Swedish whisky!

[[GG]Lord von Döbeln]

Yes there is such a thing. A few years back some whisky enthusiasts started making high quality malt whisky of the Scottish type here in Sweden in a small distillery called Mackmyra, and now they are beginning to sell their product. Yesterday I went to a tasting with some friends and it was really interesting tasting Swedish whisky. Well technically none of the samples were "whisky" since they were all too young (needs to be 3 years and 1 day according to Scottish "whisky laws"). So I was really surprised to sample 6 versions that all seemed at least almost ready. The secret is that Mackmyra stores a large part of their whisky in small 30 litre casks (which you can buy and own from filling of the cask to bottling if you like) rather than the usual 200 or 500 litre ones. This means that the a larger part of the whisky has contact with the wood and so the maturation process is speeded up a great deal. We tasted "whisky" ranging from only 1 year and 2 months to 2 years and 4 months, and if I hadn't known their ages i would have guessed they were at least 7-8 years old! We got to sample their "elegance" version (kinda like speyside malts) and their smokey version (more like the Islay malts), each from 3 different casks - ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and newly made Swedish oak casks! And I must say the smokey version in Swedish oak was a real favourite. It could easily have been mistaken for a 10-12 year old whisky instead of the 2 years and 4 months it really was. It will be VERY interesting to see what happens to this whisky when it has matured the required 3 years and 1 day (and maybe then some - the representative at the tasting though that the small casks should definitely not be stored for more than 5-6 years before bottling). All in all it was a very pleasant experience, and it didn't hurt that the tasting took place on a small island in the archipelago of Stockholm, and we currently have record tempratures here in Sweden for early June with almost 30 degrees Centigrade, so the boat ride out was a most pleasant one.

[GG]LvD

[[GG]SirDabrowski]

Did you get drunk?

;D

[[GG]Lord von Döbeln]

Not particularly. We got 6 glasses but only with like 2 cl in each and it took a while to go through the tasting. But it was good.

[GG]LvD

[[GG] Lord General Store]

Thats very interesting, must give it a try sometime

You sound like quite the connoisseur

[[GG]Lord von Döbeln]

I don't know about connoisseur but I like and am interested in whisky (and whiskey ). I visited Islay and it's distilleries a few years back and I also spent a week in the highlands visiting a few distilleries. I worked in Amsterdam for 10 months a few years back and flew home to Stockholm every Friday, so I had the opportunity to browse the whisky shelves at Schiphool airport every week which together twith the trips to Scotland has resulted in a fair collection. I guess I have about 25-30 different kinds at home, mostly single malts but also American bourbon and Irish whiskey. And some cognac and calvados etc. I guess I prefer quality before quantity when it comes to alcohol. My favourites are definitely the smokey/peaty/"oceany" island/coastal malts with the powerful Islay whiskies (Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Port Ellen etc.) occupying a special place in my heart. And also Scotland is a beautiful country with extremely kind people so even if you don't like whisky it's worth a trip.

[GG]LvD

[[GG] Lord General Store]

I must say Lagavulin is my personal favourite, although blasphemously I tend to drink it with loads of ice and no water. Although its a blend, Johnny Walker Blue Label is excellently smooth

I think the tour of the distillerys sounds pretty good though

[[GG]Lord von Döbeln]

Yeah Scotland and the distilleries are well worth a visit. Just make sure you have a designated driver since most distilleries offer you a wee dram at their visitor's center, and if you put some effort into it you can manage to visit 10 or so in a day.

Hmm ice... So you don't really like the taste of the whisky then since you dampen it with ice? I prefer a bit of water, but to every man his own. The important thing is that you enjoy it. Lagavulin is one of the great single malts for sure. I have never tried the Blue Label but have heard only good about it so I'm dying to give it a go. So much good whisky - so little time (and money ).

[GG]LvD

[[GG] Lord Ashram]

Man! I never knew you were so interested in whiskeys! How interesting!

Can I ask, what the heck is a single malt? I am ignorant about booze, I have to admit, so any info is welcome:)

[[GG]Lord von Döbeln]

Well there are a few types of "Scotch type" whisky (we get Irish, Japanese, Swedish etc. of that type now too):
- Blended = malt whisky from different distilleries mixed with up to 50-60%grain whisky (basically tasteless white alcohol) like Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal etc. This is done to produce a product which is consistent/tastes the same over time, usually at reasonable costs (grain whisky is cheap).
- Vatted malt or Pure malt = only malt whisky from different distilleries mixed together. Not so common.
- Single malt = only malt whisky from one distillery. I.e. a 16 year old Lagavulin single malt contains only malt whisky from the Lagavulin distillery, and the YOUNGEST whisky included is 16 years old, but several years are mixed to keep the taste consistent over time since each year has it's own characteristics depending on climate, where the barrels have been stored etc. It may contain small amounts of MUCH older whisky (20-50 years or so) to get the right balance of flavours. Most "standard" single malts are sold as 10-15 year olds.
Single cask = only whisky from a single barrel. These bottles are usually marked with the bottling date, cask number etc. This can taste very differently from the standard single malt produced by the same distillery depending on the conditions as per above, so these bottles are very interesting, but usually expensive, buys.

Scotch malt whisky is made from malted barley as is Irish whiskey (note the difference in spelling ), while American/Canadian whiskey/bourbon is usually made from corn/maize or rye. It is then stored in oak casks for anywhere from 3 years to 50 or more to mature before bottling and drinking. Bourbon is often stored in first-fill casks (new), while Scotch whisky is usually stored in used bourbon and sometimes sherry casks. It is quite common to first store the whisky in bourbon casks and then "finish" it in sherry casks for a year or so at the end to make it "rounder".

Well something like that at least IIRC.

Here is a link if you want to know more about Scottish whisky:
www.scotchwhisky.net/index.htm

[GG]LvD

[[GG] Lord General Store]

Nice post, makes me want to have a drink

[[GG]SirDabrowski]

Let's gooooooo 21!!!!

Man, I want to buy my own Jack Daniels', God d**nit!

[[GG]SirDabrowski]

Von Dobeln-

What nation makes the best whisky, do you think?

[[GG]Lord von Döbeln]

Well the differences between the whiskies of the world make it hard to choose, but IMO it's hard to beat the Scots, especially the plethora of great single malt whiskies. But it also depends on the occasion, the mood and what you want to do with the whisk(e)y. I would e.g. NEVER make an Irish coffee with anything but Irish whiskey. And I have a very nice "single cask" (i.e. the whisky is taken from a single barrel with the barrel number and fill date hand written on the bottle) Jack Daniel's Silver Select, and I definitely like bourbon, sour mash etc as well. American, Irish and Canadian whiskies are generally much smoother even than Scottish blended ones, and so are very nice as apperitifs etc, while a peaty and smokey Islay single malt is very nice in front of the fire at night. So it really depends on what you like/want and the occasion. But if I had to choose to drink whisk(e)y from just one country for the rest of my life it'd have to be Scotland because of the great variety of styles and flavours presented by the Highland, Lowland, Speyside, island and Islay malts.

[GG]LvD

[[GG]SirDabrowski]

A day before you posted that, I gave my word to a good friend of mine to never drink again.

Dangit!

[[GG]Lord von Döbeln]

Oh! Any particular reason behind such a promise? If you don't mind me asking. However you're in luck then since whisky is not "alcohol" but a "soul soother".

[GG]LvD