A few Smögen from Sweden


June 9, 2026

A few Smögen from Sweden

At the risk of sounding ridiculous once again, I confess that for a time I thought Smögen was simply the Swedish word for “smoke”, all the more so since in Breton one says moged. I later discovered that “smoke” is actually rök, and that Smögen is in fact the name of a place, very charming, no less, in Bohuslän. And, naturally, of a whisky distillery. You see, whisky leads to knowledge, and knowledge is power. Is it not anymore? Now then, by way of an aperitif, we shall sample an Askeim, Smögen’s unpeated, or scarcely peated, version. Askeim means “ask them” in Swedish, doesn't it? Well, you see, we fear no ridicule...

Jo Bonnier (1930-1972)

Askeim 8 yo ‘Batch No.2’ (57.2%, OB, Sweden, +/-2026)

A version made from Golden Promise and triple-distilled. Batch 1 from 2024, bottled at 57.7%, had been very, very much to my liking (WF 90). Colour: golden amber. Nose: imagine freshly baked pumpernickel drizzled with a little pepper liqueur and crème de menthe, then generously spread with orange marmalade and a compote of vegetables, particularly grilled aubergines and, let us be honest, a touch of smoke. Improbable? Not quite as much as it sounds... With water: we descend into earthiness, old pu-ehr tea and very dark turrón. Mouth (neat): a mirror image of the nose, only fruitier, more jammy and rather spicier. There is something faintly rye-like about it, the pumpernickel remains, alongside those grilled and smoked vegetables. With water: really very good now, everything has knitted together through the grace of water, while a duo of juniper and pepper keeps perfect time. Finish: long, moving towards gingerbread, citrus zests, cinnamon and even a faintly festive character, rather reminiscent of Stollen. Pepper lingers in the aftertaste. Comments: Batch 1 was less marked by the cask, purer if memory serves, but I am equally fond of this more massive style, one that feels decidedly wintery.
SGP:662 - 89 points.

Smögen 15 yo (55.7%, OB, Sweden, batch #L001, bourbon barrels, 2025)

A marriage of several casks and, inevitably, Smögen’s first-ever 15-year-old, distilled in 2010, the distillery’s inaugural vintage. Colour: pale gold. Nose: gentler despite being peatier, already slightly rounded by time, giving the impression of a synthesis between Caol Ila and Ardbeg, ultimately not all that far removed from the spirit of Kornog in Brittany, with which it shares a number of traits. Perhaps a little more fermentary, very slightly more mentholated and medicinal. In short, it is superb. With water: we move closer to the barley itself, along with the ashes of fir wood. Mouth (neat): that distinctive blade-like character dipped into a mixture of seawater and menthol. Behind it lies slightly tart apple juice mingled with ashes. With water: richer and fruitier now, to the point where one almost feels that the peat has acted as a precursor to fruity compounds, as it so often seems to do in many of Islay’s greatest names. Pink grapefruits and guavas, with a little honey. Finish: long and rather gentle, the blade-like edge now gone, which ultimately, and bizarrely, makes it somewhat dangerous. Read easier. Orange-infused vanilla cream lingers in the aftertaste. Comments: in theory, a distillery’s first year must inevitably involve a period of fine-tuning, yet none of that is apparent here. A bullseye at the very first attempt.
SGP:655 - 91 points.

Smögen 12 yo 2014/2026 ‘100 proof’ (57.1%, OB, Sweden, bourbon & sherry)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: the sherry feels almost incidental here, although those little notes of exhaust fumes and brand-new tyres may well stem from it. I cannot help thinking of the great and much-missed Swedish racing driver Jo Bonnier, whom my father, an automotive engineer, had met before his fatal crash at Le Mans in 1972 (end of family reminiscences, I promise). This Smögen then becomes increasingly pure, taut and precise, rather like Jo’s driving. Earth, roots and quiet authority. With water: fresh mint, cigarette ash, gentian, angelica and fresh turmeric. Mouth (neat): forget the analysis, it is simple and it is perfect. Lemon, seawater, peat and perhaps a touch of green walnut from the sherry, although I may well be dreaming. In its own way, it is almost the antithesis of the 15-year-old, yet the quality level is exactly the same. With water: the earthy, rooty side becomes even more expressive, while the lemon shines all the brighter. Finish: long, with liquorice wood arriving towards the end. Clearly, quite a lot is happening beneath the surface. Comments: a wonderful bottle. I should, however, like the owners to send me proof that sherry casks were actually involved. Only joking, of course.
SGP:566 - 91 points.

Oh, so you wanted some sherry...

Smögen 12 yo 2013/2025 (58.3%, Casky, the Antelope & Cask le Sens, first fill PX hogshead, cask #5 :2, 274 bottles)

PX, according to our own little doctrine, is very much the danger zone. Then again, danger does not necessarily imply disaster, does it? We are dealing here with a classically peated barley malt at 50ppm. Colour: dark red mahogany. If that is not the PX, I do not know what is. Nose: the exhaust fumes are back at full throttle, the Paris ring road (périphérique) at rush hour, nutmeg, prunes, roasted artichokes, crème de cassis and, naturally, walnut liqueur (Nusswasser, as my grandmother used to call it, since we seem to be wandering into family recollections). Old Dutch genever as well. Oh, and aquavit. With water: gingerbread generously moistened with kirsch. Mouth (neat): rich and weighty, though not in the least to its detriment, while also displaying plenty of strawberry jam liberally dusted with black pepper. The fruitcake character returns, alongside Stollen and even Linzertorte. It all feels remarkably Mitteleuropean for a Swedish whisky selected for Hong Kong’s Bay, does it not? And we have not even mentioned the glacé cherries yet... With water: precisely, here come the glacé cherries, accompanied by juniper, pepper, coriander seed, plenty of bitter orange and pine needles. Finish: very long, a veritable fruitcake. You could almost keep your bottle until the next Christmas festivities, assuming the planet has not exploded by then. Comments: in truth, it is rather superb, if somewhat disconcerting. I suspect you could also add a thimbleful or two to your beer and create a half-and-half that is very... Mitteleuropean indeed.
SGP:666 (devilish) - 88 points.

I suggest we round things off quickly with a version that is no doubt ultra-clean...

Smögen 11 yo 2014/2025 (60%, OB for The Whisky Blues, Sweden, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #12, 280 bottles)

Colour: sauvignon blanc. Nose: we find echoes of Riesling from Hunawihr, Ribeauvillé or Bergheim, perhaps even the Wachau, alongside wet chalk, tart apples, little olives and lemon, grist, this morning’s freshly baked baguette and a measured dose of antiseptic. With water: now fully focused on peated barley malt, kiln notes and all the rest of it. Mouth (neat): magnificently simple. A rather unusual touch of quince at first, followed by ashes, seawater, fresh bread, modelling clay, green pepper and lemon juice. No unnecessary chatter this time. With water: bang, it becomes magnificent once again, with pepper and a little honey stepping forward and taking gentle control of proceedings. Finish: long, superb and tightly focused again, on tart apples, lime and green pepper. Comments: after an Earth, Wind & Fire concert from their glory days with the PX, we somehow found ourselves in a confessional. Believe me, it was remarkably restful, despite all our sins. Another magnificent Smögen.
SGP:466 - 91 points.

That's quite enough of that. Nu räcker det!

P.S. Since we are on the subject of anecdotes, imagine that our quiet little town here in Alsace, Colmar, was captured by the Swedish troops of Gustaf Horn in 1632. Perhaps I therefore have a very distant Swedish ancestor... Which might, at least in part, explain my fondness for Smögen. Who knows!

Check the index of all whiskies from Sweden we've tasted