Svensk Whisky från Agitator – Argument: Islay PX 46%

Vänner! I torsdags kom ett paket på posten som visade sig innehålla den kommande releasen från Agitator, nämligen det fjärde släppet i serien Argument i vilken man samlar experimentella produkter tillverkade i mindre volym (mindre volym än standardbuteljerna). De föregående släppen i serien har i tur och ordning inneburit slutlagring på fat av Kastanj, fulltidslagring på Småfat, och senast en whisky tillverkad av råg och korn slutlagrad på fat som tidigare innehållit Lönnsirap. Experimenterandet går i allra högsta grad vidare för denna utgåva med det läskande namnet Islay PX. 

Receptet för den här utgåvan är som följer: råsprit tillverkad av torvrökt korn på 40ppm. Merparten är destillerad i Lågrefluxpannan (LR) och resterande del i Högrefluxpannan (HR). I mitt tycke ger LR en ren, tung, kraftig, jordig, och lite skitig råsprit, medan HR ger en ren, lätt och fruktig råsprit. För lagring har använts två olika fattyper: dels kvartsfat (130L) som först lagrat bourbon och därefter Islaywhisky, dels fat som först lagrat sherry av slaget Pedro Ximénez och därefter Islaywhisky. Innan flaskfyllning vattnades whiskyn ner till 46%. 6000 70cl-flaskor har producerats av denna utgåva och nu på fredag finns den tillgänglig i cirka 220 systembolagsbutiker. Ni finner produkten genom att klicka här.

För att kunna dela med mig av lite exklusiva detaljer kring receptet hörde jag av mig till den alltid så hjälpsamma Oskar Bruno (Destillerichef) som gav mig följande info: 54% av innehållet är lagrat på kvartsfat, och resterande 46% på PX-fat av storleken 250L. Samtliga kvartsfat fylldes med råsprit från LR. 60% av PX-faten fylldes med råsprit från LR och resterande 40% med råsprit från HR.   

Den här whiskyn fick jag möjlighet att provsmaka redan i mitten av april när jag besökte Agitators huvudkontor i Stockholm för att prata om kommande buteljering(ar) i vår fat-collab, idéer kring framtida whiskyprovningar, och lite annat trevligt.

Då blev det mest att sippa litegrann så jag har verkligen sett framemot att få göra en lite djupare analys vilket det är dags för... nu! 

Doft:
När jag andas in försiktigt genom näsan vid glasets kant är de första dofterna en mix av sälta, hav, mentol, läder, och en bred, omfamnande och mjuk torvighet. Det här känns verkligen Islay! En djupare doftning med näsan ner i glaset ger svag maltighet, krämig vanilj, vaniljsås, och Crème brûlée med inslag av brynt smör och lätt lakrits. Jag känner också nånting fruktigt, men det är i allra högsta grad flyktigt… jag försöker sätta ord på det och landar i röda äpplen, torkad aprikos, rosvatten, och svarta vinbär i fjärran. Doftmässigt rör det sig sammantaget definitivt om en bas av Islay (dock ingen rökighet som dödar näsan) med en elegans och finess av somrig fruktighet som glittrar i det övre registret. 

Smak:
Definitivt Islay-stil: sälta, saltlakrits, bred och tydlig torv, och en lagom skitig jordighet. Alkoholen är otroligt fint integrerad och bär fram mjuk vanilj som övergår i maltighet. Alkoholen stiger i munnen, upp i gommen, och förbi swishar lätt viol. Ur maltigheten framträder först en söt rök med skira stråk av torkade fikon, det vattnas i munnen, och sen kommer torv och rök tillbaka och tar nu större plats än tidigare. En svartpepparlik kryddighet retar min tungspets medan den torviga maltigheten och den mjuka vaniljen långsamt klingar bort och avslutar smakresan. 

Några summerande reflektioner:
Ja det här var verkligen en doft- och smakresa! Det är lätt att bli lurad av elegansen i doften och tänka att det här nog kommer vara en lätt rökig whisky, men så är inte riktigt fallet. Röken, eller kanske snarare torven, tar rätt stor plats i smaken och tillsammans med maltigheten och vaniljen utgör den helt klart whiskyns tydliga bas. Det här är dock ingen brötig historia utan fruktigheten i både doft och smak bidrar med djup och skapar tillsammans med torven en komplex whisky som jag både vill sitta och fundera kring och analysera, och bara vill sippa på och njuta av. Gärna på sommarstället i Roslagens famn, med ljumma sommarvindar som sällskap och utblick över havet. 

Slutligen ett stort tack till dom snälla människorna på Agitator för den fina möjligheten att recensera denna whisky innan släppet! For further and future updates please make sure to follow my FB-page by clicking here, my instagram by clicking here, and my twitter-page by clicking here. Copyright © and All Rights Reserved on all tasting notes and text by SamuelWhisky and pictures and videos likewise belong to SamuelWhisky, unless stated. If you would like to use any such material that belongs to SamuelWhisky or is associated with SamuelWhisky, please ask by sending me an email to samuelkarlssonorebro [at] gmail [dot] com and when permission is granted by stating the source. 

Bild med benäget tillstånd av Agitator

#samuelwhisky10år – Del 2: höjdpunkter i bloggandet och mina mest lästa tasting notes

Den 11:e oktober i år fyller SamuelWhisky 10år! Ett av sätten jag firar detta på är att den 11:e i varje månad fram till och med jubiléumsdagen posta retrospektiva nedslag i dom första 10 åren av SamuelWhisky. Totalt blir det alltså 10 specialinlägg för 10 år. I Del 1 i artikelserien skrev jag om vägen fram till SamuelWhisky, en bakgrundshistoria kring hur det kom sig att jag började blogga. I denna andra del gör jag en kvantitativ tillbakablick på mitt bloggande och mina tasting notes. 

