Back in the days that I regularly travelled to Singapore, I heard about an interesting store – vomFASS – where you could find specialty spirits, oils, vinegars and more!

A friend in Indonesia even purchased one of their whisky blends which we enjoyed one fine evening in Jakarta! However I somehow never made it to their Singapore shop… I was certainly curious, but there was always some other work or play priority…

Fast forward several years and now I – remarkably and conveniently – live nearby a vomFASS shop in Nurnberg, Germany!  For those who haven’t yet encountered these folks, over the last 25+ years, they’ve grown far beyond Germany with franchises scattered around 20 odd countries. The concept remains – purchase both bottle and liquid, return to refill your bottle from the cask you liked – if still available – or try something new.

Naturally I couldn’t resist and found myself picking up a trio!

So what made it into a wee 100 ml “barrel to bottle” vomFASS experience?

• Mackmyra “Valbo” 42.5%
• Teeling Reserve Small Batch Sherry 16 year 43%
• Mackmyra “Kungstorv” Peated 47%

Curious? Read on…

Mackmyra “Valbo” 42.5%

• Nose – Juicy Fruit bubblegum – think of something which combines bananas, pineapple and jackfruit with a powder coating, banana bread with walnuts, tropical banana liqueur, shifts a bit to reveal a dash of salty caramel, oat porridge with a sprinkle of brown sugar
• Palate – A delicious banana bread – not overly sweet, almost no spice beyond pink peppercorns, just easy going and enjoyable with a certain ‘freshness’
• Finish – Short but quite nice

This was a clear favourite – quite impressive – and definitely in the “we like” category from Mackmyra. Even better, the more it sat in the glass, the more enticing and enjoyable it became. Certainly one that you could enjoy sipping… with something sufficiently distinctive to know you were more in the “Scandi” than “Scottish” territory. What a treat!

As for the folks at vomFASS? They have this to share…

Swedish barley, which has a special sweetness due to the long summer days, crystal-clear water from the ice age and the maturation period in Swedish oak barrels give this whiskey a unique flavor. It received the name “Valbo” as a tribute to the region of origin of the same name. This outstanding whiskey received the gold medal at the international spirits competition of the Meininger publishing house and is exclusively available from vomFASS!

Teeling Reserve Small Batch Sherry 16 year 43%

• Nose – Initially overripe fruit, marshmallows, cherries then prunes, shifting fully into heavy dark fruits of dates, berries, spiced apricots and creme, a hint of bitterness , caramel custard and chocolate
• Palate – More oomph! Spice and character than anticipated. Liquorice bark
• Finish – After taste was flat cola

A promising beginning, no question there is a sherry stamp, while not complex, it was a respectable showing. However as it sat in the glass, the more it lost the interesting character and curiously settled into flat coca cola. Some drams come on strong initially and are best had ‘in the moment’ rather than linger… this seems to fall into such a category.

What more do we know from vomFASS? 

The Teeling Whiskey’s owner Jack and Stephen selected this small-batch exclusively for vomFASS. The whiskey used was matured in former Sherry Barrels. On the nose as on the palate rich in notes such as vanilla, sherry, dark fruits, nutmeg and with the typical sherry sweetness, which is rounded off through a marvellous spiciness, great fullness and a long finish.

Mackmyra “Kungstorv” Peated 47%

• Nose – Oh my! Peat – turbocharged! Intense, pine sweet peat or sweet grass, smoked hickory and maple bacon, cured meats – think a big fat pastrami on rye! As it spent more time in the glass, the aromas shifted from being meaty peaty to revealing a fruity sweetness – like baked apple pie, cinnamon apple porridge or cereal, stewed fruits topped with vanilla cream
• Palate – Sweeter and lighter on the palate than expected from the initial robust aromas, it had a nice oily heaviness, becoming sweeter and sweeter with each sip, flavours joining the aromas of pine and peat, an interplay of wood, sweet grass smoke and fruits
• Finish – Super dry, like taking a pull of a cigar that has not benefited from being stored in a humidor

It is quite intriguing… quite a contrast to variations of Islay peat… and when I learned Juniper branches are added to the peat fire? Hmm…. an interesting twist.

Here’s what the vomFASS folks have to add:

“Kungstorv” is Swedish for “Königstorf” and a name for this whiskey couldn’t be more appropriate.

The sweetness of the barley, spoiled by long summer days, the flavor of the Swedish oak and the strong peat smoke make this whiskey a noble drop that doesn’t have to hide from peated scotch. It gains particular sophistication from juniper branches that have been added to the peat fire.

Makes for a lovely little gift set…

From time to time, you can also find other whisky related updates and activities on:

• Facebook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN 
• Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN