October 28, 2000: Nordic Seas--

It is told that the Swedish Vikings became acquainted with distilled alcohol on their eastbound cyclic journeys. These excursions took them all the way to domains ruled by the Arabs. The 'white' art of converting a fluid to a higher and more potent level by means of distillation was fairly known in that area and by that time. The regular alcoholic brew prepared and consumed by the contemporary Vikings was a fermented barley-based fluid, sweetened by honey and called 'mead'. If mead ever was distilled it means an archaic form of whisky was certainly born. When the westbound Vikings subsequently travelled and brought their culture to the British Isles maybe they carried this knowledge in their luggage too .....

Anyhow, further down history lane and into modern times, both Danes and Swedes began to re-invent the process of malt whisky production. The famous Danish liquor company C.L.O.C. started a brand new production unit at their Roskilde factory in the year 1949. The unit dealt with all the necessary steps for producing a technically correct single malt whisky, including the minimum ageing period of three years. Hence the first drops were released in September 1952, at a price of a hefty 2 pounds per full-size bottle. Barley, peat and water came from surrounding areas and the peating was performed in a kiln that looked like a modified pagoda. Production discontinued in 1974.

In the Swedish town of Södertälje, home of the Swedish Wine and Spirit Monopoly's national storage and bottling facility, another saga started. Here, close to Stockholm, a centre for Swedish single malt whisky production found its location. A new building like a true copy of a Charles Doig pagoda kiln was erected. As the artisan art of hammering pot stills out of copper metal sheet was lost in Sweden, stills had to be bought elsewhere. Due to their cost, new Forsyths stills were out of the question, so the pioneers had to look for alternatives. An offer to acquire a used triple-still set from the Scottish Lowland distillery Bladnoch was accepted. The triple-still set was dismantled and re-erected on the Swedish premises during the summer of 1955.

The first run was in September that same year and the first drops were released, after six years of maturing, during 1961. The whisky was never officially released as a single malt whisky. Baptised "Skeppet" (The Ship), it was a blended whisky consisting of 45% of the Södertälje single malt and 55% grain whisky produced at the famous Åhus distillery in the southern province of Skåne, home of Absolut vodka. The raw material for the single malt came from different parts of Sweden: barley from the province Skåne, peat from the province Småland and water from the city mains. The grain whisky was made from local wheat. Maturing took place in sherry butts of various origin and the ageing varied between 5 and 6 years. The unit produced one million litres during its 11-year life span. The facility closed in March 1966 and the small spirit still is on display today in the Wine and Spirit Museum in Stockholm. The wash and intermediate stills were moved to the Ödåkra facility in Skåne and are still in use there. They are used for distilling 'aroma' alcohol for the production of Swedish akvavits and local cordials.

Another distillery that became dismantled, shipped away and assembled on Swedish soil was what remained of the Glenturret distillery. In 1921, distilling ceased here and the premises were solely used for maturing the remaining Glenturret whisky. The last whisky was removed in 1927 together with all the essential equipment which was sold to Sweden that same year. New equipment was not installed at Glenturret until 1957. The further Swedish fate of the Glenturret relics is yet to be unveiled.

Tasting notes:
C.L.O.C. Whisky, a true single malt.
	Tasted July 15, 1972, at Hvide Hus in Århus, Denmark. Appearance:    Unnatural brown, assume caramel colour is added. Oily viscosity Nose:               Unmistakingly new spirit with an odd sugary sweetness. Taste:               Very sweet, fat, oily. Malt is evident, peat is just a hint. The raw, young alcohol is too present. Improperly balanced. Finish:             Leaves an oily film on the palate Comments.      In a blind nosing I would be confused; whisky or not?
Skeppet 'Unofficial', a true single malt  (from the last run of the complex in 1966).
	Tasted Nov 11, 1997, at Vin & Sprit in Falkenberg, Sweden Appearance:    Natural dark yellow. Medium viscosity Nose:               Distinct peatness, sherry sweetness and a hint of vanilla from the oak, faint citrus oil. Taste:               Sweet, malty and peaty in a handsomely balanced way. Finish:              Quite short and dry, ends in an astringent way. Comment:       It is certainly a drinkable whisky. Very lowlandish in its character.

Look out for the Vikings! They'll be back! A group of enthusiasts situated in the rural Mackmyra region have decided to revive the proud tradition of Norse single malt whisky near Gävle, 200 km north of Stockholm. A brand new double still (wash 400 litre and spirit 84 litre) was put into production in December 1999. All production steps are on-site and only local raw materials are used. Annual production is estimated to be 1000 litres. The first drops were collected in a sherry cask used twice before in the Scottish whisky trade. Bourbon casks will be used for future production. The release date is not yet decided.

A second venture was recently launched by a group of enthusiasts located in the province Dalarna. A spokesman told the press that they are seeking government (EU?) and private venture capital to establish a complete single malt whisky distillery up in the northern Big Woods. He claimed, modestly, that not more than 15 work opportunities will be created initially. The adventure is baptised 'Lodhian Distillery AB' and will initially import vatted whisky from Scotland to be distributed under this name.