Smögen 8 Year Old (2020 batch)

The only Swedish distillery that I wholeheartedly can recommend. This is a great peaty experience and some truly good stuff! Mmm-mm!

My last night in Hawaii….and here I am sitting on the balcony in Hilo, directly looking at rough tropical ocean waves pounding against the lava foundation. This is as far as one can imagine from Sweden, and yet here I am having one of my favorite European distilleries, pour sent courtesy of @pkingmartin . This is what a young Ardbeg wishes it was. Wafts of smoke and peat as soon as you open the bottle. Peaty, smoky, lemon-y on the palette. Well beyond its 8 years. Comparing this to the Ardbeg 8, it’s a no competition. This is by far a more quality product, with focus on the liquid itself instead of marketing bullshit stories. Well made…and yes, pricey , as Smogen always is, but you are getting a top notch product that surpasses any Islay of equivalent age.

This edition is a vatting of 7 ex-bourbon barrels and 1 ex-sherry that was bottled at 59.8%. The nose starts with a mix of light sea breeze, barley fields, smoked meats and creamy orchard fruit then light sherry influence of musty grapes, cocoa nibs and roasted hazelnuts followed by tender slow cooked Jackfruit, apricots and candied lemon peel that transitions to ginger, cloves and gauze bandages with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to full mouthfeel starting moderately sour with a mild spice that slowly fades to sea salt seasoned grilled seafood then creamy orchard fruit, chocolate covered raisins and roasted hazelnuts followed by sautéed apples, apricots and sour lemon candy that transitions to ginger, cloves and burning hay bales with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a moderate pepper spice, lemon meringue, baked clams, dark chocolate, musty grapes and burning hay bales. This is a hell of a whisky that strikes me as a Swedish version of Octomore. The nose is a wonderful mix of smoke, ocean, light sherry and creamy fruits that carries over to the taste with a slightly higher spice where the youthful age is apparent with some mild sour fruits before the spicy finale with some sour sweets, seafood and peaty barnyard notes. I really like what Smogen has put together here and would love to try some of their stock at a higher age statement. At around $125 for a 500ml, it's priced high but it's also a very high quality product by a small craft distillery. If you happen to find a bottle and are interested in trying some Swedish whisky, I'd recommend going for it.