THE SAME LAND, EIGHT GENERATIONS

For me, Nordic whisky is one of the most exciting arenas for experimentation and breaking traditions. Because they don’t have long-established conventions of how to do things, they use unexpected grains; they kiln with unusual smokes; and they try different distillation methods. But... it’s not all great whisky, just because it’s experimental. You have to be very selective not only about the distilleries but with the choice of casks... not every experiment works!

In this bottle, the Elixir Trail takes us to windswept, rural western Denmark. Here, you’ll find Thy whisky distillery (pronounced “Tu”). It’s produced by the Nicolajsen family on their organic farm, using only grains grown on their land. As I said, Nordic whisky is often made with an unusual mash bill, using unexpected grains, including heritage barley and rye varieties, as well as spelt – which people are more likely to recognise as a health food, than as a base for whisky.

This specific whisky’s mash bill is led by Danish rye (whose spiciness is more gentle than the sometimes harsh, dry spice of American rye, and also carries the aroma of freshly baked rye bread). That’s at 60%, then there’s 30% spring barley (which adds stone fruit, malt and citrus notes) and 10% spelt. The last ingredient produces sweet and nutty notes that really complement the spiciness of rye.

The reason the family began using spelt is simple: they grow it there on the Gyrup Estate. What was called “crop rotation” in geography lessons when I was at school, and is now known as regenerative farming, they alternate seasons of rye, barley and spelt (plus broad beans and gluten-free oats) in each field because each variety replaces different soil nutrients. Having tilled this land for eight generations, they want to ensure the land is fertile in the future. As well as controlling the non-GM, no-pesticide growth of their raw material, Thy has its own malthouse, so it controls the next stage too. Having their own malting drums means they can experiment and adjust the mix of grains to create and balance the aromatic compounds that characterise their whisky.

Thy uses a single distillation - from pot still to condenser, so the spirit comes off at a high ABV, resulting in much more intense malt and grain aromas and a chewy mouthfeel. The new-make was filled into four virgin American oak quarter casks – new oak, so that four years of maturation has imparted vanilla and honey in abundance, but also some tannins that I find gave the spirit great structure to help it age with complexity.

I find smaller casks like this are really well suited to rye whisky. They increase the rate of maturation, accelerating the interaction between the whisky and oak, preserving some of the spice and flavour of the new make while extracting more of the vanilla and caramel from the new American oak creating a wonderful balance of spice and fruit in such a young powerful whisky.

To complete the maturation, my Elixir team married the quartet of casks in Denmark, then brought the whisky to our warehouse in Speyside. We decided to reduce the ABV from the 61% at which it was disgorged to 58% before it went into refill hogsheads. The idea is not to introduce out-of-place new flavours with “cask-finishing” but to allow the whisky to settle and allow the fruit character already in the whisky to develop to its true potential.

We only filled those hogsheads only three-quarters to the top, by the way. In our experience, the extra exposure to oxygen in the final months of maturation helps soften any edges. Finally, we diluted the whisky to 50.5% ABV and let it rest for four weeks in stainless-steel vats for before bottling to let it fully integrate and mellow (because dilution immediately before bottling is essentially a shock to the whisky).

The final result is a whisky that is exceptional for its age. I really enjoy the warm spices and pepper on the nose, with sweet honey and banana notes. On the palate, I pick up unusual highlights above the core of rye bread – eucalyptus, burnt orange, rosemary and thyme (it’s almost a song!). Then it draws to a close with aniseed and ginger.

I’m highly impressed with what Thy is producing, and while I don’t want to give away too much, don’t be surprised if our Elixir Whisky Trail winds its way back here in the future…