Det var alltså den 11:e oktober 2013 som jag på FB startade bloggen SamuelWhisky. FB-sidan har tre huvudspår som tillsammans utgör allt det som har med Samuel och Whisky att göra; mina tasting notes, mässorna jag arbetar på, och provningarna jag genomför. 

På bloggens startflik, som du nu läser ifrån, är huvudspåret mina tasting notes och den 6:e-11:e oktober 2013 la jag först upp några äldre recensioner av whisky som jag tidigare postat i andra kanaler på FB. Mitt första originalinnehåll var den 12:e oktober, en tasting note av anCnoc 35yo som jag provade jag under Stockholm Beer & Whisky festival.

FB-sidan har i skrivande stund mer än 1500 följare och bloggen har hittills haft över 221k besök. Under 9 år har jag recenserat i runda slängar 150 whisky (vilket alldeles säkert är i lä i förhållande till mina bloggarkollegor). Mina tio mest lästa recensioner är:

10. Smögen – Single Sauternes Cask 57,3% (augusti 2015), 2080 läsare

9. Smögen – Single Bordeaux Barrique 61,3% (mars 206), 2240 läsare

8. Svenska Eldvatten – Bruichladdich 2006 9yo single fresh ex-oloroso sherry hogshead no. 1339 (maj, 2016), 2600 läsare

7. Smögen – Single Cask 51/2011 6yo 64% (maj, 2018), 2690 läsare

6. Laphroaig – Lore (september, 2016), 2990 läsare

5. Smögen – Triple 5 yo 54% (februari 2017), 3280 läsare

4. Springbank – 14yo Borbon Wood 55,8% (november 2017), 3390 läsare

3. Box/High Coast – 2nd Step Collection 03 51,3% (april, 2017), 3420 läsare

2. Box/High Coast – Dálvve 46% (november, 2016), 4170 läsare

1. Highland Park – Single Cask 6403 & 2121 för Sverige (oktober, 2016), 6170 (!) läsare.

Extra roligt med förstaplats-recensionen är dels att den är publicerad just den 11:e oktober, dels att den lästes hela 3163 gånger under dess första månad, wow!

Mitt mest gillade inlägg på FB, med 225 gilla-markeringar och över 6100 personer nådda, är ifrån när jag i september 2022 arbetade för Agitator under SBWF:

På insta är det här, med 100 gilla-markeringar, mitt mest gillade inlägg när jag i september 2018 arbetade med Laphroaig (åt Edrington) under SBWF: 

För att ta del av den mer kvalitativa sidan av mitt whiskybloggande, bland annat hur jag brukar gå tillväga när jag recenserar whisky, får ni gärna läsa den här intervjun med mig som gjordes av kollegorna på Whiskytower. Skål!! 

Besök på Box/High Coast juli 2014.
I glaset 2yo "Försmak – sherryfat" på 54,1% 

The 3rd release of Whisky from Swedish Distillery Agitator – Argument: Småfat 46% ABV!

Friends! Friday last week I once again received a package from the people at Swedish distillery Agitator. It contained their two upcoming releases, Argument: Småfat (”Small casks”) and Rök (”Smoke”), and today I'm bringing you my review of Argument: Småfat.

The recipe for Småfat goes like this: only peated newmake this time, 70% of the barley used held a peating level of 30ppm, and the remaining 30% was peated to 40ppm. Nine parts of new make were taken from the Low Reflux Stills and one part was taken from the High Reflux Stills. The newmake has been matured in three kinds of Småfat all being 130 litres in size, widely known as quarter casks. 

Oskar Bruno (Distillery Manager) was kind enough to share with me the detail that the new make was divided between the three types of casks in the following way: 50% was filled into bourbon casks that previously matured whisky from Islay, 20% was filled into american oak sherry casks, and 30% into virgin chestnut casks. Oskar also shared with me that the age of the whisky is slightly above 3 years and 2 months. 6000 70cl bottles at an ABV of 46% were produced. Here in Sweden this whisky will be released at the state monopoly this Friday and you can view the product by clicking here. Ok, time to analyze!

Nose:
My nose is met by a calm and beautifully soft and rounded peatyness. Incredibly soft in fact, and there are elements of both sea/minerals and moist leather. I also detect a tad of smoke (firewood) and very light traces of popcorn butter, but most of all soft tar with light traces of asphalt (think Terva Leijona). While the base consists of the hitherto mentioned the following delicate top notes are also present; warm vanilla with a slight citrus fruit acidity to it (leaning towards orange more than towards lemon), flambéed pineapple, a whiff of raisins, and peated cucumber water.

Taste:
Starts off on saltyness and a peat that bursts into an instantly dry/tanninic feel. My tounge is touched by an archipelago rope and I’m eating a spoon full of peated barley porridge. Some smoke rises to the roof of my mouth. The peatyness calms down and the dram shifts quite fast into the aftertaste; almonds and pistachios lightly touched by flames on a grill (”barbecue”), slightly salty vanilla, a barley-esque vanilla with light traces of lemon peel and sweet liqorice (hints of sackcloth) that lingers on for around twenty seconds or so.

Some reflections to sum up:
The nose is indeed very complex, lots of interesting scents to find and ponder upon. The 46% ABV is perfect for nosing and there is an extraordinary balance between the strength and the scents. The taste is in contrast very straightforward peaty with basic and robust elements and a short to medium long aftertaste. The 46% manages to give the initial flavors something of a cannonball start that is a feast to the sensory buds. To echo my two previous reviews of whisky from Agitator, I must once again say that it is simply remarkable to be able to craft such a mature and tasty whisky with such a young stock that this in fact is. Simply flying colors and in my book their best release so far! Finally, it is my belief that the taste profile of this whisky will appeal to ”the great” whisky drinking ”masses” more than the taste profile of Argument: Chestnut perhaps did. Those of you out there who like an explosion of flavors will probably like Argument: Chestnut more, but those who prefer balance, but with an oumph, will like Argument: Småfat more. From this perspective then it’s truly the perfect allrounder.

