Mackmyra Svensk Whisky

BT42 — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 21:53:43 +0000

While on a shortish break to Sweden I used the chance to visit the Mackmyra Svensk Whisky destillery. While not actually having tried the Whisky yet, I fancied having a look at the place. While the English website doesn’t offer much of a clue regarding visiting times, but a quick google.translate helped me to find what I was looking for. I guess I found the reason for this: the tour is only available in Swedish. But as the staff speak English, all further questions I had where answered. The destillery itself is near the town of Gävle about two hours north of Stockholm.

The tour starts with history of Mackmyra and general introduction to whiskymaking. Special note here is that when peating their malt they also add juniper berries and if you want to you can actually buy a cask right from the start and watch it mature over the years. Then it was off to the actual production areas. Quite interesting for me was actually having to put on hairnet, shoecovers and a labcoat. They do mill their malt directly on site and have one steel mash tun and I think I counted four washbacks. The next room situates the wash still and the main still. One thing you won’t find here is a spirit safe. I was told that the Swedish government gets its share the moment the Whisky is botteled – as opposed to the Scots, who get taxed by Her Majesty the moment the spirit is filled into the barrel. After that the tour’s over and finishes without a tasting. I think it is possible to have a tasting for about 50 Krones, but I had to miss out at that point due to arriving by car.

First post

BT42 — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:16:22 +0000

Quite fitting I think, that this – my first post on this blog – should be done on what seems to be National Scotch Day over in the states. I’ve been carrying this idea of doing this whisky blog for some time now – mainly for getting the whisky of my main blog and giving it some place to breathe on its own. So, Single Malt Sake. Where did I get this name from? I was visiting the Nikka Yoichi Destillery on the beautiful island of Hokkaido and by chance strolled past the “Nikka Bar” in downtown Sapporo. A very distinguished and charming little bar it is officially the only other place exept for the Yoichi destillery where you can try Nikka’s single casks (allthough I have had some in the Zoetroppe Shot Bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo – but more on that some other day). After a refreshing with a superb Moscow Mule, I was browsing through the drinks menu and couldn’t really find the advertised single casks. I was helpfully pointed to the page labelled “Raw Sake” and soon found myself enjoying a lovely 10 yo Yoichi Single Cask. While most people will only connect rice wine or rice spirits with sake I was told by several Japanese friends and colleagues that it can basically also mean any kind of refined alcohol. So, that’s where the Sake comes from. I guess the Single Malt part should explain itself.

So, no Idea sofar, what exactly I will be writing about. Whisky definetly. Japanese and Scottish ones mainly. Now that I am no longer in Japan, more focus on the Scottish ones. And then I guess anything Whisky related. Places to buy, places to drink, places to visit. Oh, and some fuzzy bits that will meander through the world of Whisky from time to time. I hope you enjoy my ramblings and love to hear your thoughts and comments, point me into new directions and the odd new dram.