Mackmyra Vinterrok

Peat, ale and Swedish expertise? - Yes, please.

Mackmyra, the first Swedish Whisky distillery, was envisioned by a group of 8 friends on a ski trip, each of whom had taken a bottle of Whisky with them for the host. The late night discussions came to Whisky; how it was produced and why there was no Swedish Whisky. A year later the 8 friends founded a distillery and within 6 months they had distilled the first drops of raw Whisky.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that a single malt Whisky could be made well in Sweden. After all, southern Sweden sits at about the same latitude as Scotland and is surrounded by the same North Sea. Sweden is also the place, where we find one of the world’s purest fresh waters, filtered to perfection since the Ice Age. The fact that the distillery is located next to a boulder with constant access to the crystal clear Adam’s ale comes in handy for sure.

The unique Swedish barley and Swedish oak give their drams some special temperament. Combine that with the proverbial Swedish attention to detail, work ethic and their dedication to constant innovation in technology and you know you’ve got a real gem of a distillery on your hands. Mackmyra has been tinkering with their malt distillery since 1999, but up till now using their product in side beverages, blends, and flavored drinks until they got it right.

And they got it right, for sure. Mackmyra Vinterrök is a peaty Mackmyra whisky from the innovative series ”Season whisky” with a little twist at the end. A smoky soul for beer lovers, they say. Let’s start with the finish, shall we? To wit, the Vinterrök – meaning winter’s smoke – while aged in Swedish Oak casks, got its slightly spicy finish from casks saturated with Strong Scotch Ale. The end result is certainly one of the most dynamic and avant-garde drams you’ll ever get a chance to try.

For the last several years, it has been increasingly popular to finish Whisky in beer barrels. Distilleries learned to take advantage of beer and the variety of different flavors it adds to their Spirits. The crafty Swedes joined the Whisky-Beer alliance just in time. Judging from the fine specimen at hand – the hype is real!