Finally, a big thanks to the nice people at Agitator for the great opportunity to review this whisky before it's release! For further and future updates please make sure to follow my FB-page by clicking here, my instagram by clicking here, and my twitter-page by clicking here. Copyright © and All Rights Reserved on all tasting notes and text by SamuelWhisky and pictures and videos likewise belong to SamuelWhisky, unless stated. If you would like to use any such material that belongs to SamuelWhisky or is associated with SamuelWhisky, please ask by sending me an email to samuelkarlssonorebro [at] gmail [dot] com and when permission is granted by stating the source.

With permission through Agitators press-release

The 2nd release of Whisky from Swedish Distillery Agitator – Argument: Chestnut 46% ABV!

Friends! As you probably remember I reviewed the first release from Swedish Distillery Agitator two weeks ago (if you haven't read it please do so by clicking here), and today I bring you my review of... you guessed it, their 2nd release! 

This release has been named "Argument: Chestnut". This should of course not be interpreted as arguing or fighting about chestnut wood. It should be interpreted and understood as stating ones case for the use of casks crafted from chestnut wood in whisky making. The general info in the press release states that the whisky in question had its initial maturation on regular bourbon casks and was then finished for a little more than a year on chestnut casks. As usual, when able to, I love sharing some more specific info with you my dear readers and so, just a few hours ago, I once again had a wee chat with Oskar Bruno (Distillery Manager) and our conversation resulted in the following info regarding recipe etcetera:

This whisky has been crafted from a mix of unpeated and peated new make. The peated component holds 30ppm and consists of three styles equally large in parts; one part distilled in the Low Reflux Stills, one part distilled in the High Reflux Stills, and one part that is a mix of the two. The liquid first spent more than two years in 200 litre 1st-fill bourbon casks, and was then transferred to 150 litre virgin chestnut casks for a finish. All in all we are talking about 28 chestnut casks. While 22 of them contained the peated component and enjoyed a finish of more than one year, 6 of them contained the unpeated component and enjoyed a finish of four months. The oldest component was filled into (bourbon) casks in the end of March 2018, and the youngest component into (bourbon) casks in the beginning of October. The casks were emptied at several different points in time; around the end of September and the beginning of October this year. The 28 casks gave 6000 70cl bottles at an ABV of 46%. Here in Sweden this whisky will be released at the state monopoly this Friday and you can view the product by clicking here.

Now, this is a release that I've really been longing to taste and review ever since I heard about it. Why? Well firstly because I find chestnut to be a really exciting kind of wood for maturing whisky, and secondly for this reason: as you know by now I am involved in a cask collaboration project together with the folks at Agitator and two of the casks in our collab is made from Chestnut, and so I find it very interesting to find out what style and profile this official distillery bottling of chestnut matured whisky from Agitator will have. Ok folks, it's time to analyze!

Nose:

A wonderful and enticing nose that’s full of both light and heavy scents. On the light side we have blossoming flowers, mainly white roses but also something that makes me think of pink flowers… to specify flowers is not my strong side so maybe it’s best to describe it as scents in a flower shop. On the light side we also have sweet lemon and squeezed/smashed redcurrants. There is a roughness in the berries that makes me think of red currant leaves but it doesn’t really come through quite that heavy. Speaking of heavy, on the heavy side of things we have dark raisins (as in a medium heavy sherried whisky) and a light hint of fragrant milk chocolate. There is actually also something reminding me of ”soft gingerbread”-cookie bordering on a truly mouthwatering vanilla! Digging deeper there is some kind of leather in the distant. In the base of the heavy side is a very light peatyness that interestingly has a clear element of firewood/fireplace/embers to it. A whiff of salt soft liquorice flies by. 

Taste:

A lot more peat than I had expected there to be judging from the nose, very, very nice! The peatyness is broad and at the same time light in style. Immediately after the peat leather-y almond paste makes its entrance and along comes medium heavy and rich tannins. The tannins never quite fade out but quickly morphs into fried/caramelized slices of lemon, orange flavoured milk chocolate, and slightly burnt vanilla. In the aftertaste something red from the nose appears very briefly (redcurrants or flowers?), and the light firewood peat echoes back and forth in a wonderful way.

Some reflections to sum up:

Once again, it is simply remarkable that a whisky this young can taste so old and mature! Nothing youngish to be found whatsoever, not on the nose, not on the taste. The nose is soft and has a medium complexity, and even though it’s not super complex I still find myself nosing, nosing, and nosing it over and over for a long time... I really like the taste and I’ve said before that chestnut maturation, to me, comes through as a kind of mix of bourbon maturation and european oak sherry maturation, the best from two worlds! The chestnut finish has made the perfect amount of imprint on the whisky. If included in a blind tasting for semi-whiskynerds I am convinced that a majority would categorize this whisky as sherry matured. On the taste I especially enjoy the fruity elements and the evident but light firewood peatyness that in no way is in the background. Both for the nose and the taste the chosen ABV is perfect and provides great balance. I believe that while this whisky is probably targeted more to the whiskynerds than to ”the great” whisky drinking ”masses” the taste profile will definitely appeal to both groups. The latter group may, in the beginning, be a tad scared off when reading chestnut on the label, but in time, with information and explanation, they will also build up the guts to buy and try a bottle. And, the cost of 599 swedish crowns for a 70 cl bottle of top notch swedish whisky definitely makes the decision a whole lot easier! Finally, thinking about the fact that this is just the 2nd release of whisky from Agitator, and that it tastes so good, makes me both smile in my heart and long for the future releases to come. 

