Swedish Distiller Mackmyra Unveils Rum Cask Aged Single Malt

Swedish distillery Mackmyra recently announced a new addition to their so-called Moment range of limited-edition single malts, this one finished in ex-rum barrels from Barbados and Jamaica. Moment Karibien was developed as part of a barrel exchange with Plantation Rum, a France-based producer that imports Jamaican, Barbadian, and Guyanese rums and finishes them in the town of Cognac.

Moment Karibien is the successor to Mackmyra Vinterdröm, which hit shelves way back in fall 2017. “We’ve been working with Plantation Rum and Alexandre [Gabriel, founder of Plantation Rum] for about four years now,” said Mackmyra blender Angela D’Orazio in a press release translated from Swedish. “This long-term approach makes us very happy and makes us a bit proud! Together, we come up with new ideas and think about very special taste experiences for both whisky and rum. The moment Caribbean is probably one of the best we have ever produced.”

This single malt is a blend of rum barrel-finished whiskies and a smaller portion—about 25% of the final batch—of Oloroso- and cherry wine-finished whiskies. The whiskies used are between eight and twelve years old. It’s bottled at 44% ABV.

The barrel swap is a two-way deal; Plantation Rum is also aging rum in barrels that once held Mackmyra malt whiskies. “It started with the simple exchange of barrels, but it has created something bigger, namely the beginning of a friendship between Maison Ferrand and Mackmyra in the form of an exchange of ideas, creativity and suggestions,” said Gabriel.

Mackmyra’s tasting notes (also translated from Swedish) are below:

“The Moment Karibean has a fruity fragrance full of spice and buttery aromas of vanilla, pear caramel and roasted oak. The palate is also spicy-fruity with warm notes of rum and Oloroso-Sherry, rounded off with a hint of oak and vanilla. The texture is a little oily. The finish is fruity and has an oak note with vanilla.”

The 4,137-bottle run of Mackmyra Moment Karibean is on shelves in Sweden and Germany now, at a suggested retail price of €121.90, or about $140 USD.