Review 245. Northern Delights, part 2. What’s up, Denmark?!

This week continues to ‘explore’ a bit what’s happening in the Scandinavian whisky scene at the moment. And there’s no denying that, post Mackmyra, there’s a lot going on. If we look at Swedish distilleries, arguably Mackmyra was the household name, an unofficial position now likely taken by High Coast, while producers the likes of Hven and Smögen, not per se in the shadow of the former as they were and are very much doing their own thing, gained something of a cult status over the years. Partly this is due to them being smaller producers, which obviously makes it harder to find as outturn and distribution will always be limited. Where Hven made a name for itself as being the smallest pot-still distillery in the world upon foundation in 2008, pioneering the grain to glass principle as they were and are sourcing their grain from their own barley fields,  Smögen too has gained quite the reputation for delivering quality whisky. The fact that it is pretty much a one man operation and the distillery can only be visited during a few weeks in summer, also adds to their ‘cool factor’. I’ve only been able to try it a few times, both times at festivals (an official releasee and an SMWS bottling), and from what I tried I’d say their reputation is well earned.

As for Norway, the jury might still be out on which distillery is the ‘one to aspire to’ or the one you definitely need to get hold of; probably because most, if not all of them, are really operating on a small scale. I did get a few samples of the Myken distillery a few years ago, thanks to the generous soul that is Rolf ‘Ebbhead’  Isaksen and so far that’s the only time I was able to try some Norwegian whisky.

Denmark, then, is probably your best bet if you want to get your hands on some Scandinavian whisky. In recent years, Stauning has really made a name for itself and put itself on the map and while I’m following with interest how they develop, I’m not exactly keeping a close watch on what they’re doing either. I can say that I feel they’re getting better at what they’re doing, and are now producing some very decent whisky. Much like Smögen and Hven in Sweden, there is a Danish distillery that has started to make a name for itself in recent times. And much like its Swedish peers, it’s been operating almost in the shadow of what’ been happening at Stauning.

Thy Whisky Distillery is located in the north-west of Denmark. Located on a family farm (currently operated and owned by the same family for 8 generations) , they are an  organic, single estate farm distillery, producing grain to glass made from their own grain varieties (indeed, not just barley, but rye and spelt rye as well), using their own water source, using drum malting and, rather uniquely, rely on single distillation using a  small (1000 litre) pot still after a 4 to 15 (!) day fermentation – depending on the expression, to then mature on sight in a semi-open warehouse which is exposed to the sea air. They have been producing whisky  since 2010, first on an experimental basis, and since 2015 on a somewhat more ‘serious’ level (when the current generation took over).

The outturn? Roughly some 50,000 LPA, and taking into account that they are producing different styles of whisky, this means probably only some 15 to 25,000, perhaps 30,000 litre of it will be single malt. That’s Dornoch territory. But one look at those specs is enough to make my whisky nerd senses tingling. So big thank you to my fellow Italo-Belgian barfly Yuri for providing me with a few samples!

Thy Whisky Bøg Danish Single Malt Whisky. 2024 release. Oloroso and PX cask matured. 50% ABV, NC, UCF, app. e70-€80, outturn of 3100 bottles.

Nose

Gentle cereal and wood notes. Despite this being matured in sherry casks, weirdly what I’m mostly getting are pickled fruit notes of pears, quince, red apples and peach. Mixed in with a whiff of antiseptic notes but quite subtly so, adding just a tiny layer of smoke. Nothing peaty, though, as this was made by smoking beechwood. Lovely! Overall it comes across as youthful, but busy and inviting.

Palate

Now that peculiar yet pleasant smokiness is immediately there and even at ‘only’ 50% ABV it’s also a tad prickly – peppery. The fruit is less upfront as it’s mainly those cereal-grainy notes that are doing the talking. With a bit of added water the peat, cereal and wood notes are better balanced I think. On the mouthfeel it’s medium dry.

Finish

Woody-dry, fairly long.

Final thoughts

A young and youthful whisky but it ‘s definitely not lacking in character. Already this is quite tasty stuff showing a lot of potential and promise, albeit this particular sample makes me think it’s perhaps still  a work in progress as I feel it may not be entirely ‘there’ yet. You could argue that the price tag is somewhat steep for such a young, still developing whisky, but we need to keep in mind their limited capacity – we’re talking Daftmill and Thompson Brothers levels here! If they keep on improving and provided they can maintain these prices, this is definitely  a distillery to keep an eye on.