Finally, a big thanks to the nice people at Agitator for the great opportunity to review this whisky before it's release! For further and future updates please make sure to follow my FB-page by clicking here, my instagram by clicking here, and my twitter-page by clicking here. Copyright © and All Rights Reserved on all tasting notes and text by SamuelWhisky and pictures and videos likewise belong to SamuelWhisky, unless stated. If you would like to use any such material that belongs to SamuelWhisky or is associated with SamuelWhisky, please ask by sending me an email to samuelkarlssonorebro [at] gmail [dot] com and when permission is granted by stating the source.

Pic borrowed from systembolaget.se

The 1st release of Whisky from Swedish Distillery Agitator – Single Malt Whisky 43% ABV!

Dear friends! Earlier today I received a package from the people at Swedish distillery Agitator. Yes, the package contained their two upcoming releases (!) and this evening I'm bringing you my review of the first release. To freshen up your knowledge on Agitator, their production method, and what sets them apart from basically any single malt distillery around, please read the first part of this article and regarding their philosophy (if you will) please have a look at their website here. 

The first release from Agitator has simply been namned "Single Malt Whisky". The general info that has been spread through press releases etcetera lets us know that the whisky in question has been matured in four different kinds of casks; bourbon, sherry casks, new american oak, and chestnut. In search of more specific info for you my dear readers I had a wee chat with Oskar Bruno (Distillery Manager) just a few hours ago. Our conversation resulted in the following info regarding recipe etcetera:

The whisky has been crafted from a mix of unpeated and peated new make (30ppm barley). The casks predominantly used for maturation are 200 litre 1st-fill bourbon, full time maturation. A portion of the whisky has been matured in new (virgin) american oak 200 litre, and this is where it gets interesting: 50% of the new american oak casks were of the wave stave kind, and the liquid in them enjoyed a full time maturation. The liquid in the rest of the new american oak casks started out in 1st-fill bourbon casks and then enjoyed a finish of more than one year in the new american oak casks of regular kind (non wave stave). The sherry casks used were 130 litre american oak, and the liquid in them enjoyed a full time maturation. The chestnut casks used were 150 litre, and also here we are talking about a finish; the majority of the liquid filled into these casks enjoyed a one year finish in them and/but in some cases the finish time was four months. The age of the whisky in this first batch is 3-3,5 years old and the number of bottles is 14000. Here in Sweden this whisky will be released at the swedish state monopoly this wednesday and you can view the product by clicking here.

Ok folks, time to review! 

Nose:

Very fresh and quite vivid scents! In the center layer is a malt-y/barley scent that is medium heavy and teams up with a rather robust vanilla. These two scents are intertwined in a really nice way. The layer above opens up slowly, more and more, with some time in the glass. Here we have very light citrus (or maybe even rhubarb acidity), a whiff of overripe pear, but most of all winter apples in apple pie (apples below a crust of sugar and butter baked oatmeal). Wow, as I nose the apple pie, oatmeal, and vanilla evolves more and more and there is lots of luscious vanilla and butter emerging, mmm! The bottom layer is actually the layer I first identified. Here we have the peat and there is a lot more peat than I had expected there to be from a standard-/core range-/house style-product point of view. I can’t really decide if I nose ”peat” or ”smoke”, so I simply have to conclude that’s it’s somewhere in between. On the other hand, the peat has a whiff of earthyness to it, so probably more on the peat side of things after all.

Taste:

Wow, judging from the style of the nose I did not see this coming; the taste actually starts off on a lot of sherry sweetness (dates and raisins), and it’s quite peaty indeed! It then moves on into oaky vanilla (american oak style) with a hint of light liquid honey. Then comes the malt/barley with a lovely oaky/woody spicyness to it. A dryness comes through and at the same time the peat shows itself for real and it does so in an elegant way. In the aftertaste the peat slowly fades away and the vanilla and dryness has a final bump.

The beautiful package that the samples arrived in!

Some reflections to sum up:

A very complex nose for being this young! In terms of scent-evolvement and maturity on the nose I definitely think of an age around 10 years old. As you can see my notes on the nose is a bit longer than my notes on the taste. From this you understand that the taste is not as complex and diverse as the nose is. I do however think that the taste is very, very mature and I definitely think of an age of say 7-8 years old. Adding to my reflections on the taste it’s absolutely worth to mention that there is great balance in this whisky, both between the main flavours and in relation to the choosen ABV. 43% ABV works really good. There is also great balance in terms of peatyness; it is there, it is obvious, but it doesn’t take over. All in all this is a really good whisky on its own. Furthermore, this is a very, very good first release, and definitely the best first whisky from a swedish distillery that I’ve tasted so far. It is remarkeable that a whisky this young can taste so old and mature. There are no typical signs of young (swedish) whisky; no yeast, no sulfur. Taking the general style of this whisky into account I believe that it will appeal both to the nerds and to ”the great” whisky drinking ”masses”. The latter especially so because of its perfect balance between ABV and peatyness.  Both these tow groups of people will of course be thrilled to hear that the whisky has been bottled in 70 cl bottles and that a bottle only costs 479 swedish crowns. A job well done to the team at Agitator. Skål!  

Finally, a big thanks to the nice people at Agitator for the great opportunity to review this whisky before it's release! For kind of weekly updates please make sure to follow my FB-page by clicking here, my instagram by clicking here, and my twitter-page by clicking here. Copyright © and All Rights Reserved on all tasting notes and text by SamuelWhisky and pictures and videos likewise belong to SamuelWhisky, unless stated. If you would like to use any such material that belongs to SamuelWhisky or is associated with SamuelWhisky, please ask by sending me an email to samuelkarlssonorebro [at] gmail [dot] com and when permission is granted by stating the source.

Pic borrowed from systembolaget.se

Cask Collaboration with Agitator – first tasting notes of 3yo Whisky!!

Dear friends, followers, and supporters alike! I'm writing this blogpost to you during vacation at my wifes familys summer cottage situated in the beautiful archipelago of Roslagen, truly the perfect place to deliver an update on the cask collaboration project between Agitator and myself. On may 4th the spirit in the casks included in the project actually turned 3 years old, hence we are now dealing with... Whisky! 😛

And so today it is my great pleasure to share my first tasting notes of samples of whisky from some of the casks in the project! For this blogpost I asked the Distillery Technician at Agitator, my dear friend Christian, to draw samples from two of the casks. The samples arrived at my place in the end of june and I spent roughly two hours last Thursday reviewing them. 

