Tag Archives: Mackmyra

Northern Lights – Crown Royal, Flóki, Mack

Posted on by
Reply

It can be a lot of fun playing around with a whisky theme. With the right combination, you can discover something different even in a familiar dram, or appreciate nuances in a spirit you may otherwise dismiss.

It was one of those kinds of sessions, held together by a distinctly “northern” theme. So while it it was swelteringly hot outdoors, we retreated to the cool ac of indoors and enjoyed our Northern Lights evening of:

While none would be considered outstanding, yet each was unique and as a set, enabled us to appreciate their different dimensions.

Talk turned to affordability… these days in the quest for something special, prices can become daunting. This was a terrific reminder that in the right company, context and frame of mind, there is no need to spend a “bomb” to obtain something quite enjoyable.

Case in point, when we looked up prices discovered:

  • Northern Harvest Rye $32
  • Mack $42
  • Flóki $52

From our perspective, these are all eminently affordable for quite affable drams.

What was even better was the tales of how each made it from their respective locales to Mumbai… details coming over the next few days!

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Celebrating 30+ European whiskies!

Posted on by
4

In the grand scheme of things, trying 30 whiskies is no big deal.

But when you live in India and those happen to be European whiskies… it is an accomplishment!

Let’s face it, exploring the world of whiskies behind a crazy custom’s “curtain” that restricts access not just bringing into India but state by state… means relying on individuals making an effort to source directly from far-flung lands rather than simply strolling over to a corner liquor store.

Hence it is indeed a celebration – with thanks – to share a summary of European samples! Now… just providing a list alone isn’t fun.. so with each, I’ve shared a fleeting impression so you can see what might peak your interest to read more…

European Whiskies  

Many of the Nordic whiskies came compliments of  from Whisky Saga – yeah to the #WhiskyFabric – it is a beautiful generous thing!

The Europe page is continuously updated as we explore more whiskies, so feel free to check back anytime to read of more!

PS – Anyone spot the ‘malted spirit’ rather than proper whisky??

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Nordic Explorers – What a journey!

Posted on by
2

Over the past few months, a fellow whisky lady and I have slowly been working our way through a delightful dozen 20 ml bottles representing five Nordic countries and seven distilleries.

There were some highlights and lowlights and it was a fascinating tasting travel. For those who missed the individual posts, I thought I would share a short synopsis of our Nordic journey…

Sweden - Smogen + Box

Denmark

Finland

Iceland

Norway

Sweden

Nordic Whisky Set

*** Thank you again  from Whisky Saga for this uniques samples ***

Now… to fill these bottles back up and return the favour. What shall we chose for Thomas to try??

PS These are not the only Nordic whiskies we’ve sampled… Check out the Europe page.

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Ladies Choice – Mackmyra Vinterdröm 46.1%

Posted on by
Reply

Our Ladies Choice evening moved on to the cooler climes of Sweden with Mackmyra’s limited edition Vinterdröm – an experiment partnering with Plantation Rum for a Caribbean rum cask finish.

Susan Dias returns as our next Whisky Ladies of Mumbai guest whisky reviewer…

(Susan's LInkedIn profile)
(Susan’s LinkedIn profile)

What does a Chartered Accountant with a fierce pride in Indian traditions and keen interest in local spirits do? Naturally start a venture, Native Brews, with a dream of celebrating traditional artisanal Indian spirits in a contemporary context.  

After completing extensive exploration and research into remote corners of India, Susan has been working hard experimenting with the distillation of Mahua, a flowering tree found in central India.

More recently, her distillation adventures have lead to the creation of a unique set of Indian gins that should be available soon…

Susan consistently displays a keen nose and wry wit in her whisky tasting approach! 

mackmyra-vinterdrom

Here is what Susan has to say about the Mackmyra Vinterdröm 46.1%…

Tasting Notes:

  • Colour: Pale gold
  • Nose: Clean, spices – cinnamon and cloves, caramelised fruit, demerara sugar
  • Palate: Sharp hit of spices, salty caramel, fresh clean wood, toast
  • Finish: Long, lingering spices, bitter dry
  • Water: Water opens the spices on the nose and palate

Vinterdrom is Mackmyra Distillery’s newest offering in its limited edition ‘Seasons’ range. Each whisky in this range has received a different finish and for Vinterdrom, Mackmyra used oak casks which previously held rum from Bardabos and Jamaica.

