The Danish Distillery Fary Lochan uses nettle smoke for their whisky, which gives it a unique flavor. I’ll return to that in a moment, but first, a bit about the nettle itself.

Nettles are readily available and provide a distinctive smoke, and they have other properties besides just flavor. They have also been used medicinally and even for textiles.

I believe most people see nettles as an annoying weed today, which doesn’t offer much benefit. But if I should mention some of the good aspects of nettles, it would be that they are rich in vitamins, especially A, C, K, and several B vitamins. They have a relatively high protein content and also contain many important minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and silicon.
Nettles have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce inflammation and pain.
They have diuretic properties that can help reduce water retention in the body, and they are known for their blood-cleansing properties, which can help improve liver and kidney function.
Nettles have been used to treat conditions like arthritis, allergies, eczema, and kidney problems over time.

Fary Lochan has taken a family tradition of smoking cheese with nettles and transferred it to the smoking of the malt for their whisky.
Since there are several traditions in Denmark of using nettle smoke for smoking food, among other things, several people have described how the flavor profile of nettle smoke can be.

Flavor Profiles of Fresh Nettle Smoke:
Smoke from fresh nettles is often described as having a range of complex aromas, including:

• Herbal: Reminiscent of fresh parsley, basil, or oregano
• Earthy: Gives a deep, mineral character
• Citrus: Creates a slight acidity and freshness
• Green Pepper: Adds a touch of spice and warmth
• Honey-like: Provides sweetness and smoothness

These aromas can vary depending on various factors, such as the growing location of the nettles, drying method, and the smoking technique used.

The exciting part now is – how does it affect the whisky?
Fary Lochan smokes their malt for the whisky themselves. They have a very primitive setup with an old “fireplace” where they light a fire and pile it high with fresh nettles. The chimney is fitted with a pipe that leads the smoke to a cart with the malt, and here the magic happens under the lid of the cart.

It does not become a heavily smoked whisky, but a fresh whisky where you are treated to a taste that is markedly different from the more traditional peat-smoked whiskies. In this one, it could be said that the level is around 15 ppm, and by comparison, many of the whiskies coming from Islay in Scotland are around 40-55 ppm, so it’s on the mild side.

The nettles provide a unique flavor, and here you get full value since the whisky has been aged in ex-Bourbon casks. The combination is good. The sweet vanilla notes from the cask complement the nettle smoke, also taming some of the harsher smoke notes. Nettle smoke from fresh plants can sting the eyes, but if we translate that to flavor, this is where I think it gets tamed. You get a gentler smoke. The mineral, earthy, pepper, and citrus notes come through nicely. Fary Lochan’s new make has a fantastic freshness and lovely citrus character that pairs well with the smoke from the nettles.

🆅🅴🆁 🅻🅻
It is an exciting and lovely whisky with a different taste. The “Winter” variation has been discontinued from Fary Lochan’s regular lineup, but they still make their nettle-smoked whisky, which comes as Limited Editions, such as Smoke & Sherry.

Thy Whisky – Bøg – Core Range Edition 2024

Thy Whisky produces a whisky called “Bøg,” which can be said to be a true testament to Danish tradition and craftsmanship.

Smoking with beechwood or beech chips has been a tradition in Denmark for many years, providing a pleasant smoke flavor to whatever is being smoked, whether it’s sausages for the grill, salami for the lunch table, or fish and cheese. Smoke has been used to preserve food through the ages and is still used as a natural preservative.

Beech smoke offers a unique profile that is warm, sweet, and lightly charred, adding a pleasant depth to the whisky without the harsher, earthy tones of peat smoke. This type of smoke gives the whisky a delicate sweetness and a rich, rounded smoky flavor, which also complements the sherry notes from the barrels. The flavor lingers gently on the palate.

“Bøg” whisky is a new core range whisky made from organic Odyssey barley grown in the fields around Gyrup farm in Thy.

The barley is malted and smoked at the distillery’s own drum malting facility using beech smoke. This process gives the whisky warm, malty, and smoky notes, creating a rich and full-bodied flavor.

Aging in old sherry casks, specifically Oloroso and PX, gives “Bøg” a warm and smoky character balanced with the mild sweetness of baked fruits and deep, dried fruit notes.