In order to read up on what makes Agitator such an interesting and groundbreaking whisky distillery, as well as exactly what our collaboration entails, please click here and take part of this previous article of mine and you will get a good introduction to it all. The general details are as follows:

The new make recipe used for our collaboration was made from peated barley (30ppm), 58% from the High Reflux stills, 42% from the Low Reflux stills. The new make was filled into Bourbon barrels 111-116 at a filling strength of 55,1% ABV on the 4th of May 2018. The details of the samples reviewed in this blogpost are as follows:

Sample no.1: drawn 210609 from 1st-fill Bourbon Barrel no.114. 56,9% ABV.

Cask 114, picture taken by Christian during sampling

Sample no.2: drawn 210609 from Cask no.1531, a 130 litre Virgin Chestnut (“quarter”) cask. 57,99% ABV (spirit transferred 191031 from 1st-fill Bourbon barrel no.111).

Cask 1531, picture taken by Christian during sampling

Ok folks, below you find my notes, thoughts, and impressions! 

Sample no.1, nose:
At first nosing, immediately after pouring, the instant scent was peat with a zing of alcohol to it. After letting the whisky (yay, whisky!) breathe in the glass for a couple of minutes or so, I find that the scents are really deep! In the first layer there is a soft and medium bodied warm vanilla that’s teaming up with the sweetness of vanilla fudge (cube candy). There is also melted butter reminding me of of the cookies drömmar, and also evident vanilla custard. In the second layer I find fruitiness; soft pear lemonade and a mix of full-bodied lemon and orange peel with hints of zest. In the third layer everything is very robust: we have grassy and heavy peat (highland peat), metal (industrial peat), old leather intermingling with fat almond paste, sweet and soft liquorice candy, alcohol fumes that are smooth but present, and finally a light touch of gunpowder and/or post fire cracker/fireworks. 

Sample no.2, nose:
Ooh, nosing this one really makes me want to taste it immediately! (have, to, recist… trying, really, hard…). Well, this is the real stuff folks! Medium woodiness, cigar box, cedar wood, a slight whiff of cinnamon stick, old coastal/peated whisky matured in european oak sherry cask, dark red cherries, lemonade (mixed strong) made from cherries and blackcurrants, an acidity from dark fruits, a wonderful presence of medium heavy silky subdued peat, old earth floor cellar with traces of light mould. Wow, just wow. Appears as to be whisky matured for a long time (15yo?), and that my friends is just absolutely bonkers.

Sample no.1, taste:
Starts off on a really wonderful, and quite powerful, peatyness. The peat is both sea-salty, grassy (very much so), and has citric/acidulous elements. Furthermore the peat is dry, quite a heavy dryness actually. The alcohol is strong. Before the dryness of the peat hits my mouth with all its intensity there are whiffs of an elegant and enticing vanilla creaminess playing alongside just a whiff of honeydew melon. Very interesting indeed, judging from the nose of the whisky I did actually not at all think that it would be this peaty. I’d definitely say that the peatyness plays the first violin here, and I am surprised that the fruitiness that I found on the nose was not given more “room” here in the taste. 

Sample no.2, taste:
Completely bonkers for sure and absolutely the real stuff, I simply cannot believe that this whisky is just three years old! There is a punch from the alcohol, but it is not an alcohol taste that at all signals that this whisky is young or “un-mature” (as is often my experience with the alcohol in other young Swedish whiskies that I’ve tried). Almost everything present on the nose is present in the taste (the exceptions are cinnamon stick and mould in cellar). In addition there is also milk chocolate, a seducing honey-esque vanilla that is very dark indeed, and traces of violet candy and cold rosehip soup in the distant. Also, the peat is stronger in the taste than it is on the nose, and all in all this whisky really does taste very much like an old coastal/peated whisky matured in european oak sherry cask, but with the addition of a nice bite of woody tannins wrapping it all up.

 

Some reflections to sum up:
As I’ve said a couple of times in this post, and many a times in my different previous posts on Agitator, I simply can’t believe that the low age of this stuff noses and tastes so much older than it actually is (very mature). My favorite out of these two so far is absolutely the chestnut which could be bottled very soon but at the same time it is by no means "over-matured". The bourbon one could also be bottled soon but I think I will give it a little bit more time in the cask in order for it to become more elegant and "simmer down" just a tad on the peatyness. In conclusion, wow! As soon as I have had my 2nd shot of c19-vaccine I'll visit the distillery straight away to check up on the progress/further maturation and discuss with Oskar and Christian the different possibilities for doing some bottling.  

For further updates please make sure to follow my FB-page by clicking here, my instagram by clicking here, and my twitter-page by clicking here. Copyright © and All Rights Reserved on all tasting notes and text by SamuelWhisky and pictures and videos likewise belong to SamuelWhisky, unless stated. If you would like to use any such material that belongs to SamuelWhisky or is associated with SamuelWhisky, please ask by sending me an email to samuelkarlssonorebro [at] gmail [dot] com and when permission is granted by stating the source.

Picture taken by Christian during sampling

Swedish Rye Whiskey (to be) – 2yo Blind Seal Whiskey at 46% ABV!

Dear friends, followers, and supporters alike, once again I'm very fortunate to bring you my review of something really special and exciting! This wednesday Tobiaz Forsberg, the "Head Bootlegger" and intiator of the new and upcoming swedish whiskey brand Blind Seal Whiskey, visited my neighbourhood to hand over a sample (corona safe). 

Now, this was not any usual sample folks; about a week earlier, on the 11th of february he paid a visit to Swedish Distillery Agitator Whiskymakare since it was actually already two years ago that he filled the first barrels of Blind Seal Rye-style distillate!

