Nordic Whisky #155 - Smögen Sherry Octaves

Smögen Sherry Octaves, 4 YO, 53,6 %

Smögen Sherry Octaves

The Smögen Sherry Octaves was launched on 2017-06-01 and sold out in a matter of minutes. The selling price was SEK 843, and the total outturn was 1056 bottles. The subtitle for this release is "Sherry Project 2:1", so expect at least one more in the series.

The Smögen Sherry Octaves has been matured in 18 small ex-sherry casks (cask # 18-35/23013), so called octaves at around 50 litres capacity. The name octave is due to this being approximately one eighth of a sherry butt (around 500 litres). So, yeah, the math is not perfect, but there you go.

Nose: Softly, softly. Vanilla ice cream and a glass of fine old sherry, served on a plate of fresh oak. There's a small cup of freshly ground black pepper, a twig from a pine tree with fresh sap, a marshmallow, a cinnamon stick and a nutmeg seed on the plate as well. Someone, probably Pär, has then decided to set the whole thing on fire. What a symphony of aromas!

Taste: Rich and full bodied. Thick, sticky, sweet honey with dried fruits and cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger and vanilla. The peatiness is definitely here as well, creating a robust base. The nose and the palate are completely in sync, and that's just what I was hoping for.

Finish: Surprisingly long for such a young whisky. The same, fine balance between sweetness, peat and spices remain all the way to the finish. The landing is long and fine tuned.

Comments: This is a love letter of a whisky. It is a tender kiss on the senses. Enjoy!

Score (89/100)

PS! The image used is of a small sample bottle I saw at the distillery prior to the formal release.

Sláinte! - Thomas