By using beechwood instead of peat, Thy Whisky brings a sustainable twist to traditional smoking methods, as peat is a less sustainable option compared to wood. This is a topic we could discuss at length, but that won’t be elaborated in this post.

“Bøg” was distilled in 2020 and matured using 14 casks: 10 first-fill Oloroso casks, 3 first-fill PX casks, and a special cask that isn’t often mentioned. It’s a first-fill 60-liter Palo Cortado cask that was also filled in 2020, and its influence can be sensed in the whisky.

This has resulted in 3,100 bottles, and when all the casks were blended and bottled in 2024, this whisky is a little over 3 years old. Its youth does not detract in any way; rather, it gives a very good smoky flavor and overall power in taste.

🆅🅴🆁🅻🅻:

A lovely dram that will appeal to most. The smoke is present and waves gently but is not overpowering, pleasantly coating the mouth. The different sherries complement the smoke and give a “Feel Good” sensation.

Mosgaard Whisky “Black Peat” Single Malt is one of the whiskies that stands out and quickly sells out.

This particular bottle you see pictures of has a slightly different label than others of Mosgaard whiskies and is a good sign that they are expanding beyond Danish borders.

It says “Original” instead of “Organic.” The back of the bottle reveals part of the explanation – these are going to Taiwan, so in addition to English, there is also text in Mandarin.

Despite the small change in wording on the front, it’s the same organic Black Peat whisky inside the bottle.

It’s a delightful intense smoky whisky where attention to detail is evident, as always with Mosgaard whisky.

The peat-smoked new make has been maturing in a 50-liter ex-bourbon cask for 4 years and has received a finish in a Virgin Hungarian oak cask, and this is where much of the magic has happened.

The cask of Virgin Hungarian oak has influenced the whisky in this very special way, giving the whisky its very deep and dark color, which can appear almost black. When you hold the whisky up to the sunlight, you have a wonderfully clear and dark brown mahogany color.

The aroma is just as delightful if you like smoky whisky. It’s full-bodied, spiced with allspice, dried wasabi, a hint of dried cloves, tar, and something sweet like chocolate. There’s also a bit of forest floor if you sniff carefully.

It’s a warm mouthful at 55.6% in this version. It dries your mouth but makes your saliva flow.

It moves around the entire mouth, starting out on the sides with the salty and sour taste buds, then moving to the front of the mouth with the sweetness, back to the palate with a bit of bitterness before moving forward again towards the sweetness. It leaves you with a delicious smoky taste of licorice, dark chocolate, and a bit of good vanilla ice cream.

It’s an explosion of flavors rolling around in different nuances, what an experience.

🅼🆈 🆃🆂🆃🅸🅽🅶 🅽🆃🅴🆂
🅝🅞🅢🅔
Full-bodied, spiced with allspice, dried wasabi, a hint of dried cloves, tar, and something sweet like chocolate. A bit of forest floor.
🅣🅐🅢🅣🅔
Dry, warm, explosive, smoky, roasted almonds, salty licorice.
🅕🅘🅝🅘🅢🅗
Long, smoky, licorice, dark chocolate, vanilla ice cream.
🆅🅴🆁 🅻🅻
It’s an explosion of flavors rolling around in different nuances, what an experience.

I’m not a magician, and it’s not an illusion poured into bottles that I’m going to tell you about, but a combination of different events in the creation of a whisky that can do something truly special. I haven’t made the new make used for this wild whisky myself. The good people at Fary Lochan Distillery have, and needless to say, it’s a good new make that’s been used. It’s without smoke and just downright delicious, oily, with good notes of citrus and malt in the taste, in other words, a good starting point.

The First Cask

Let’s start somewhere else entirely to provide a bit of background as to why I embarked on this experiment. It’s one of those experiments that many whisky enthusiasts undertake at some point, I suspect. It’s exciting to taste whisky, and at some point, you just have to have that little barrel standing where the whisky matures. It happens at home, and there’s plenty to talk about when friends visit the whisky room.

So it happened to me too. The opportunity arose to buy a small cask of whisky from Fary Lochan. They had had some small 7-8 liter casks made from large sherry casks that had been rebuilt, scraped, lightly toasted, and seasoned with PX sherry. Then Fary Lochan 3-year-old ex-bourbon barrel-aged whisky was filled in, and it was up to the buyer to determine the length of this finish.

