Mackmyra Svensk Rök

At this time the taste was lame and there was almost no any odour.

Svensk Rok translates to “Swedish smoke”, so Mackmyra distillery isn’t trying to be creative with the name of this single malt- at all. This is a peated whisky and they experimented by adding juniper to the end of the smoking process in an effort to add serious spice and florals to the already smoky malt. It’s natural color and non-chill filtered, while bottled at 46.1% ABV and a 500ml bottle cost me $28. Not a bad price, even though it’s a small bottle. It’s pale yellow and makes medium, oily legs and drops while still appearing watery overall. The nose starts out quite medicinal on the smoky aspect. There’s a light, Laphroaig-y band aid note that needs to dissipate before you can pick up other subtle nuances like vanilla, Juniper flower, honey and a very faint brine scent. The palate was surprisingly heavy on the charcoal and cigarettes. The peat stayed strictly mineral and dry. Any florals and sweetness were over washed by the cigarette note, which really made this one a tough for me as I despise that smell. The mouthfeel was rough and abrasive, as well, so the whisky must be quite young. The finish came across as wet cigarettes that linger on and on (which I did not let last very long- I had to chase it with water after 15-20 seconds). Medicinal notes and minerals left everything dry and I couldn’t wait to chase this with another sweet, sherried malt. Overall, this did not suit my palate one bit. I’ve tasted tobacco on many malts before- and while I wouldn’t describe that as an overly enjoyable flavor IMHO, I have learned to appreciate what it adds to most richer tasting whiskies. This cigarette note, however, is an entirely different matter. I just do not like it. Thankfully, this was a small bottle and after I poured a long term sample (that I’ll never knowingly drink lol) and a few more for possible trades- there wasn’t much left so I dispatched the rest of the bottle very quickly. I know I won’t replace this one, but I’d still like to try a few more things from Mackmyra- but I think I’ll stick to unpeated malts going forward. This one gets 1.5-2 stars from me. Cheers.

Want to try