Agitator 1st Release (43%, OB, Sweden, 2021)
A distillery I am not familiar with, but they are apparently rather small and high-tech, employing vacuum distillation among various other highly disciplined practices. This one was matured in a combination of American oak ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and chestnut wood casks… Colour: pale gold. Nose: it's the kind of profile that until recently we would term - probably rather patronisingly - 'new world', which is to say rather dominated by fresh breads, lightly hoppy beers such as golden ales and IPAs. I also find some spicier oak tones and toasted cereals. Mouth: very honest and all about natural ingredients, although I think it feels a little on the young side and there are some slightly spicy oak components such as ginger and green pepper that begin to come through over time. Finish: medium, spicy, gingery and peppery with toasted cereals again. Comments: feels like excellent distillate that is perhaps still on the youthful side, and I'm not too sure the 43% isn't letting it down a bit here.
SGP: 541 - 79 points.

Agitator Four Grain '3 Cask Adventures - Selected Swedes' (52.9%, OB, bourbon cask, 719 bottles, 2022)
A series of wee 20cl bottles of three different expressions, which sounds like a rather nifty idea for those who want taste along with a distillery's experimentation. This one is a 'four grain', so a grain whisky in Scottish legal terms, but I couldn't find out which four grains I'm afraid. Colour: deep gold. Nose: creamy and full of biscuits, breads and cakes. Quite a few freshly glazed pastries, a feeling of pumpkinseed oil and a wee hint of sandalwood. With water: lemon jelly and some more oaky spices. Mouth: again it's a rather oak-forward profile, but the higher ABV carries this much more effectively here. It's nicely juicy with fruit salad 'goo' and some custard and dessert wine notes. Sweet cider and a wee hint of chamomile tea. With water: more notes of fruit teas and hints of juniper, fruity pink peppercorn and perhaps some youthful calvados. Finish: medium, sweet and a little sappy and hoppy. Comments: I prefer this more assertive style and higher ABV, but this rather modern and oak-forward style isn't necessarily my cup of tea I'm afraid. Now, I still think there's a lot of technically impressive stuff going on here…
SGP: 551 - 82 points.

Agitator Un-peated '3 Cask Adventures - Selected Swedes' (52.9%, OB, PX cask, 719 bottles, 2022)
Unpeated single malt matured in PX this time… Colour: amber. Nose: a lovely mix of fig paste, dark fruit jams and quince. I also find quite a few fruit teas, some cranberry jelly and good old fashioned fruit cake with quite few sultanas! With water: breadier, rootier, slightly more earthy and with slightly sweetened black tea. Mouth: feels like proper PX, which is to say: very sweet! Which I'm not at all against with this mix of chocolate sauce, cola syrup and wee touches of sugary black coffee and sarsaparilla soda. Also some wee medical herbal notes such as wintergreen. With water: a tad more peppery and leathery, but overall still quite jammy and on dark fruits with a hint of gamey meatiness. Finish: good length, with plenty chocolate, coffee liqueur and more black pepper. Comments: these whiskies all feel very deliberately technological, once again this one is very driven by its cask, however this sort of distillate with this sweet PX sherry is a lovey match and I think works better than the slightly spicier bourbon examples for me.
SGP: 641 - 85 points.

Agitator Peated '3 Cask Adventures - Selected Swedes' (52.9%, OB, ex-Islay quarter cask, 719 bottles, 2022)
We're presuming ex-Laphroaig casks. The question is, was it peated malt to begin with or does the peat come from the Islay casks? Colour: pale straw. Nose: a breath of fresh, very coastal, air. Lemon air freshener, chalky peat smoke, dried seaweed, beach sand and wet pebbles. Very evocative and very elegant, but perhaps could be any number of very well made modern peaters. With water: a little greener and more herbaceous with crushed nettles and green olives. Mouth: nicely chunky and peaty up front! Lots of seawater and lemon juice with brine, anchovies and sardines in smoked olive oil. Actually, feels the most 'Swedish' in some ways, if you see what I mean. With water: lemon juice over kippers, aniseed and mercurochrome. Finish: long, salty, peaty, pin-sharp and citric. Comments: excellent, probably because it is driven more by peat and distillate influence than wood, in my personal view. But I wonder how much of this is Islay talking? Anyway, a very good wee peat bomb!
SGP: 456 - 87 points.

Grythyttan 7 yo 2011/2018 (61.2%, Svenska Eldvatten 'Silent Swede', cask #196, ex-Sauternes, 352 bottles)
A series by Swedish bottler Svenska Eldvatten that focusses on closed Swedish distilleries, in this case Grythyttan, which operated only from 2010 to 2013. I have no idea what to expect, except to note the bottle says this was peated to 16ppm, so we can perhaps expect some funky interplay of phenol and Sauternes… Colour: amber. Nose: yup, some kind of sticky, raisiny, lightly smoked jam mixed with mead and a splash of herbal tonic wines. A style that is pretty odd really, but I find it actually rather charming so far. With water: cask strength Buckfast, with a shot of Jägermeister and some fruity black coffee, a few sultanas bobbing about in the depths too. Mouth: I think lower peat levels tend to deliver pretty interesting whiskies, this is the case with a lot of things like salted marmalade, hessian, cured Jambon, liquorice root, and in fact salted liquorice - a Swedish brand I'm sure! - then a lot of caraway and spicy brown bread like pumpernickel. With water: soft notes of tar, strong impressions of resinous fir and pine woods, aniseed, liquorice, ointments and gentian spirit dosed with herbal cough syrup. Mad stuff! Finish: long, going now firmly towards Fisherman's Friends, smoked fish, throat lozenges and cured meats. Comments: what a funny and fun wee whisky. The sort that is rather pointless and impossible to score, and would bamboozle the most experienced of tasters when presented blind. Please take my score with a whole bushel of salted Swedish liquorice!
SGP: 654 - 85 points.

Grythyttan 7 yo 2011/2018 (60.7%, Svenska Eldvatten 'Silent Swede', cask #118, ex-Brandy cask, 351 bottles)
Looks like I'm a complete fool for doing this one second, which seems to be lower in ABV and lower in peat level… Colour: deep orangey gold. Nose: indeed, this is much more rounded and full of apricot jam, Australian muscat wine, tobacco leaf and sultana. A little oak spice, some cinnamon sugar and quite a few notes of freshly baked brown breads. With water: proper cakes, breads and jams all over the place - cream scones with strawberry and damson conserve! Mouth: that jammy and sticky side is a little too much up front here, going also towards strong notes of shoe polish and leather. But with time some nice spiced dark fruit notes though, and indeed things like clove-studded orange peel. With water: fig rolls, orange cocktail bitters, heather ales and more brown breads and pastries. Finish: good length, sweet, earthy, jammy and with more tobaccos and wee gamey touches. Comments: very good, still unusual but a bit more classical and well-rounded I think. What happened to this wee distillery? Are there any other casks about the place?
SGP: 651 - 86 points.