The Casks

Cask 05-154 | 45 BOTTLES | 53.4%ABV

This is the oldest cask in the selection, in terms of filling date, which occurred on the 21st Oct 2005 and was bottled just under 7 years later on the 20th September 2012. The cask was filled with unpeated new make and the woodtype was a typical ex-Bourbon cask, re-coopered to 30 litres, as are all the casks in the Reserve program. 

What is unique about these bottles’ cask is that it was stored at Häckeberga Castle, which officially opened as a warehouse in 2006, meaning this cask was one of the first casks into this location. This warehouse had very limited storage and was only offered to Swedish customers. 

Häckeberga Castle is Mackmyra’s most southerly warehouse in Sweden, about 50 miles from Copenhagen, and has made use of the castle’s cellar. This led to a higher temperature fluctuation compared to other warehouses, affecting the volume more than the alcoholic strength in the cask. Thus, this cask generated 45 bottles with a strength of 53.4%. The new make for this cask was from the original Bruks distillery and was filled at 63% abv. 

Cask 07-0314 | 52 BOTTLES | 51%ABV

The second oldest cask (by date filled), born on 27th September 2007 and bottled on 21st August 2012, so just under 5 years in a 30L ex-bourbon cask, filled with the smokey (peated) recipe new make. This cask matured in the Bodås Mine, an old iron ore mine about 50km from the distillery that opened as a warehouse in 2004. 

The mine has a very high humidity, complimented by a stable temperature around 12 degrees celsius all year round. Generally casks stored in this warehouse lose more ABV, but keep a more consistent volume. This cask has 52 bottles at 51%ABV.

As with the majority of these bottles, the new make was from the original Bruks distillery in Mackmyra village.

Cask 08-0338 | 55 BOTTLES | 41.7%ABV

Another Elegant recipe (non-peated new make), ex-bourbon cask; however the age on this one is very special. Filled 10 December 2008 and bottled 23rd August 2017 –  8 years, 8 months, 13 days in a 30 litre cask. This makes it the oldest bottles in this collection in terms of maturation time. 

Although an 8 year old whisky is nothing particularly exceptional, the smaller cask size will make a significant contribution to the flavour of this whisky. Generally speaking, 30 litre casks tend to mature whisky around 1.5x to 2x over a standard 200L cask, however it is not an exact like-for-like comparison. 

This new-make would have been distilled at the original Bruks distillery. The mines’ climatic conditions are prominent here with 55 bottles from the cask, but only at 41.7%.

Cask 10-0541 | 54 BOTTLES | 43.3%ABV

This cask was filled with Mackmyra’s Prestored recipe, which is new-make already matured in 200L casks for 4 years before being filled into the Reserve cask. In essence, this is a finished whisky matured in two different ex-bourbon casks; one large, one small.

Filled on the 20th January 2011 and bottled on the 20th August 2015, plus an additional 4 years initial maturation, this whisky is 8 years, 7 months. The original spirit would have been distilled in Bruks distillery in 2006/7. 

This cask resulted in 54 bottles at 43.3%ABV

Cask 11-1181 | 49 BOTTLES | 53.6%ABV

In 2012, Mackmyra opened the Mackmyra Village, relocating within Gavle to a dedicated site. Watch here for more information.

With this came the new Skogslagret or Forest Warehouse, a dedicated, climate-controlled warehouse a short walk from the main distillery. This cask matured here for 5.5 years between 4th October 2012 to 24th April 2018 in a Gravity cask (more on these below).

However, this cask is special for its recipe – Extra Rok (smoky), which re-launched in 2011 with this fantastic advert.

Mackmyra both malt and smoke the barley used in their peated whisky, using Swedish-grown barley and peat drawn from the nearby Karinmossen (Karin bog). To add a further Swedish dimension to the smoky flavour, the peat is seasoned with brittle juniper twigs. For the extra-smoky recipe, Mackmyra doubled the ratio of peated to unpeated malt in the new make, creating a phenol level around 55ppm. 

This cask resulted in 49 bottles at 53.6%ABV.

Cask 12-0202 | 49 BOTTLES | 56.3%ABV

Easily the most standout cask here!

In 2012, the new Gravity distillery opened after years of construction and cask owners were offered a unique experience – fill a cask with the ‘första dropparna’ the first drops from the new stills at the new distillery. This is one of those original casks and as far as we are aware, it has never been on the market as a single bottle. 

Born 19th June 2012 and bottled 30 October 2017 and matured onsite at the Forest warehouse, this cask reaped 49 bottles at a rather tasty 56.3%ABV. 

Watch Gravity Distillery foundations

Cask 14-0028 | 48 BOTTLES | 49.6%ABV

Another of Mackmyra’s destination warehouses is the Smögen archipelago on the western coast.  Only a thousand casks have been matured here in a rather picturesque fishing village. The warehouse is literally a stone’s throw from the sea, located in the harbour, so expect a strong coastal influence from this cask. 

This cask was matured for 6 years, 10 months, 13 days having been filled on 13th March 2010 and bottled on the 26th January 2017. Due to the coastal location, this cask has an average Angel’s share and ABV loss at 48 bottles at 49.6%ABV.

This is the only Oloroso cask in our selection, using a re-coopered cask rather than the seasoned casks that are currently offered. 

Cask MG-1004 | 48 BOTTLES | 54.4%ABV

The final of our cask is a smoky ‘Gravity’ cask, filled on the 29th November 2011. 

The Gravity cask is a special Mackmyra cask that launched in 2011 to coincide with the opening of the new distillery, of which this cask is one of the first. Gravity is ex-bourbon staves, but with Swedish Oak heads. These two woods compliment each other with the natural sweetness of the ex-bourbon offsetting the spiciness of the virgin Swedish Oak. The local oak is from the original cooperage and sourced from the Visingsö island.

This cask is matured for 6 years, 10 months, 23 days in the Forest Warehouse. The cask created 48 bottles at 54.4% abv.