Maturing whisky in small casks happens faster because there is much more contact between wood and liquid than in the large casks we normally get our whisky from. If it’s a new cask that hasn’t been used before, it will also impart significantly more flavor from the wood and color than a used cask, and one of the risks of leaving the spirit on these new casks is that they can tip over in flavor, and if this happens in a small cask, it’s not certain that it should stay in the cask for very long. That’s often why they are only used to give a finish to a whisky.

The transformation of the whisky in this small 7-liter cask also happened quickly, so I only let it stay in the cask for 64 days and bottled it on December 17, 2020. It became a delightful strong whisky with fullness and a beautiful color.

Now we come to the decision to take the project a little further.

From New Make to Whisky

The small cask lay in the cellar at Fary Lochan Distillery at a reasonably constant temperature, so my decision was to fill the cask with new make from Fary Lochan, take the cask home, and let the changes happen over a minimum of 3 years so I could call it whisky.

The cask was now placed in my whisky room in our small wooden house in Sorø on December 17, 2020. Now the challenge was to leave it for 3 years. It can be a difficult task, especially when the cask first arrives. I created an Excel sheet with the starting point and dates for when color and taste should be checked. I don’t have an alcohol meter, and that was a challenge.

My son-in-law and I had agreed that every 6 months we would take a sample of 2 cl and assess the development. We had experienced how greedy the angels could be with the first cask, and this way, we could follow the development without taking too much from the cask. It only amounted to 14 cl out of the 700 cl we filled the cask with. However, we tried for the first time already on February 17, 2021, because we were a bit curious. There was a golden color, and the new make taste was still very pronounced.

The experiment was underway. New make at 63.47% in an amount of 7 liters had been put on our small cask and left to rest in the whisky room. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

Greedy Angels

I won’t take you through each of our samplings, but I’d like to reveal that we were somewhat surprised to experience quite a significant and rapid evaporation.

At the first 6-month sampling, notes of plums, raisins, green apples, and actually a quite tasty young spirit emerged. 60 cl of liquid had vanished at this sampling.

By the time it reached 1 year, 150 cl had disappeared, and we were a bit puzzled if there would be anything left after the next 2 years. We had 1 liter of new make left and considered whether we should fill it into the cask. That would, in that case, “ruin” our experiment of seeing what happens in a small cask over 3 years, so we refrained from doing so.

The taste at 1½ years was not good; it was burning and bitter, and the courage to expect a good whisky in the end dwindled a bit.

At 2 years old, with 1 more year to go in the experiment, only 4 of the original 7 liters remained, and we realized it was becoming an expensive experiment. However, the taste had improved slightly, which lifted our spirits. At 2½ years old, the taste had improved even more. It was a warm spirit, and the excitement grew; now it was fascinating to see what the last half year would do.

Bottling and measuring

On Tuesday, December 19, 2023, I drove to Farre. I had an appointment with Morten to tap and bottle.

We were both excited to see the result, and we quickly set about emptying the cask. We let the whisky, yes, we could call it that now that 3 years and 2 days had passed since the cask was filled, flow from the small tap into a coffee filter to strain out the sediment from the cask and into a bucket.

The most beautiful dark mahogany color flowed, and the aroma was fantastic. Full-bodied with many exciting aromas on the nose.

It didn’t look of much in the large bucket once everything had been emptied out, but the scent was good. Morten fetched the digital measuring device to measure the alcohol strength and measured…

It couldn’t be right, and he measured again… I asked if the device needed calibration, and he assured me it had worked the day before. We agreed to clean it and try again. New measurement and another one…

All measurements showed almost the same result. We discussed that the alcohol percentage at filling was what it should have been, and I found a picture from the measurement at filling 3 years earlier, and yes, it was correct, the cask was filled at 63.47%.

Morten found a sample from someone who is doing the same experiment and measured that one. It was around 60%.

Now Morten found a hydrometer, and it also showed the same as the digital device. Now there was only one thing left to do – to taste. We got glasses, and at the same time, we asked Anne and Tine to come down and taste, because this was too wild.

Staggering ABV

The measurements taken showed that the alcohol in the whisky is a staggering 82.92% – It’s no wonder it tastes warm, but it tastes good, and yes, it can handle a bit of water without ruining the taste.

