Mackmyra – Grönt Te

Grönt Te – Mackmyra

When we start to think about single malt whisky or any whisky for that matter, its all about the flavours and aromas and where they originate from, we then have to appreciate these two things are highly indicative of the wood’s influence, how the liquid has interacted with the wood, the period the liquid has spent maturing within each individual cask will determine the final flavour/aroma profile.

Of course there is more to it than the wood, but lets just concentrate on the cask for now! This whisky has been made, it has had the flavours and aromas dictated to it and by that I don’t mean its manufactured chemically but rather the end product has been influenced by the way the cask has been prepared.

The casks used for the production of this latest revelation in Swedish whisky have been seasoned with oloroso sherry and green tea leaves! I know, its a little strange to the purists who just don’t see the use of tea leaves to flavour whisky as obvious or even right.. But the age of whisky is being challenged around every corner, gone are the days of tradition, gone are the days of purity, its time to welcome a new era, a new beginning if you will, its time for induced flavours, maybe even the accelerated maturation technique will one day be welcomed, who knows..

So green tea, in whisky! what the hell is that all about ?

Mackmyra or rather the master blender Angela was inspired by new cultures and traveling and wanted to bring the two things together, so combining both Oloroso and green tea leaves has resulted in this weird style ( to the purists ) of flavour infused whisky..

Distillery.. Mackmyra

Region.. Sweden

Age.. NAS

Abv.. 46.1%

Casks.. Newly saturated ex-Oloroso, 128 L / New and 1st fill Oloroso, 128 L / 1st fill Bourbon, 100-200 L / 1st fill Swedish oak, 100 L..

Tea Leaves.. Yame Sencha..
A rich, soft and sweet green tea with a deep taste, from the 1st harvest of the year in Hoshino, Fukuoka.
Yame Gyokuro..
An elegant and sophisticated tea, with lots of sweetness and Umami, also from the 1st harvest, Fukuoka.
Kaoribo Hojicha..
Nutty, round and delicate, with roasted tea leafes from the 1st harvest, Shizuoka.
Yame Matcha Shinobi..
A rich green tea, made for tasty matcha teas, for cooking and baking, from Hoshino, Fukuoka.

Nose..  Apple peel, cider, pear and those apple bomb sweets we had as kids.. Vanilla ice cream with a hint of toffee sauce, honey and a soft herbal note that lurks in the background.

Palate.. A spicy start with Ginger, cinnamon and a hint of cider apples that bring in a subtle bitterness, hints of dates, chocolate and plum eventually come through and with that comes a delicate hint of dried tobacco leaf..

Finish.. lingering spices and a subtle bitterness

Thoughts.. Firstly let me get one thing out in the open, I don’t drink tea!! So this was always going to be rather interesting for me, unfortunately I am a coffee drinker..  For this review my notes may not be as precise as someone who drinks tea and understands those flavours.. Please forgive me..

Right.. Tea in whisky, did it work ?

In a weird way it certainly did ! As a non tea drinker there was no real flavours or aromas that surprised me as such, the cider apple notes were a little different but I don’t know if that’s the tea or just the casks talking, the remaining flavours were very pleasant and made for a rather enjoyable whisky, so what’ not to like ?