The Caribbean influence is amply evident. The whisky is sweet and spicy and has a warmth that would make it ideal for a winter evening. Whisky purists might find it hard to shake off the ‘rum’ness of the liquid but given what Mackmyra set out to do, Vinterdrom is an interesting experiment of a seasoned whisky with a Caribbean twist.

This whisky would make for great company on a chilly evening paired with some dense chocolate dessert.

Here is what the folks from Mackmyra have to say:

Mackmyra Vinterdröm is a fruity and slightly spicy Swedish single malt whisky, made in limited edition. The whisky is a collaboration with rum producer Plantation Rum and has a finish from casks that previously stored Barbados and Jamaican Rum. The result is a soft oaky whisky with notes of orange, vanilla and demerara sugar – a Carribbean love affair.

  • Nose – Spicy and fruity, slightly oily with notes of anises, dried fruits and molasses and a soft light oakiness. Some spiciness and notes of tobacco leaves.
  • Taste – Fruity, spicy and oily. Well balanced with anise, tobacco leave, a saltiness and some raisins and vanilla.

What else did we sample in our “Ladies Choice” evening for the BMC gentlemen?

For more related updates and activities, check out:

Whisky Ladies Choice – Treating the BMC Gentlemen…

Posted on by
Reply

Last year, the gentlemen from the Bombay Malt & Cigar club took it upon themselves to treat the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai to an evening of Irish whiskies and cigars.

This year, it was our turn to return the favour.

We debated a range of different approaches and finally decided on a theme of “Ladies Choice.” And what pray tell did that mean to us?

We wanted to share with the gentlemen some of the most memorable whiskies we sampled together as a tasting group. They may not be the world’s best whiskies but they would be our “Choice” – ones that stood out in some kind of way.

We went about it in a democratic manner and voted, tallied up the responses to create a “short-list”, then began the efforts to source these whiskies.

Our approach was a bit flexible, in some cases we knew it would be impossible to source the EXACT same whisky. What worked was finding something from the same distillery or similar category.

The whiskies were literally sourced from around the world involving travel, friends of friends and even last minute acquisitions…

What made it into our final “Ladies Choice” list?

Japan – Akashi Red Blended Whisky 40%

  • In truth we had several Japanese whiskies in mind however the Akashi was accessible and a refreshing departure from the expensive exclusive impossible to find Japanese single malts, so figured why not!
  • It also made for a perfect ‘appetizer’ whisky to get the evening going…

Sweden – Mackmyra Vinterdröm 46.1%

  • The most enjoyable peaty Mackmyra Svensk Rok 46.1% captured our attention with its clean, minimalist yet smoky qualities.
  • So when our Swedish whisky lady went on the hunt over Christmas for something distinctly different from the distillery, this limited edition “Caribbean love affair” avatar was her pick!

India – Paul John Single Cask #1844 60.5%

  • The Paul John Select Cask Peated Batch 1 “OMG bacon!” made many Whisky Ladies swoon for more during our Paul John evening… we definitely wanted to include a Goan single malt, preferably a Select Cask or Single Cask…
  • Thankfully Michael from Paul John distilleries was able to oblige our interest – literally hand delivering this single cask a mere two days before our evening!

France – Kornog Taouarc’h Pempved 14 BC 46%

  • Kornog’s whisky from Bretagne will forever be known in our group for the comment “How did you go from being a perfect gentlemen to getting my bra off like that?” (WL on Kornog Taourac’h Trived 10 BC 46%)
  • Alas the Trived 10 BC was no longer available so we took a gamble on the newer Pempved 14 BC…

Taiwan – Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask S090102020 57.1%

  • There was no doubt a Kavalan was going to make the cut…
  • By a very wide margin, the Solist Sherry Cask topped the charts with the most votes from all our Whisky Ladies tasting experiences. So… it simply HAD to be our ‘showstopper’ of the evening!

Somehow not one Scottish whisky made it into the list. Not a single one. It wasn’t deliberate. It was simply how the votes panned out.

But that says something about how the whisky world is going…

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Nordic Explorer #7 – Sweden’s Mackmyra 3 Year Bachair Private Cask

Posted on by
Reply

Our Nordic exploration followed with a 3rd whisky from Mackmyra distillery.

