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If ever you wanted proof that food and drink aficionados are prepared to go to extremes in the hunt for heritage and provenance, and that they’re not baulking at big and specialised flavours, then Mackmyra is it.
It’s both Swedish whisky and the whisky of Sweden, a strong flavoured and Scandinavian tasting malt which has been adopted in its homeland and is cherished in it. Such is its popularity at home that it doesn’t need to sell outside Sweden - but it’s winning new fans overseas by the year. In my home county of Norfolk, England, for instance, we’ve been tasting different expressions of Mackmyra for five years and here it has a sizeable following, which can spot it in a blind tasting a mile away.
Mackmyra’s story is among the most inspiring in whisky.
If you’re looking for a malt whisky which follows the Scottish production route but is offering something genuinely different, then Mackmyra’s your malt. Early bottlings in the company’s Privus and Preludium series were woody, salty, intensely peaty and at times like chewing liquefied fir trees. With junipers used for drying malt and with peat which has once been under the Baltic sea the resulting whisky was an acquired taste, and I don’t deny that one of the hardest tastings I’ve ever done was of eight early bottlings at the distillery.
But Mackmyra is an acquired taste just like olives and blue cheese are, and even those early releases showed progress. Then about three years ago the caterpillar turned in to a butterfly. Everything since has been a treat.
Mackmyra’s story is among the most inspiring in whisky. It was created after a group of friends hired a chalet for a ski holiday and, asked to bring a bottle for the bar, all brought Scotch. During a long drunken conversation they asked why Sweden, with such perfect conditions and a large following for quality malt, didn’t have its own whisky. At least two of the party remembered enough of the conversation the next day to do something about it.
From then on Mackmyra has blossomed, to a great extent from some inspired decisions on the part of its creators. They signed a deal with local farmers for a good deal on Swedish barley, for instance, decided to mature some spirit in very small casks, and best of all, involved a big slice of Swedish whisky fans by offering shares online and then involving them on decisions about stills and casks – very Swedish indeed.
They set up the distillery at Mackmyra – which means mosquito swamp - a childhood holiday destination of one of the founders, and they took over a huge underground mine as a distillation warehouse. They also have maturing warehouses by the coast, in the area of the country best known for food and drink, and on an island not far from Stockholm.
Mackmyra is a people’s drink. You can buy a small cask and are encouraged to come and visit it. The whisky can only be sold in Sweden through state shops and Mackmyra release dates are on occasion, attracting queues that only an Abba reunion could match.
About the editor
Dominic Roskrow is one of the world’s most published drinks writers, having covered the licensed trade for 20 years and whisky for 10. He is the former editor of Whisky Magazine and has freelanced for countless titles including The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator. He now concentrates on five projects: covering world whisky for The Whisky Advocate, writing for the New York Daily and editing international drinks magazine The Spirits Business, editing Whiskeria, which has a readership of 100,000, and editing The World Whisky Review, which he describes as a labour of love.
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Comments
Gold wrote:
Would love to try some of this stuff. From North of Stockholm, some way North of Uppsala. Cold in Winter, but not the Arctic part of Sweden where men are cold and polasr bears nervous (or, is it the other way around)....? Does anyone know of UK suppliers ? DG
Gold wrote:
Actually sod it, if it is not available, I am there in Feb 2012 and will bring some back - for ME
HansBlumenberg wrote:
I tried the Mackmyra Sommaräng, this was a very nice whisky. I like the ethos at this distillery.
Gold wrote:
Thanks Hans. How long does it take to get up there from Stockholm, where I will be in February ?
Pudge72 wrote:
What a great history and story to the distillery operations (underground mine as a warehouse...awesome!) Here's hoping the LCBO gets more in to 'world whiskies' and adds Mackmyra to the offerings!
Newton wrote:
Hi Gold! You can use these gps coordinate 60.66479, 17.10091 in Google maps for exact adress to Mackmyra. It's a 1,5 hour drive from Stockholm-Arlanda airport, 140km.
Welcome to Sweden!
Gold wrote:
Hej Newton thank you ! Might just do that provided weather "not too bad" in February (who am I kidding here !)
Gold wrote:
Mackmyra Moment Drivved - I've seen one review of this, which was very positive. I wonder if I can pick up a bottle in Stockholm, or even when I go up to the Distillery itself on 9th February 2012 ?
ColeT wrote:
@Gold. Welcome to Sweden then in february. It's only one company in Sweden that are allowed to sell alcohol (whisky, beer, wine etc.) A goverment owned company called Systembolaget, you can check their webpage, systembolaget.se I think it's only in swedish but you got a searchform up in the right corner on the page. If you search for Mackmyra there you'll get 11 hits.
Happy visit :-)
Gold wrote:
Thanks ColeT. I had heard rumours of this amazing system - how odd this would seem to most of the rest of Europe - is this a "relic" of the old, socialist days, of command and control ? This additional challenge will make the acquisition of the whisky all the sweeter !
ColeT wrote:
@Gold No problems mate. Honestly I don't know. I understand our monopoly -system seems a bit odd, and I agree with you. Think it's been this way since mid 1800s.
Though, they have 1300 different whiskies that can be ordered in there stores, so it's not only bad.
Acording to the goverment the reason is: "Systembolaget exists for one reason: To minimize alcohol-related problems by selling alcohol in a responsible way, without profit motive".
Gold wrote:
I know, I have a lot of Swedish friends, but have never quite understood the system, even though its been explained to me many times. I am not for one second, one millisecond, defending our system of having alcohol available at less than cost price in supermarkets - if you are in the UK you will know what happens in terms of alcohol-abuse and drunkeness ! But, my swedish mates are heavy drinkers, and they tend to "binge" more, which they say is precisely because its not so readily available, so when you have some, you drink it all !! Anyhow, vive la difference !!
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