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.

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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.

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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.

Kyrö Distillery makes delicious rye whisky, and for this smoky variation they have smoked the rye malt with alderwood smoke.

A rye whisky made from a 100% rye mash. It has been aged in ex-bourbon casks, French oak casks, and new American oak casks. Bottled at 47.2% abv.

The rye malt was dried and smoked in the old-fashioned way in a “riihi”, a traditional Finnish smokehouse. This tradition goes back over 100 years.

A “riihi” is a traditional Finnish smokehouse, primarily used for drying grain, especially barley and rye. They are typically made of wood and have a chimney in the middle that vents the smoke. Riihi’s often have a platform or loft where the grain can be spread out to dry evenly.

In Finland, riihi’s have played an important role in agriculture for centuries. They were crucial to preserving the harvest and preventing the grain from rotting. Riihi’s were also social gathering places where people met to work, party, and tell stories. So a great starting point for a drink that brings people together.

The rye gives a lot of delicious spicy notes of cedar, rye bread, dark caramel and the alderwood smoke gives a mild sweet touch of berries and dried moss, which works quite well and adds some fruitiness to the whisky while also helping to balance the bitterness of the rye.

Kyrö Malt Rye Whisky is lightly smoked, so you don’t get a smoky kick, but more of a gentle sensation. The rye is the most dominant, both on the nose and on the palate. It would be interesting to taste a more heavily smoked version, still with alderwood of course, as I think it suits the rye very well.

We don’t get an age on the whisky and a guess is that it is naturally over 3 years old but probably hasn’t reached 4 years. This edition is from 2021 and is a Pre-Release Limited Edition. I don’t know if there will be more like this, but it tastes good.

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Exciting with a different smoke flavor and I think it suits the rye very well. Whether they should make more of this alderwood smoked rye whisky at Kyrö – Yes, please!

The Manuka tree, or kahikātoa in Maori, was also called “tea tree” by Captain Cook and is known as “Rosenmyrte” in Danish. What we probably know Manuka best for is honey. The nectar from the flowers, turned into honey with the help of bees, has been used for hundreds of years as medicine and has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

It’s a rather interesting and different whisky, and when I tasted it for the first time back in 2016, I wondered what on earth they had been up to down on the other side of the world. I noted at the time that it smelled a bit like “wet wild animal.” It has a quite intense smoke flavor, but at the same time, it is not as overwhelming as some peat smoke can be. It’s a smoke you need to get to know.

When we were in New Zealand in February 2024, one of my big wishes was to visit the Thomson Distillery. We had miscommunicated, and I arrived on a public holiday when I knocked on the door. It would have been fun to meet Mathew & Rachael Thomson, who own and run the distillery, and talk to them about their whisky and the wild experience it offers.

However, it didn’t stop me from buying a bottle of Thomson Manuka Wood Smoke Single Malt to take home, and now I can sit in Denmark and enjoy the wild smoke and imagine the fantastic landscape of New Zealand.

There is no wonder that malt is smoked over Manuka wood, as it provides an intense experience of something wild, something harsh, and a gentle sweetness.

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No, I haven’t smelled a wet possum, but I have smelled yarn from a possum, and my imagination of how the wet wild animal must smell is roughly what I detect. It could be a wet deer, and I have smelled that . It is an exciting whisky that is different and not with a traditional taste, which might deter some, but by golly, it is lovely.

Archie Rose is an Australian distillery that produces fantastic whisky and is very transparent about their process, which is a feature I really appreciate.

Back in 2020, I tasted Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky for the first time, and what a delightful experience it was, but that’s not the one we’re discussing today.

It’s one of the experiments they did, released in 2019: an Ironbark Smoked Rye Malt Whisky.

The interesting thing about how this Rye whisky acquired its smoky flavor is that it wasn’t through malt smoking, but by adding smoke to the water used to dilute the finished matured rye whisky.

So, they made a regular Rye New Make, which was then aged in Virgin American Oak with a char #4. They let it rest for 2½-3 years. Large pieces of ice were melted in an oven over an Ironbark fire. Ironbark is the bark from eucalyptus trees, and its smoke was infused into the water in this process. This water was then used to dilute the whisky from cask strength to 40% ABV.

There aren’t many instances where whisky gets its smoke notes this way, and it’s quite different from the more traditional method. One might debate whether flavor is added in this process or if it would be the same as using water that has passed through peat, imparting a smoky flavor to the whisky.

I would say it has given a delightful smoky flavor and a different smoke taste. It’s gentler and rounder, and the flavor is, of course, different because the smoke from eucalyptus bark brings different smoke notes than, say, peat smoke.

It’s wonderful when experimentation leads to discoveries, either by accident or out of curiosity.

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It’s an interesting rye whisky and a great experience. I hope I get the chance to taste it again someday, though unfortunately, there’s probably not much likelihood of that happening. I don’t think they’ve produced it more than once.