Tobiaz filling the first barrels on the 11th of february 2019.
(Pic belongs to Blind Seal Whiskey).

Now, if Sweden was USA the maturing liquid in the casks would legally be whiskey, but since the EU has other rules we have to wait yet another year until there is actually whiskey in the casks. So, while visiting Agitator, Tobiaz drew a couple of samples for bloggers and friends to review, and I'm very honoured and happy to be one of them and to be able to review a sample of 2 year old Blind Seal drawn straight from cask(s) and watered to 46% ABV! But before reading my review, please first take part of this article to read up on Blind Seal Whisky in general and the recipe and production process of this liquid in particular. 

Ok friends, let the analyzing begin!

Nose:

Nosing at a distance the foremost scent is a velvety and soft (fudge-y) caramel/candy sweetness. There are also hints of melted butter and surrounding everything is an extremely mellow and very ”round” vanilla. The strength mediates calmness. When placing my nose into the glass, below the vanilla I find a whiff of slightly burnt wood. Shaking the glass properly a medium heavy rye spicyness and ashes (burnt out fire) appears accompanied by soft salt liquorice, a whiff of violet, ginger, mango, lemon peel, and then it’s boomerang time quickly back to the soft salt liquorice. A very complex and quite deep nose indeed.

Taste: 

Woooow, so thick, rich and creamy! At the center of the taste a "melted butter"-party is taking place (almost butter on salted popcorn actually), and we are dancing to a constant beat of spicy vanilla, saltyness, malted grain, and barbecue smoke that just keeps on rolling and rolling in my mouth as endless waves keep hitting the beach… In the early aftertaste there is a really velvet-y vanilla going on that evolves into a dry and medium-big almond paste and/or marzipan. Then, I’m gently hit by a lemon zest dryness, and in the actual aftertaste I really do have more a feeling of bourbon matured single malt than I do of rye whiskey. An interesting flavor journey for sure! 

Some reflections to sum up:

As said, the nose is very complex, lot’s of interesting stuff to find and this is a liquid that seems way, way older than 2 years old! The "industrial" feeling (gundpowder and metal) that was present in the nose of the 11 month old sample is gone and this I would say is a sign of even greater maturation than before. On the nose, the strength is very calm and you barely feel that it’s 46% and so I must say that I was a bit worried that the chosen strength would be "too weak" for the taste (meaning I thought that the strength would make the taste become ”thin”). This was gladly not the case, and for being bottled at only 46% and being only two years old the taste already shows an incredible richness and creamyness. To highlight the rye and the spicyness over the barley (that makes up 40% of the mash) though, I wonder if this should perhaps rather be bottled at say 48-50% ABV (?) Finally, I really, really like that there is a smoky/barbecue-y thing going on in the taste and that smoke sure makes this rye stand out. I absolutely can’t wait to try this liquid when it has turned three years old, very exciting times ahead indeed... And finally, a big thanks to Tobiaz for once again sharing a sample of your Blind Seal Whiskey with me at a work in progress phase, cheers! 

For kind of weekly updates please make sure to follow my FB-page by clicking here, my instagram by clicking here, and my twitter-page by clicking here. Copyright © and All Rights Reserved on all tasting notes and text by SamuelWhisky and pictures and videos likewise belong to SamuelWhisky, unless stated. If you would like to use any such material that belongs to SamuelWhisky or is associated with SamuelWhisky, please ask by sending me an email to samuelkarlssonorebro [at] gmail [dot] com and when permission is granted by stating the source.

It's a blind seal folks! ;) 
(Pic belongs to Blind Seal)

Cask Collaboration with Agitator – tasting notes of 2yo spirit!

Dear friends, followers and supporters alike! Two weeks ago, on the 4th of May, the spirit in the casks included in the cask collaboration project between Swedish distillery Agitator and myself turned 2yo (!). And so, today it is my great pleasure to share with you all my tasting notes of samples from four of the casks!

In order to read up on what makes Agitator such an interesting and groundbreaking whisky distillery, as well as exactly what our collaboration entails, please do click here and read this previous article of mine and you will get a good introduction to it all. The general details are as follows:

New make recipe used for collaboration: 

Peated barley (30ppm), 58% from the High Reflux stills, 42% from the Low Reflux stills, went into Bourbon barrels 111-116 with a filling strength of 55,1% ABV on the 4th of May 2018.

The details of the samples reviewed are as follows: 

Sample no.1: Drawn 200504 from 1st-fill Bourbon Barrel no.113, 56,4% ABV.

Sample no.2: Drawn 200505 from cask no.1532, a 32 litre 1st-fill Oloroso American Oak cask, 56,4% ABV. (Spirit transferred 191031 from 1st-fill Bourbon barrel no.111).

Sample no.3: Drawn 200504 from Cask no.1531, a 130 litre Virgin Chestnut (“quarter”) cask, 56,4% ABV. (Spirit transferred 191031 from 1st-fill Bourbon barrel no.111).

Sample no.4: Drawn 200505 from Cask no.1530, a 32 litre 1st-fill Oloroso Chestnut cask, 56,4% ABV. (Spirit transferred 191031 from 1st-fill Bourbon barrel no.111).

Casks no.1532, 1530, 1531, and no.111 on the fork lift

So, the way I went about analyzing the samples are as follows: after considering what might be a good order in which to taste, I figured that the chestnut casks (sample no.3 and no.4) were the "heaviest" ones; the ones most influenced by the wood. And so I placed them in the order listed above. I spent around one hour nosing the four samples, and then around 1,5 hours tasting them. Ok folks, here are my notes and impressions!