So how does it happen that the alcohol percentage increases by nearly 20% from 63.47-82.92%?

The temperature in the room hasn’t been constant but has fluctuated between 17-28^oC. During the hottest periods of summer, the cask was kept in a refrigerator at 5^oC.

It makes sense that the liquid evaporates when it’s warm, and we also know that both liquid and alcohol evaporate in Scotland when it’s colder. We also know that significant evaporation occurs in other countries with high temperatures. In South Africa, they have an Angel’s share of between 9-15% per year, and in Taiwan, they also have an Angel’s share of 13-18% per year. So we can perhaps understand that there is less in the cask when it stands in a warm place.

The interesting thing is that there is a high evaporation of liquid, but it’s the water that disappears and not the alcohol. The alcohol remains in the cask, but how is that possible?

Low Humidity

A factor we haven’t considered at all is the humidity in the room. Normally, the humidity is relatively high in maturation warehouses, which helps to keep the water in the cask, but if the humidity is low, something interesting happens. The humidity in my whisky room is 23-26%, which is dry. Normal indoor humidity ranges from 25-60%, and the average humidity in Denmark is around 81%.

Here’s where it gets interesting and perhaps a bit nerdy, and I’ll try not to make it too complicated.

When the casks are maturing whisky on oak barrels, the wood “breathes,” causing the liquid in the cask to move in and out of the wood. This means that the wood expands when it’s warm and contracts when it’s cold. We want this movement because when the liquid is pressed into the wood and squeezed back into the cask, it imparts color and flavor to our whisky. There’s also a “filtration” of some of the impurities in the ethanol, which gives our whisky a rounder flavor over the years.

With heat, the pressure also increases in the cask, which causes the liquid to be pressed more into the wood.

If we briefly look at what’s filled in the cask, we can’t avoid that our preferred term for what we consume is whisky, but it’s ethanol and water. The molecular compositions in ethanol are C²H⁶O, and in water, it’s H²O, so ethanol is more dense in composition than water.

Water, therefore, has a smaller molecular composition than ethanol and becomes easier to “push” out through the wood, which means that ethanol remains in the cask while water evaporates. We thus have less liquid but retain the ethanol, which means that the alcohol percentage increases in our whisky as it matures.

If the temperature had been lower in the room and the humidity higher, there would have been a more even evaporation of both ethanol and water, which is what we typically experience in distilleries in, for example, Denmark, Scotland, Sweden, and Norway.

It’s probably a bit simplified, but that’s the process in short.

Dark Mahogany

The color of the finished whisky is also absolutely phenomenal. Beautiful dark mahogany. It’s also somewhat unusual that it becomes so dark when it hasn’t been on the cask for a longer period. However, we must remember that it’s a small cask and there’s good contact between the liquid and the wood. It gets filtered quite a bit.

What contributes to its uniqueness is that it has obtained the same color as the first time we used the cask. Back then, the cask had been stored in the cellar at Fary Lochan in cooler and more humid conditions.

We thought that it was the PX sherry used for seasoning the cask that had given the color. As mentioned earlier, the cask is made from used sherry casks from a Bodega in Jerez in southern Spain. It’s a European oak cask. From the small charcoal pieces that came out during emptying, I would assume that the cask was lightly toasted before seasoning with PX sherry. In other words, used staves were used. This means that there isn’t as much color to be gained as from a new cask, and we also used the cask to provide a finish, and it gave a good color to the whisky.

Here, where the cask is used again, the expectation was that the color would be somewhat lighter, but that wasn’t the case. The whisky became just as dark as the first time we used the cask. For comparison, I looked at the color of the whisky in the other experiment – the sample Morten had. The color of that sample was as if I were holding a 3-4 year Fary Lochan whisky from an ex-bourbon cask. Fine and golden yellow.

There must be something about the wood in our small cask that gives this very dark color. I can only come to the conclusion that it’s the same as Jes Mosgaard from Mosgaard Whisky Distillery experiences with his “Black Peat” Mosgaard whisky, which has gained its color from a Hungarian Oak barrel.

I have only been able to trace that the cask we have is made of European oak, so we probably won’t get any closer than that.

A Wild Transformation

If I summarize a bit, we’ve conducted a small experiment where several factors may not have been the main focus. Actually, it was simply the idea to see how the flavor would develop in a small cask over a period of 3 years – From New Make to Whisky.

