Mackmyra are renowned for their no age statement, flavour-dominated expressions and are very capable of keeping their collectors happy with numerous limited editions and seasonal releases. This whisky is no different in that respect, but quite different in many others. This seasonal release is named with the Swedish word for “harvest time” and is intended to celebrate the flavours of the grape vine harvest, by maturing some of Mackmyra’s quality stock from the Bodas mines for a final 6 months in Amarone red wine casks (provided by Masi Costasera). The packaging of the full product matches the latter’s former barrel contents with red wine colours and certainly befits the festive season for which it has been released. Available for a limited time only, this expression is bottled at the distillery’s preferred favourite 46.1% ABV.
Nose
Wow. There’s so much going on here. There’s that distinctive sweet and malty Mackmyra barley, but it is also quite drying, with a nutty spice. It’s a pretty punchy and fresh spirit here too – still recognisable as coming from their raw spirit (Vit Hund) nose – with quite a lot of sweetness. Not too much vanilla sweetness though, and with the red fruit influence there also and a fresh wood / saw dust note in the background, this could be my longest nosing note yet!
Taste
Strong malt to begin with, giving it a big biscuit bite, then comes the red grape fruitiness that we’ve been waiting for and some warming spices like nutmeg and ginger.
Finish
It’s a firey finish. Quite chemically actually but it soon dissipates. Juicy red fruits left behind (strawberries, cherries, and more red grapes). A cut and dry finale.
Verdict
Clearly the red wine casks are playing their part and strongly influencing the Mackmyra body that I’ve come to recognise (see notes on 7 other Mackmyra releases here). It’s certainly tasty stuff. Given the timing involved, I would love to taste the whisky again after way more than it’s 6 months in the Amarone casks as experienced here. On balance it tastes a lot like their Brukswhisky with added dollops of raisins and red grapes. We’ll never know the age of this whisky, as that’s not the Swedes’ way, but it feels very fresh and young. The youth seems to make everything quite extreme on the palate too. Overall, there are a lot of strong flavours at play but it is all balanced well and I rather enjoyed this. I’m also glad that this featured in the Dram Team’s monthly subscription because at £75 per bottle, it’s not exactly something I’d buy on a whim – not that I could any more as it’s totally sold out! Chalk up another success for Mackmyra!
M
whisky unplugged 
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