Sample no.1

Sample no.1, nose:

Medium peat, sweet liquorice (and/or polypodium), and a burnt/earthy saltyness are all in the centre of the scent. Above this layer we have lemon curd with a touch of pear-flavoured popsicle (piggelin). Almost something like a carbonated lemon drink; carbonated lemon curd? In the base, the bottom layer, there is soft almond paste resting on a foundation of big vanilla, almost vanilla custard actually. The carbonated feeling in the top layer probably has something to do with the relatively high ABV. The alcohol is there but it’s not too much. The vanilla custard base mediates maturity and signals an age of around 8 years old.

Sample no.2

Sample no.2, nose:

The ABV feels slightly amplified (whilst the carbonated feeling is subdued). Peat and sweet liquorice is in the background. After only six months maturation/"finish" on this small cask there is already quite evident notes of sherry; we have red currant peel, a faint touch of raisins, and definitely dried figs. In the base vanilla fudge intermingles with peat-infused milk chocolate, medium rich leather and an evident touch of a calm campfire. The top layer has some acidity to it but not as much as in the bourbon cask. In terms of age I’d say that it feels very similar to the bourbon cask but here all of the scents are more integrated, more composite, meaning more mature. 

Sample no.3

Sample no.3, nose:

Wow! So many scents, so many impressions! Lots of more things going on than in the previous two samples (while they can perhaps be described as ”calm”, this one can be described as ”eventful”). It’s like a european oak sherry maturation on steroids; lot’s of dryness, lots of dried fruits (dark dried fruits), rich/bold peat, new leather, and medium-heavy to heavy dryness from the wood (tannins). At the core of the peatyness there is an earthy and forest-y mint going on. At the heart of the scent is both a big, big vanilla and something like a ”carpenters home-y cabin in the woods”-thing and/or carpenters workshop happening. I suppose this has to do with the fact that we are talking aboout a virgin chestnut cask, but somehow it does not seem virgin at all. Hmm, very hard to explain… In terms of age this one seems quite a lot older than the previous two samples. It’s hard to specify an age but say 10-12 years old!

Sample no.4

Sample no.4, nose:

OMG! While this small cask does have many similarities with the previous one, the scents are more accentuated and compact. The dried fruits are now red rather than dark, and the leafs from a black currant bush has turned up! I suppose wine gum candy (bassets) is a good description, and there is an intense presence of the candy pieces with red and purple color. The mint has been dialed up and the peat feels very present but somehow subdued or mellowed. Spicy sherry cask. There is also luke warm coffee and a whiff of vanilla infused chocolate chip coockies. Mmm… 

Sample no.1

Sample no.1, taste:

Mmm! Salt (almost sea salt), dry peat and sugary sweetness in a wonderful combination. Bourbon maturation works soo good for this new make recipe! We have smoky vanilla with sugar sprinkled slices of lemon coocked in a frying pan (caramelized). A quite distinct and dry almond paste takes over which morphs into peated whipped vanilla cream and sundried lawn ("hay"). A spicyness lingers. 

Sample no.2

Sample no.2, taste:

Wow! I would really like for you my dear readers to taste this one and share this wonderful taste with me, but at the same time I would kind of like to keep the whole cask for myself. You get the point; this stuff really is really good! I can’t belive that this is only 2 years old! The peat and the sherry is perfectly integrated. The sweet liquorice stands out in a beautiful way! Lots of medium dark flavours in the midrange. Warm peated vanilla, like liquid peated vanilla fudge… There is also something earthy/nature-y going on, maybe oven baked peat-infused parsnips drizzled in butter. Forest infused dried figs and mellow gunpowder lingers on and on and slowly fades away.

Sample no.3

Sample no.3, taste:

Once again, wow! Virgin chestnut cask could easily be mistaken for a heavy european oak oloroso sherry maturation. The core of the taste is both sweet and salt, and has a concentrated peat and tanninic dried fruits; dried figs, dark raisins, and oven baked apple slices. In the background, we also have chocolate infused dried slices of orange. The flavours are semi-calm and at the same time intese/concentrated. While I usually find virgin swedish oak overpowering (and having too much fir/christmas tree in it), virgin chestnut to me is nothing of the sorts, not too much wood, just intense/concentrated. The vanilla is indeed big, just as big as on the nose, and whilst I found the peat to be rich/bold on the nose, I find it to be subdued on the taste. This new make recipe and level of peating works really good with chestnut cask and brings out a mouthwatering touch of milk chocolate in the peat. In terms of age, my mind definitely says the same as on the nose: 10-12 years old. Simply unbelievable.

Sample no.4

Sample no.4, taste:

Dude! Now we’re talking. This is really like an accentuated, amplified, and enhanced super-version of the previous. Whilst the previous one was tanninic, this one is really, really dry. My impression of 1st-fill oloroso on chestnut is that it tastes kind of like a port pipe ”on fire”; burnt port/heavily roasted port. The dried fruits from the nose have almost transformed into something like chilli and spicy. It’s heavy on the spicyness and it teases my tounge in an intriguing way. There is an intese feeling of peel from black currants. We also have peat-infused bramble marmalade. In the background dark chocolate-y vanilla fudge cubes calls for attention. The aftertaste closes with lurking peat and intense vanilla slowly, slowly fading away. Wow, what a whisky! Sorry, I mean what an incredible 2 year old spirit!

Some reflections to sum up:

Alright folks! The maturation sure is moving along at a very good pace. Already the spirit tastes soooo good and I can't wait to taste these casks again further down the line. Out of samples no.2-4 my favorites are definitely no.2 and no.3. But, they are all really good and are all of very interesting and different character, to say the least. Having reviewed these samples in this phase of the collab, some ideas have definitely emerged regarding how (in what form) it might be interesting to bottle them. Big thanks to Håkan, Oskar, and Christian for the amazing opportunity that this collaboration is! And last but not least, big thanks to all of you my dear readers and I hope you've enjoyed this article. Sláinte! 