We may have ended up with Denmark’s strongest whisky as a result.

A small 7-liter oak cask filled with New Make at 63.47% from Fary Lochan, turned into an explosive, fragrant, dry sherry whisky with a fantastic color and a whopping 82.92% alcohol in 3 years and 2 days.

It was stored in a room with low humidity and an average high temperature for whisky maturation. From 7 liters to just under 2.5 liters of finished whisky.

It’s fantastic to be surprised and experience this wild development where the whisky has been influenced by so many different elements that have created our “High Spirits Adventure.”

In previous releases from Fary Lochan where the rum casks have dominated, there has been a kick of sweetness, and even though Fary Lochan doesn’t make overly sweet whisky, we get a more subdued sweetness in this Distillery Edition 08. This is, of course, due to the use of a 2nd fill rum cask.

The sherry cask used is a 3rd fill and slightly larger, so it doesn’t impart as much flavor as some of the other sherry cask-matured whiskies that have been released.

That being said, they have achieved a good combination and balance between rum and sherry. They complement each other well, and with Fary Lochan’s well-crafted new make, it results in a rather good whisky.

🆅🅴🆁 🅻🅻
Another exciting whisky from Fary Lochan, a whisky that plays with your senses of smell and taste. Fary Lochan’s DNA is recognizable, and neither the rum nor sherry casks overpower, but they complement each other well.

A very tasty 3 year old whisky with a double maturation.

One elegant thing about this first release is that the first maturation happend in small 50 litre New Danish Oak casks.
This has provided some lovely soft notes of green pepper.
The small casks has done their magic for 13 months and with the oily, fruity new make it has had a fabulous start.
The last 25 months was in a ex-bourbon hogshead from Heaven Hill and it has certainly done it’s wonders on the sweet toffee side.

A wonderful first release from Thornæs Distillery.

It was actually my first visit at the distillery the evening before it was released. I was invited to a small cozy get together with the team at the distillery, some boardmembers and Thomas who is the head and heart og “Friends of Thornaes” on Facebook.

Only 314 bottles at 50.9% abv and 50cl have being released at www.thornaes.com and will be availably at some selected shops cross Denmark.

Congratulations Torben & Co with your first release of a beautiful whisky – Can’t wait to taste the coming whiskies – Cheers

🅼🆈 🆃🆂🆃🅸🅽🅶 🅽🆃🅴🆂

🅝🅞🅢🅔
A nice sweetness of vanilla and toffee, soft tones of oak and fresh barly

🅣🅐🅢🅣🅔
A lovely oily mouthfeel, round toffee, tropical fruits and a nice maltyness

🅕🅘🅝🅘🅢🅗
A long toffee finish with a nice fruityness and touch of grassy oak

The whisky is called “Sweet & Spicy Sauternes – Batch 01”
Maybe you have been to one of the virtual tastings held by Fary Lochan, then you have tasted this in a younger version. The one on the program was in a 6 year version at 46.9% and yet it was not quite the same, because it was from a slightly younger distillate than this one.
Maybe you’ve had a share of one of the Sauternes casks that have been around – but it’s not the same whisky either.

Fary Lochan has had nothing but the two mentioned aging in Sauternes casks and therefore this release is completely unique.

Sweet & Spicy Sauternes Batch 01 is a double cask-aged whisky where the aging has been almost equally divided between Bourbon and Sauternes casks, and is a “non-smoked” version.

Matured for 7 years & 3 months.
First 3 years & 6 months in a 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel
Then 3 years & 9 months in a 1st Fill Sauternes Barrique.

The casks were filled on November 5th 2015 and May 14th 2019 respectively
The whisky is bottled on February 7th 2023 at 57.2% abv

🆅🅴🆁 🅻🅻
It’s a lovely dram with sweetness, freshness and just the right amount of spiciness so it just kicks off and warms you up.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (5/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 – 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

It’s absolutely crazy what happens in small casks.

On December 17, 2020, we bottled a small 7 liter cask from Fary Lochan. It became a delicious cask strength just a little over 3 years old. You can read more about it in this post: Private Cask
That same day, we filled Fary Lochan New Make on the same small cask. A 7 liter cask new European oak, that has contained PX sherry for a short time.
Now the cask has contained whisky for a few months and it will be exciting to see how it develops over a 3 year period ….

