Mackmyra Vit Hund

Nose: Green apples, pears, ethanol. It is slightly feinty and has an aroma of acetone and fruit salad that is starting to go off. There is no complexity. Palate: Warm, sweet arrival, a little yeasty and cardboard-like but pleasant. The fruit notes from the nose are apparent in the mouth as well but there is no development, the arrival just flows into the aftertaste. The texture is creamy in the same way vodka is creamy. Finish: Medium/short. It has a mildly herbal and very faintly metallic character. There is that almost-spoiled fruit note again, like apricot segments from a tin that has been opened for several days. Quirky, but not unpleasant. Vit Hund is Swedish for “white dog” and that is exactly what this is … sort of. White dog usually refers to new-make bourbon or rye spirit but this is malted barley spirit which has traditionally been called clearic or just "new-make". However I’m splitting hairs and I don’t think anyone would fail to understand that this is raw, unaged proto-whisky straight off the still with no cask maturation … sort of. It’s actually “tempered” new-make as it has been diluted down from still-strength to 46.1% abv. You can’t compare this directly against whisky so it must be judged in isolation or against other samples of new-make. The nose will seem familiar, but simultaneously alien, to any whisky drinker. The wood contribution is missing and we are so used to that in our whisky it seems weird when it is absent. I’ve seen reviews comparing this to grappa, vodka and other white spirits but what it most clearly resembles is a jonge genever with a very low botanical content. If you are familiar with such spirits you will instantly recognise the similarity. However genever has a softer and more complete character whereas this seems unfinished, which of course it is. Tasting new-make is something I’d encourage every enthusiast to do at least once (and frankly whenever the opportunity arises). You are most likely to have the chance when visiting a distillery or at a tasting event. It will give you a singular impression of what the distillate is contributing to a whisky, and it will also make obvious the reason why whisky is universally matured in wood. This is a pleasant spirit to take neat or over ice, and it is a good mixer. I tried it in a variety of drinks that are usually based on whisky, bourbon, rye, gin and vodka and it worked fine in each, but it did not work better than the correct spirit in any situation. I enjoyed this as an experiment but it will not become a staple in the bar. Although a taste of new-make is a good thing, buying a whole bottle is a different matter. I went through half my 500ml bottle in a week, trying it in different ways and I gave away two 30ml samples to friends. Since then the bottle has sat untouched and I imagine it will remain that way for the rest of time. “Above Average” : 81/100 (3 stars)