For kind of weekly updates please make sure to follow my FB-page by clicking here, my instagram by clicking here, and my twitter-page by clicking here. Copyright © and All Rights Reserved on all tasting notes and text by SamuelWhisky and pictures and videos likewise belong to SamuelWhisky, unless stated. If you would like to use any such material that belongs to SamuelWhisky or associated with SamuelWhisky, please ask by sending me an email to samuelkarlssonorebro [at] gmail [dot] com and when permission is granted by stating the source.

Sample 1-4

Swedish Distillery Agitator Whiskymakare – two drafts for core range!

Dear friends, followers and supporters alike! About a month ago I received a package from my friends at swedish distillery Agitator Whiskymakare. As you hopefully know by now I'm very happy to be engaged in a joint project together with Agitator, namely a cask collaboration. But before reading on, please do read up on what makes Agitator such a unique whisky distillery by clicking here, and to read up on what our collaboration entails please click here. 

So, the package contained two samples, both of them are be viewed as drafts for two core range bottlings. The first one is marked "Husmalt" (which is probably best translated into house style). The second one is marked "Rökmalt" (which translates to peated malt). 

Even though master distiller Oskar and distillery technician Christian are friends of mine and the distillery is, to say the least, close to my heart, the only information I have received about these samples are the following: 

The Husmalt draft has been composed from spirit distilled in both the High Reflux-stills and the Low Reflux-stills, has been matured for 13 months, and has been bottled at 46%. 

The Rökmalt draft has been composed from spirit distilled in the Low Reflux-stills only, has been matured for 13 months, and has been bottled at 46%. 

That's it folks. So let's see what kind of styles of whisky Oskar and Christian have in mind for the core range!

Husmalt – nose:

In the first layer I find honey sweetness and medium-sweet vanilla (kind of a light touch of vanilla cigarillo actually). The first layer and the vanilla in it is very light. I nose closer to the glass and in the second layer I first find smooth milk chocolate and coockie dough with lots of butter in it. But below that are some rather big notes; definitely a feel of medium-heavy peat, earthy peat in fact, soil, and moss, but there is also something fruity, pan fried lemon slices comes to mind. The body is medium big and the alcohol at it’s 46% ABV lurks perfectly below, hardly springing to mind. This 13 months old spirit smells rather like 8yo. No yeast, no fusel, nothing young. Just mature. To me, stylewise, this noses rather close to the NAS-version of Tyrconnell.

Rökmalt – nose:

While the previous had Tyrconnell on the nose, this one noses like a mix of Connemara and Caol Ila. Below the obvious vanilla sweetness in the top layer we also have white chocolate and something moving slightly towards mint leaves (in the distant) and just a tad of lemon jucie. This one has a lot more body, I’d definitely say it’s full bodied. In the second layer we have sharp salty yet chocolate-y peat, rather heavy peat with touches of gunpowder and ashes. The alcohol is a tad more noticeable in this one and calls for my attention. Here 13 months smells more like 5-7yo. Again no yeast. The gunpowder can however be associated with ”fusel”, and while it does not at all seem young the nose reveals that this should be a ”punch-in-the-face” kind of a dram.

The color of Husmalt

Husmalt – taste:

Starts off on a salty-ness, moves on swiftly into dry milk chocolate, dark vanilla fudge cubes, lightly burnt peat swooshes by, and then it’s on to a touch of light vanilla. After this the light peat returns for a second wave which morphs into a sherry maturation style combined with a slight touch (a sensation) of mulled wine (glögg) and likewise a slight touch of redcurrants. In the aftertaste there is almond paste and my chest feels warm. When the taste fades away my mouth is left with just a tad of dryness. The taste is, as is noticeable from my notes, quite complex indeed. From this perspective the dram is mature and shows no signs of being as young as it actually is. The immediate taste is however quite ”fast”, lasting somewhere between 45 seconds to 1 minute. And so, if the young age of 13 months is visible somewhere it is in the aspect of length of taste. 

The color of Rökmalt

Rökmalt – taste:

Oh gosh! A direct copy of some of the stuff from the nose; after a start on evident sea salt we have robust gunpowder and ashes intermingling with big peat. We also have the innertube of a bicycle tire. After that we have evident mint, peated lemon curd moving on into peated white chocolate vanilla, and in fact there is also some regular milk chocolate lurking around somewhere in the mix. Judging from it’s nose I thought that this would be a ”punch-in-the-face” kind of a dram. I was however deceived; all in all this is a quite soft/mellow dram and the alcohol is close to perfectly integrated and only shows itself slightly through a cough almost happening. The body is bigger in this one compared to the previous and it tastes even more mature. This is also transferred into a longer immediate taste, say 1,5 minutes to 2 minutes. The afteratste fades away with mellow peat and soft milk chocolate.

To sum up:

Given our joint cask collaboration project and the fact that I've visited the distillery a number of times now, I've been very lucky indeed to taste quite a lot of maturing spirit from Agitator before, including following the progress of "my" casks. Still, every time I taste their maturing spirit I'm always struck by how incredibly fast the spirit is maturing. And as noticeable from my tasting notes these two drafts are no exception. So to sum up I'm very confident in saying that if Oskar and Christian would want to bottle some of this stuff as soon as it is 3yo, the really could and you would all be amazed by the fact that the whisky was not older than that. And my fellow bloggers Tjeders Whisky, Whiskytower, and Sinnen och Nyanser seems to be thinking along the same lines in their reviews of these samples!

Finally, big thanks to Oskar and Christian for the great opportunity to taste and review these samples! Please make sure to follow my FB-page by clicking here, my instagram by clicking here, and my twitter-page by clicking here. Copyright © and All Rights Reserved on all tasting notes and text by SamuelWhisky and pictures and videos likewise belong to SamuelWhisky, unless stated. If you would like to use any such material that belongs to SamuelWhisky or associated with SamuelWhisky, please ask by sending me an email to samuelkarlssonorebro [at] gmail [dot] com and when permission is granted by stating the source.

The vacuum-stills of Agitator