86

Score

Smögen Primör, 63.7%

Price: $147 Issue: Fall 2015 Reviewer: Jonny McCormick

Pär Caldenby makes this 45 ppm peated island whisky off Sweden's west coast, maturing it in 110L capacity virgin European oak and Bordeaux casks. Lemon bonbon, vanilla pod, crisped bacon rind, and burnt toast crumbs are backed with a blackberry note. The longer I nose, the more the peat edges over the sweetness. Syrupy with an intense alcohol flare: apple, lemon, and vanilla sponge, but dilutes to ground ginger, citrus, and herbal notes. The smoke is unobtrusive. Young, promising, and gutsy.SEK 1276