After the first drop (De Första Dropparna), the 8 year old Dram Good Whisky, our attentions turned to Bachair Private Cask. Now, we tried to find out more about this whisky – to no avail!

We suspected in this case ‘private cask’ literally means it is indeed a private cask and not available on the open market. Lucky us!

Nordic Whisky Set

Mackmyra 3 year “Bachair” Private Cask

  • Nose – Varnish, smoked pine, sweet grass, peat like the embers of a dampened campfire. As it aired more, it became increasingly sweet, windy woods
  • Palate – Smooth then opened into wildfire, outdoorsy, bit of warm alcohol burn
  • Finish – Like it was reminded one “Still here mate!”

Very different than the other two… this had a very ‘back to nature’ kind of vibe. Distinct and quite unforgettable. Hence our curiosity to learn more…

I turned to our whisky benefactor ( from Whisky Saga) who confirmed this is indeed a real live actual private cask.

He shared that many Nordic Nordic distilleries will allow individuals or groups of individuals to purchase a cask of their choice (typically bourbon or sherry) and have it filled with their choice of new make (typically peated or unpeated), then one waits for a minimum of three years and decide when to bottle it. 

And this particular one? It was purchased by friends of our whisky benefactor… who came up with the name ‘Bachair’ one late night. With a whisky like this, certainly can’t have come from listening to Bach’s Air in G string at the time?? 

*** Whiskies courtesy of  from Whisky Saga ***

For more information on Mackmyra whiskies, do read Thomas’ posts on Whisky Saga. Specifically:

Other Nordic whisky experiences include:

Other Nordic whiskies sampled together:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Nordic Explorer #6 – Sweden’s Mackmyra 8 year Dram Good Whisky

Posted on by
Reply

Our Nordic exploration continued with another whisky from Mackmyra distillery.

After the first drop (De Första Dropparna), we moved on to an 8 year old Mackmyra.

Now it wasn’t directly released by Mackmyra… nothing so simple as that! Instead Dram Good Whisky is a collection of friends who banded together to buy barrels of whisky. You won’t find this cheeky label on a retail shelf anywhere.

Which made our having an opportunity to try a sample all the most appealing. Our inner whisky geek was getting rather tickled at the opportunity to try something a wee bit obscure!

Mackmyra 8 year Dram Good Whisky No 3, 54.4%

  • Nose – Much more subtle than the 1st drop, fruits, juniper, apricot, stewed fruits, minerals, vanilla
  • Palate – A touch harsh, mineral, more juniper, wood, resin, pine, lively
  • Finish – Bitter wood, herbal

Overall it was quite pleasant. While still in the territory of being a bit ‘raw,’ it managed to achieve the state of becoming a drinkable dram that made us wish we had just a few drops more.

Once again, what a treat to try something we would otherwise have never been able to acquire!

*** Whiskies courtesy of  from Whisky Saga ***

For more information on Mackmyra whiskies, do read Thomas’ posts on Whisky Saga. Specifically:

Next up in our Nordic whisky experiences:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Nordic Explorer #5 – Sweden’s Mackmyra Preludium 01 – The First Drops 3 year 55.6%

Posted on by
Reply

Our Nordic exploration continued with whiskies from Mackmyra distillery.

This was not our first encounter with this Swedish distillery. Years ago I sampled Svensk Ek in Singapore and then our whisky ladies enjoyed the peatier Svensk Rök.

1st up? The first drop (De Första Dropparna) brings together the first drops from their pilot distillery (1999-2002) and the first casks from their first real distillery – Mackmyra Bruk. It was released in March 2006 and the sample comes from our Nordic explorers collection, courtesy of Thomas at Whisky Saga.

Macmyra website

Macmyra website

Mackmyra Preludium:01 – De Första Dropparna, 3 year 55.6%

  • Nose – First whisky harshness, the vanilla, berries, perfume, apples, cinnamon, soft fruits, caramel, apricot, a bit of wood
  • Palate – A bit raw, alcohol. However the ‘hooch boom’ dashed off. While clearly young, it was sweet, raw wood, itchy nose
  • Finish – Limited

While clearly young and on the brash side, it takes a certain panache to stand up and say “Here is where we started!” Given that we have enjoyed where they have gone since, it was indeed interesting to see where the journey began.

