Review: Mackmyra Svensk Ek and Intelligens AI:02 Swedish Whisky

Many smaller scale whisky distilleries (and plenty of bigger ones, too) are struggling around the world in the wake of the post-pandemic boom, but it has been a particularly tumultuous run of late for Sweden’s Mackmyra Distillery. Since last we tasted some of their offerings in 2022, the distillery announced plans to file for bankruptcy, only to be rescued in October by their largest shareholder and lender, Lennart Hero (his real name, so the press release pretty much writes itself).

For those unfamiliar with Mackmyra, the distillery got its start on the site of an old mill and power station in 2002 and quickly became one of the more cutting-edge world whisky producers. After releasing its first whisky in 2006, it upgraded to a new, state-of-the-art gravity distillery (one of the first) in 2011. Their master blender was also reportedly one of the first to use AI in whisky creation while also focusing on Swedish ingredients, relying on local barley, peat, and oak for a prolific lineup of whisky releases, most of which haven’t made it stateside. We’re told big things are coming from this recently rescued brand, but while we wait for those to materialize, here’s a look at two expressions currently available in the American market.

Mackmyra Svensk Ek Single Malt Whisky – The latest evolution in Mackyra’s very first single malt (which we tasted over a decade ago), the name translates to Swedish Oak. It is a blend of Mackmyra single malts aged in ex-bourbon, new American oak, and sherry casks along with a portion aged in slow-growing Swedish oak said to impart a unique spiciness. Like that first edition from yesteryear, the aroma is malty, with a generous, dry oak spice. It’s straightforward but still soothing. The palate is round and again frontloaded with a rich malty character that gives way on the midpalate to notes of apple chips and mildly astringent fresh oak before a warm and well-spiced finish of orange peel and clove. While things are all a bit monotone, the concentration of flavor is impressive. 92.2 proof. B+ / $60

Mackmyra Intelligens AI:02 Single Malt Whisky – The second release of Mackmyra’s AI-enabled single malt, reportedly produced in partnership with Microsoft. Using that company’s Azure computing system, Master Blender Angela D’Orazio arrived at a recipe not too dissimilar from the one above: first-fill bourbon, ex-oloroso sherry, virgin American oak, and small virgin Swedish oak casks. The aroma has a higher tone than the Svensk Ek but still showcases a healthy amount of roasted malt. The profile is much less dry, however, with notes of stone fruit and almond cake offering up a generous sweetness while a lacing of pipe smoke runs throughout. On the palate, there’s a nice balance of malt and fruit with notes of lemon cookie, cinnamon toast, and applesauce giving way to fresh citrus on the midpalate. It’s all not quite as sweet as the nose suggests, which is probably for the best. The finish is long and juicy with grapefruit, vanilla bean, and a flourish of black pepper. 92.2 proof. A- / $70

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