cookie dough. 
Finish: Long. Honey, cloudberries, fresh baked bread, hints of apples. 

Comments: 

Finished in champagne casks, and it's obvious. There's heaps of white grape notes, rich and floral, almost hiding Mackmyra's piney woody notes. Lots of berries and bread. This is lovely whisky. I normally don't comment on packaging, but the bottle is a design classic.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mackmyra Skordetid

Mackmyra Skordetid

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Pink
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Blueberries, raspberries, raisins, thyme, bubblegum. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly oily, slippery, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Marshmallows, vanilla, raspberries, dried apples, hints of bubblegum. 
Finish: Short. Burnt caramel, raspberries, vanilla, hints of thyme. 

Comments: 

Finished in amarone wine casks. I'm not sure I can discern a lot of the distillery's character, beyond a certain herbal note that is not unpleasant. I think the wine finish may have overwhelmed what might have been a very good whisky. It's just alright now.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Mackmyra 10yo

Mackmyra 10yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Dark gold
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, raspberries, malted grains, yoghurt, hints of cloudberries. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, turns watery, slightly volatile. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Cloudberries, oranges, black tea, cloves, hints of lemon thyme. 
Finish: Medium. Yoghurt, oranges, raspberries, black tea, malted grains. 

Comments: 

This is floral and spicy, with a briny, malty kick. Yes, Mackmyra ages well, and I think this is but a glimpse of what the spirit could become given time. It's excellent.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mackmyra 3yo Batch 1

Mackmyra 3yo Batch 1

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single malt - Gastrikland
Dark gold
47.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, raisins, prunes, orange juice, camphor, hints of fig jam. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, mouth coating, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Camphor, fresh cut grass, orange peel, lemon, hints of pine, hints of leather. 
Finish: Long. Honey, orange peel, fresh cut grass, fig jam. 

Comments: 

A light, grassy herbal Mackmyra, not so much of the piney notes that characterise Swedish whisky for me. Very little smoke, just a tiny hint, but there's a spicy, even chemical note that reminds me of camphorated oil (old Chinese remedy for bruises - don't ask me if it works). Nice whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Mackmyra Svensk Ek

Mackmyra Svensk Ek

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Gold, tinge of copper
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, mint, pears, peaches, orange juice, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, flimsy, watery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Peaches, pears, green apples, orange juice, hints of honey, hints of juniper. 
Finish: Short. Peaches, orange juice, honey, juniper. 

Comments: 

Lush, sweet, slightly tart, like overripe fruit. That's better than it sounds. Plenty of peaches and green apples, fragrant pears, honey. Mackmyra for me has a little nip of juniper, maybe it's my imagination, but it's much less in evidence for this one. Very tasty stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mackmyra Special 08 Handplockat

Mackmyra Special 08 Handplockat

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Gold, tinge of copper
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, orange peel, fresh cut grass, lemon thyme, camphor, hints of black tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting: Bitter sour. Orange peel, peaches, vanilla, camphor, fresh cut grass, juniper berry, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Long. Baking bread, vanilla, juniper berry, orange peel, hints of peaches, hints of lemon thyme. 

Comments: 

Matured in a Sauternes cask, as the label says. This one is floral and herbal on the nose, but once it gets on the tongue, it turns to fruit and fruit peel, with a slight bitter floral note that I identify as juniper berry. That stays with the whisky all the way to the finish. It's an unusual whisky, this one, I'm still tasting a very faint hint of peach and lemon thyme after 20 minutes.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Mackmyra Special 07 Framtidstro

Mackmyra Special 07 Framtidstro

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
White wine
45.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, brass polish, lemon zest, brown paper, bananas, white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, turns watery, tingly. 
Tasting: Sour. Vanilla, bananas, lemon zest, hay, buttercups, hints of orange blossom. 
Finish: Medium. Chillies, lemon zest, bananas, vanilla. 

Comments: 

A Mackmyra special release, finished in cloudberry wine casks for a Swedish twist to good barley distillate. Hmm. Odd, slightly bourbony (i.e. lots of bananas and brown paper) but not sweet at all. Quite tart, and even grassy and floral on the tongue. This is good stuff, tingly and even chilli hot in the finish. I'd say the experiment worked, cloudberry wine is good with whisky...

Verdict:

I like this.

Mackmyra Brukswhisky

Mackmyra Brukswhisky

Official bottling 
Single malt - Gastrikland
Pale straw 
41.4% ABV 
Dram

Nose: Cola nuts, vanilla, bananas, cookie dough, lemon zest, hints of juniper.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, slippery, static.
Tasting: Sweet sour . Vanilla, lemon zest, cookie dough, malted grains, limes, hints of leather.
Finish: Medium. Ginseng, cookie dough, limes, vanilla.

Comments:

Light, pale, with the merest hint of juniper, and a robust bitter finish. This whisky is taglined 'The Swedish Whisky', but I reckon it tastes more of the Lowlands. It's fruity and light, and you'd never know it was Swedish unless you read the label. Nice.

Verdict:

I like this.

Mackmyra 4 yo 1st Edition

Mackmyra 4 yo 1st Edition

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Pale gold
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Gin, chocolate, peanuts, apples, hints of pencil lead.
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, static, thickens.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Nutmeg, chocolate, peanuts, apples, gin, hints of smoke.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, chocolate.

Comments:

Batch 2008-03. Not quite like the Mackmyras of old (?), the Preludium series, which tasted a lot of juniper. This one is more oaky and chocolatey, much more like Scotch. Which detracts a little from it in my view, because the hints of gin and juniper were what made this whisky very interesting.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Mackmyra Preludium 06

Mackmyra Preludium 06

Official bottling
Single malt - Gastrikland
Straw
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, spirit, sour mash, pears, pine, juniper.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly watery, refreshing.
Tasting: Salty. Hint of smoke, hint of peat, coffee, gin, lime, cloudberries, pork sausage.
Finish: Short. Spicy, freshly squeezed lime juice.

Comments:

Made with barley dried over juniper and peat fire, there's no mistaking its Swedish origins. There are even cloudberries in the tasting! The theme for this release of Mackmyra (the age statement ones come out next) is "Swedish smoke". Oh yes, it's Swedish smoke alright, almost ginny.

Verdict:

I like this.