World best whisky? Nope.

Fantastic to see the early stages? Absolutely!

*** Whiskies courtesy of  from Whisky Saga ***

For more information on Mackmyra whiskies, do read Thomas’ posts on Whisky Saga. Specifically:

More Nordic whisky experiences coming soon!

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Nordic Whiskies – Explorer’s Edition

Posted on by
2

Once upon a time there was a Swedish lass who wandered her way to India…

She came upon a gal from the Canadian prairies…

Who just so happened to have a penchant for whiskies…

Which became a shared passion…

And their forays into further malty discoveries commenced…

Along the way, the Swedish lass decided it was high time to check out what her erstwhile home and native land could produce. Hence the distinctive Mackmyra Svensk Rök made its way to the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai.

However it merely whetted their appetites for more… Yet how to quench this thirst for Nordic whiskies in merry Mumbai?

20160713-NordicWhiskyTo their rescue came a kind gentleman with a collection of Nordic whiskies – vast and wide! He hand-picked a special ‘Nordic explorers edition‘ of remarkable whisky samples.

This care package wound its way first from Norway to Sweden then on to India… the precious cargo revealed a goodie pack of whiskies… and the lasses could not contain their excitement at receiving such bounty!

Coming soon will be tales of Nordic tastings… a delightful dozen representing five countries and seven brands.

Denmark

Finland

Iceland

Norway

Sweden

Nordic Whisky Set

*** Whiskies courtesy of  from Whisky Saga ***

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Straight from Sweden – Mackmyra Svensk Rök 46.1%

Posted on by
5

I’ve been impatiently waiting to sample this beauty since December. I knew one of our Whisky Ladies made the trek back to Sweden with the intention of picking up something interesting. I also knew her personal preferences lean towards peat so was secretly hoping for this very bottle to make its way back to Mumbai.

I remember sampling the Mackmyra Brukwhisky at La Maison du Whisky – while I quite enjoyed its fresh youthful dance and loved what the folks at Mackmyra are doing, was looking for something with a bit more complexity and depth for an upcoming tasting session.

However I remained curious to try more and have avidly been reading Whisky Saga‘s adventures with Nordic whiskies – Sweden specifically.

To say I was delighted to sample their Swedish Smoke avatar is putting it rather mildly.

Mackmyra Svensk Rok

Mackmyra Svensk Rök 46.1%

  • Nose – Juniper, a perfumy smoke, light, honey, quite herbaceous, woodsy, sweet in a way that is almost florals but not quite, cut grass, coriander, a minty freshness that softens into vanilla
  • Palate – Smoke and spice and everything nice! Warm not sweet. A delightful ‘tingle’ that wakes you up.
  • Finish – Has an oaky smokey linger
  • Water – 2 drops rounds the smoke, 3 drops dampens to much! (Precise distinction!)

Talk turned to where this whisky would best be sampled? Consensus was after a vigorous ski, relaxing in a chalet where the whisky warms and perks up at the same time.

This is not an ‘easy’ whisky and is certainly distinctive. There is something quite appealing about how it has a clean ‘minimalist’ quality with no pretence.

Personally I also find a 50cl bottle just right. Enough to amply share in a tasting session with a dram left to enjoy at home later. If I could only find 4 such bottles on international trips, could bring in more variety within the 2 L import limit to India!

Here is what the Mackmyra folks have to say about their Svensk Rök:

In Sweden we have used juniper to season our food for generations. Now you can enjoy the timeless flavor in a golden form. The aroma is slightly smoky and spicy, with a much smokier flavor and peaty juniper notes. Together, the flavors unites in a quite unique Swedish flavor.

Swedish Smoke is the only smoky single malt whisky made on Swedish ingredients only.

  • Nose: The nose is slightly smoky and spicy with aromas of peat, juniper, vanilla, caramel, citrus, pears and raisins. Spicy oak notes such as toasted bread and anise.
  • Taste: Smokier than the nose with smoky, peaty, juniper notes. Dry, oaky aromas found with light tobacco leaves and herbs. A slight saltiness with minerals, anise and green fruits.

Mackmyra Svensk Rok Label

Other whiskies sampled that evening were:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on: