Mackmyra Destination

Having finished their  Säsongswhisky 'seasonal' releases Swedish distillery @Mackmyra have come up with something along the same lines with Destination.

It's an invitation to whisky lovers all around the world to come and visit them at one of their many destinations. Let's see what it's like...

Sweden don't have the same stuck-in-the-mud restrictions on the use of casks that the Scottish whisky industry has. Whilst Scottish distillers must:

"Mature in new oak casks and/or in oak casks which have only been used to mature wine (still or fortified) and/or beer/ale and/or spirits with the exception of: 

• Wine, beer/ale or spirits produced from, or made with, stone fruits; 

• Beer/ale to which fruit, flavouring or sweetening has been added after fermentation; 

• Spirits to which fruit, flavouring or sweetening has been added after distillation and where such previous maturation is part of the traditional processes for those wines, beer/ales or spirits."

their Swedish cousins are free to use whatever they like and Mackmyra in particular do. But in this case they've stuck to 'traditional' scotch whisky type casks with a marriage of 4 different cask types::

• 33% Ex-Port wine cask, 600 L 
• 33% American oak cask, 200 L
• 25% Ex-Bourbon cask, 200 L
• 9% Oloroso-seasoned American oak, cask, 200 L

Destination in this case refers to one of their warehouse location, Mackmyra currently have nine warehouse locations!

Let's find out about the whisky:

Distillery notes: 

Mackmyra Destination is a non-peated whisky that to a large extent has been aged in casks that previously held port wine. These casks give the whisky deep notes of red grapes, raisins and a beautiful chestnut colour. Together with American oak casks that contribute with notes of vanilla fudge. The finished result is balanced, yet complex and round.

Make sure to let the whisky breathe for a while before enjoying it. This will open up the palette to sparkle with beautiful notes. This whisky is an invitation to whisky lovers all around the world to come and visit us at one of our many destinations. 

Nose: Pear and raisins in a lovely combination, followed by sweet notes of fudge and almond paste.

Taste: Prominent notes of vanilla fudge and almond paste that comes from the American oak casks. Sweet raisins and berry-like nuances of white heart cherry and blackberry..

Aftertaste: Sweet berries and hazelnut, finished with lively notes of oak.

My thoughts:

Appearance: Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, take an age to bead up and eventually fall as slow thick legs.

 

Nose: Summer berries, cherries, chewing nuts (caramel covered in milk chocolate), a little almond nuttiness and some vanilla.

Palate: Thick sweet arrival, almost chewy, which immediately turns into a bite of peppery spice. The berries from the nose are here: blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. The caramel is here too - more runny and sticky. Some Battenberg cake and cherry loaf with a drying note as the liquid disappears.

 

Finish: Dry with lingering berries, cherries and almonds.

Thoughts: I can't remember a Mackmyra I haven't liked and this one is going to be rated near the top of my list! I'm a sucker for a port finish, as long as it hasn't been for too long, and this one ticks all the boxes - summer berries, dryness and a little nuttiness. Yummy!

Many thanks to @Mackmyra for the sample!