2014-06-05 by Thomas Øhrbom (Whisky Saga)

This whisky is also known as Mackmyra Special 05 Happy Hunting (literal translation of the Swedish ‘Jaktlycka’). This expression was bottled in 2005 and released in the Autumn of 2010. It is now discontinued. The Mackmyra Special 05 Jaktlycka has been finished on casks that have been saturated with lingonberry wine. I think that is a first, in the wide world of whisky. The whisky was matured in small casks of 30 and 100 liters, made from Swedish oak. There is definitely a strong Swedish influence on the production of this whisky, so let’s see if this is a plus for the end product.

Nose: (23/25): Quite fresh and fruity. I can certainly detect a lot of berries here; especially strawberries and lingonberry. I also detect vanilla, a hint of champagne, some licorice, and a few spices. A mental image of a dusty sawmill and huge stacks of freshly cut timber and resin. I must confess I like this!

Taste: (21/25): Rich and with a punch. Quite spicy delivery, with lots going on. There’s berries on the taste as well, summer fruits, mild caramel, pepper corns, freshly grated ginger.

Finish: (20/25): Falls off a bit too quickly. Narrows into a slim trickle of spiced caramel, ginger and vanilla. Becomes more watery and thin, then unfortunately dies an early death.

Balance: (21/25): I really liked the nose on Jaktlycka, but it falls short on the finish. Give this a few more years and it can develop into a really nice whisky!

Score: (85/100)

Link to original review on whiskysaga.com