Mackmyra The Swedish Whisky

Mackmyra is a Swedish single malt whisky founded by a group of university friends in 1999 and one of the first pioneers of the world whisky scene, launching its first Mackmyra single malt whisky in 2006 to great success. Mackmyra now has an expansive range of core and limited edition whiskies and has won a string of international awards.

The original Mackmyra distillery was constructed in 2002 and was soon producing both peated and unpeated signature whisky styles, known as Elegant and Smoky. A second, larger, distillery was built in 2012 with a gravity-assisted eco-friendly design wherein the raw materials are transported to the top of the distillery’s 37 metre tower and gradually processed into whisky as they move downwards, emerging as new make spirit on the ground floor. Mackmyra's original distillery now focuses on making gin and experimental whiskies. Sadly Mackmyra's owners filed for bankruptcy in 2024, the distillery's 25th anniversary year.

Distillery bottlings are, as the name suggests, bottled by or for the distillery from which the whisky has originated and are thus often referred to as Official Bottlings or OBs. Distillery bottlings are generally more desirable for collectors and usually fetch higher prices at auction than independent bottlings. They are officially-endorsed versions of the whisky from a particular distillery and are therefore considered the truest expression of the distillery’s character.

This ideal of the distillery character is regarded so seriously by the distilleries and brand owners that casks of whisky that are considered to vary too far from the archetype are frequently sold on to whisky brokers and independent bottlers. When this happens, it is often with the proviso that the distillery’s name is not allowed to be used when the cask is bottled for fear of diminishing or damaging the distillery’s character and status.