Slainte-Mhath
Myken Hungarian Touch
Single Malt — Nordland, Norway
Reviewed
November 30, 2019 (edited December 2, 2019)
Ever heard of Myken? Far out in the Norwegian Sea, this small island is home to 12 inhabitants - and the world's first Arctic whisky distillery! Partly matured in 50 l Hungarian oak casks, the nose of this young malt is fruity, spicy and yeasty. Gooseberries, mango and vanilla mix with juniper, cereals and hints of sawdust. On the palate, a briny punch of virgin oak dominates the vivid and youthful taste, followed by Greek yogurt, white pepper and unripe pears. Lemongrass, wood spices and espresso notes remain in the medium finish. Not bad for a 3-year-old!
RATING: 3.0/5.0 stars ≙ 80 pts → AVERAGE
69.0
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@Slainte-Mhath - ok, I tried. I’ll stick to whisky. :)
Sadly unavailable out here - I'd love to try it and would buy a bottle just to support them.
@Rick_M Norwegian islands are solid rock, no way you will get a decent lawn on top of that. Furthermore, you'd play in utter darkness for a couple of months...
@Slainte-Mhath - sure, only need about 300 acres at either end of the island. :)
@Rick_M On Myken? The island is only 2 km x 400 m...
@Slainte-Mhath - time for a golf course. :)
@1901 I will review Myken's second release 'Peated Sherry' next week. They used 40 l seasoned Oloroso casks in this expression, and the result is very promising.
@Slainte-Mhath interesting that it is temperate in Myken. And a good choice for them to choose the lower capacity casks
@1901 Actually, there is a second distillery in Norway producing 'Arctic whisky', which is Aurora distillery east of Tromsø. They use old WW2 bunkers as warehouse to mature their stock, and I've tried their spirit 'Odin's Share'. To be honest, it was barely drinkable and tasted like new make with a dash of oak. Maturation could be more of an issue here, as it's simply too cold. Myken's location seems much better, and they are working a lot with 40 l and 50 l casks to accelerate maturation.
@PBMichiganWolverine Myken is not far from Lofoten, it can be reached by ferry via Bodø.
@Slainte-Mhath must be a stunning location. I’ve been to Lofoten, which I fell in love with—-I’m imaging similar setting for this
@1901 Surprisingly, the climate is pretty similar to Northern Scotland. Myken is surrounded by the Gulf Stream, so despite its location north of the polar circle, temperatures fluctuate between -2°C and 15°C.
@Soba45 Young people were leaving the island, and distillery manager Roar Larsen figured that they had to do something to keep the little community alive. Fishing alone was not enough to keep people on Myken. Now there is the distillery, a bed and breakfast and visitors coming to this remote place.
Nice review (and geography lesson!) I wonder how being so northerly affects maturation?
Interesting..desalinated sea water must be a whiskey first. I wonder why they chose that particular island if only 12 inhabitants?
Additional comment: Myken Hungarian Touch was matured in two 200 liter ex-bourbon barrels, and one ex-bourbon barrel where the spirit started out in four 50 liter Hungarian virgin oak casks for 10 months. The total maturation time was 3 years and 10 months with an output of 1,200 bottles.
Additional information: An introduction to Myken distillery can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxFvG5WReOA and to Myken Hungarian Touch & Myken Peated Sherry by distillery manager Roar Larsen (interviewed by WhiskyJason): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQU_MwN3B4o
Additional information: Myken distillery was established in 2014 and is Norway's largest whisky producer. Made from desalinated seawater, imported barley and yeast, Myken produces 'Arctic Single Malt Whisky' according to traditional Scottish rules. All expressions are bottled at 47% ABV, non-chill filtered and without added colorant. All details on fermentation time, cut points, maturation and cask types and numbers can be found on the distillery website.