Whisky review: Sweden's Mackmyra 10 Year Old

Think of Sweden, and whisky is not what comes to mind. Ikea, ABBA and Volvo, certainly. But a single malt whisky, not so much.

Yet Mackmyra is such a beast: a 'new world whisky' from Sweden which has just produced its first 10 year old single malt.

Bottled at 46.1%, Mackmyra Ten Years was aged 50 metres underground in Mackmyra's Bodås mine warehouse and has been released in a limited run of 20,000 bottles (there are 12,000 bottles retained for Sweden's alcohol monopoly retailer Systembolaget, with the remaining 8,000 set loose on the export market).

Mackmyra Ten Years

Colour: Yellow gold

Nose: Lemon zest, grass, tea leaves, pot-pourri and pear initially. After a little more air comes some undertones of rich vanilla. I've always enjoyed Mackmyra, but there's more to this than any I've tried in the past.

Palate: "Sweet and zesty" in a nutshell. There's stewed/baked apple. Hints of lemon (less than the nose though). Some raisins, and a lot of fruity herbs - like a fruit tissane tea. There's a creaminess, some "fruity cream", and even some candied orange. It's a fruit bomb, and a delicious one at that.

Finish: Long, fruity, creamy.

Rating: 91/100. This is easily the most complex, matured and "well-rounded" Mackmyra to date. There's a lot of fruit, but not like a tropical fruit bomb like a lot of ex-Bourbon matured Scotch – it is fruity, but in a uniquely Scandinavian way, if that makes sense. Definitely worth a try.

Details: 46.1% ABV ~A$100

This article was originally published on TimeforWhisky – visit TimeForWhisky.com on the Web and on Instagram.

Martin Eber

Martin is the founding editor of TimeForWhisky.com, a leading blog for lovers of the dram with tasting notes, events, bar reports, new releases and more.