But things really explode in this cask!
I’m going to find a cooler place for it otherwise there will be no whisky left in another 2½ years.

I remember Morten (CEO, Fary Lochan) telling that there was a high evaporation in the time maturing of the first whisky at the distillery. It was probably around 8%. I thought it seemed a bit high for a place like Denmark, but by measuring this little cask here at my house ½ years after filling, I must say that the angels have been greedy. As much as 8.57% of the new make have evaporated ….. (60 cl)

We do not have a alcohol meter and have therefore not been able to measure the strength, but it could be fun to see how the alcohol percentage has developed.

The size of the cask and the contact between alcohol and wood is good for ripening, which also means that it goes faster.
On the 17th of February (2021) we looked at the colour development. The two months that have passed has given colour as if it had been stored on a used bourbon cask for 3 years. Light yellow, but not imprinted. Yes, we also nosed, but did not taste this day. The scent was still the fat citrusy New Make that Fary Lochan makes, but had started to give notes of a little vanilla sweetness.

And now to the wild jump. We have not touched the cask for another 4 months before June 19th, 2021. Here we were somewhat surprised by the colour and the development of aroma and taste.

The storage time on the small 7 liter cask is currently 6 months. To be more precise, we measured, smelled and tasted 184 days after filling.
If we had matured on an ordinary 225 liter barrel, the development would not have gone quite as fast as it is now. In the small cask it corresponds to having matured for approx. 1 ½ year on a 225 liter barrel – wow.

A beautiful Golden Amber colour has been created and the scent has developed to having plums, raisins, pears, green apples, mild crème brûée and a little grass. It still has the young feel, but it has become a lot more round.
The taste has distinct sherry, raisin and again some grass notes. The mouthfeel is nicely oiled.
The finish is creamy, arugula, a little vanilla sweetness and actually stays quite long.

It is going to be difficult to wait 2½ more years, and I wonder if it has all evaporated by that time ….

We talked about, if we served this to others without telling how old it is, they might have a hard time believing it is not 3 years, but only ½ years.

Something happens over time from the first batches to the PX Cask we taste today.

Mosgaard has experimented with the different casks and are doing a great job with small 50 liter casks and it is interesting to follow.
This Pedro Ximenez Cask is first matured in new french oak casks and finished in PX casks. Being matured in the small 50 liter casks things happen faster and new wood give power to the tannins in the french oak and colour.

I have tasted Mosgaard whisky from some of the french oak matured that has only matured in these and some of them are absolutly fantastic, one has been released, but only in a very limited numbers. But my point is that the combination of the spices from the french oak combined with the sweetness from the PX cask is a brilliant combination.
In my opinion this PX Cask batch is much more balanced than earlier batches – they were also good but this is beautiful.

It is understandable it won Berlin International Spirits Competition (BISC) Gold medal 2020 and World Spirits awards Gold 2020

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (5/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 – 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

Smaller scale distilling. “Rös Whisky” is a Danish Whisky from a Winery called “Dyrehøj Vingaard” – So this means whisky is not their main product, Wine is and they are good at it.

The winery make other spirits like gin, snaps and so and in 2013 they by coincidence started to make whisky as well. A craft Brewery had made to much Christmas Beer…. hmm and knew they couldn’t sell it. A good thing about this Christmas beer was that had not used Hops, only Barley. The winery got hold of the beer and decided to distille the it and let it mature in casks so it would become whisky.

The Whisky is young, 3 years old, and you can taste it but there is good potentiale in this whisky.

When I nose the whisky it reminds me of new make at first hand but then some sweet christmas cake takes over.
In Denmark we have a honey cake and it is alot like smelling those.

The taste is oranges, ginger, all spice some cloves and vanilla. The finish is medium long and has dominans of all spice and that feeling of new make.

It is a little oily and feels dry on the tongue at the same time.

Now I would like to tell you the facts and numbers of this eksakt whisky, but I found it at a hotel near my home. They only had the minis and no information. I have not been able to find very much on the whisky and I haven’t visited the winery/distillery, yet, to get the full story.
These facts are the closest I can get. I will make another post if I get the chance to get my hands on a larger bottle at the distillery one day.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (3/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 – 𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