Festivals are great for trying new and upcoming releases. One such new whisky is the Mackmyra Iskristall (Ice Crystal). This is the third release in their new Seasons Series, which took over from the Mackmyra Special series, the previous two being Midnight Sun and Mid-Winter (reviews of these will also be arriving here soon).
This whisky has been matured on a mix of American oak, ex-bourbon casks and Swedish oak. It has also been given a finish on Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, and the finish has been a bit longer than what Mackmyra has used for previous releases (we are still talking months though). The average age of the content in the bottle is about 7 years, but there will be both older and younger elements.
The Mackmyra Iskristall will be released in Sweden on December 5, 2014 (item number 40461). The sales price is as yet unknown, but I presume it will be priced about the same as the previous whiskies in the same series, which means around SEK 600.
Nose: (22/25): Quite warm and spicy. There are some oaky spices here, as well as warm fruity notes. Underneath this there is a cooler element, mint or menthol. I quite like this nose.
Taste: (21/25): Caramel flavored popcorn! A bit more spicy now – peppery. The sherry notes are very mild, but again I find the cool elements. More towards oaky coolness now – eucalyptus. With water it is more peppery still.
Finish: (21/25): Rich and fruity. The sherry influence more pronounced. Honey, raisins, dark fruits, slightly grassy or herbal.
Balance: (21/25): I quite like the contrast between the warmer sherry influence and the cooler eucalyptus notes. I am certainly thinking of winter, cold nights in front of a warm fireplace. Well done!
