MACK
Bottle Name: MACK
Distillery: Mackmyra
Region: Europe
The entry point to the wider Mackmyra core range – MACK – was released in the latter part of 2015. It’s an NAS single malt that has been aged in American oak. Not much to go on, but, I’ll applaud Mackmyra for clearly listing the use of caramel colourant on the product sheet.
The main points of interest with this bottling are its ABV and its positioning. 40% is a common sight across most places in the world – but not to my knowledge in the Scandinavian countries, where higher ABVs, even for entry-bottlings seem the norm. This lower bottling strength (and accompanied chill-filtration) have no doubt has been selected by Blender Angela D’Orazio to sit easily with MACK’s brand proposition – a whisky for younger people that’s ‘great in cocktails but also on its own, straight or on the rocks’. Rather the Haig Club suggestion of doing whatever you want with your liquid. It’ll set you back £34.50 from Master of Malt.
Nose: Candy apples and pear drops dominate – sweet and confectionary-like. A backdrop of vanilla, caramel and wood varnish follows in support. Light and fruity, but largely one-dimensional.
Taste: Easy-going, but essentially thin. Quite saccharine with icing sugar, pear drops and lemon peels – balanced by ginger, marzipan and vanilla sponge cake. Nothing offensive, but few moving parts here – simple stuff.
Finish: Short, still quite sweet and emphasising vanilla
Personally, I'd view MACK as a mixing whisky. As a neat single malt alone, it’s bright and fresh, but lacking in both depth and development – resulting in a bottling that’s harmless but ultimately dull. I can attest that with ginger it’s a perfectly fine aperitif, however, taken within the broader category of mixed spirits, it’s still up against some stiff competition – a bottle of JW Black can be picked up for 25% less here in the UK. The Dramble doesn’t score for long serves and cocktails – just straight up, neat whisky……so…..
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