Bøg is a single malt whisky from the Danish distillery of Thy, which is smoked with Danish beechwood smoke. Pronounced as “buh”, it takes its name from the distinctly Danish style of smoke. The smoky spirit is matured in ex-Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry casks. Bøg forms parts of Thy’s Core Expressions range, which also includes Thy Single Malt.
All Thy single malt whiskies are organic and made 100% on a single estate. From growing the organic barley through to malting, distilling and maturation, it is all done on one farm in north-western Denmark. This whisky uses organic spring grains of Odyssey barley.
Thy (pronounced “tu”) was established in 2009 by the Gyrup family. The distillery is located in the village of Thy on the northern west coast of Jutland. It is surrounded by the family farm that grows all of the grain used. Their first cask of single malt was bottled in January 2014 under the name ‘Thy Whisky No. 1- Kræn Klit’. It wasn’t until 2019 that the distillery became single estate following several years outsourcing certain elements of production. From 2024 their production capacity is approximately 50,000 litres per year of organic new make.
Thy focuses exclusively on organic whisky made from modern and heritage grain grown on their own fields. They grow using a regenerative style of agriculture. By using cover crops and crop rotation to build up a healthy soil, eliminating the need for pesticides and artificial fertilizer. All grains are malted onsite in a self-designed-and-built malting drum over a slow nine day process. When their whisky is smoked they use traditional beechwood, as in this case.
Their distillation process is unconventional using just a single distillation – as opposed to the usual two or three distillations. They use an extra condenser on their still, which condenses some water vapours and the heavy oils in the process and sends them back into the copper pot. Thy matures their whisky in a warehouse that has parts of the wall missing and is full of holes, letting the local coastal environ have full impact on the casks.
Thy have created their whiskies with a distinctly Danish mindset. This makes the best possible product using local ingredients, traditional processes, and providing transparency about the ingredients and the process. Thy Bøg is bottled at 50% ABV in small batches. We are trying the release of February 2025. A bottle will cost £68/ 699DKK.
Our Tasting Notes
This is a brightly golden coloured whisky. On the nose it is grassy, smoky and sweet. There are aromas of damp grass and hay, gooseberry and rhubarb, and a pine tree resin-like freshness. The sweetness appears as maple syrup and milk chocolate. The smoke is a gentle and sweet style akin to woodchips on the barbeque.
To taste, this whisky has lots of sweetness upfront which takes the form of maple syrup. This is paired with sultanas, figs and sweet oranges. As the sweet fruitiness dissipates it is replaced with a drying warmth and the woody smoke. Again the smoke is gentle, like a sweet wood fire with a hint of resin, and acts to wrap around your palate. Hints of smouldering dried grass, the milk chocolate from the nose and black treacle sit in the background.
The finish is drying and introduces a herbal nature, as well as some maltiness of oat cookies and a hint of milk chocolate. The woody smoke lingers gently on your palate long after your first sip, especially once the sweetness has gone.
What’s The Verdict?
This is an intriguing style of smoky whisky that is gentle and sweet. It is fabulous to see Thy producing something which does come across as distinctly Danish and completely in character with their coastal location. If you are a fan of big smoky Scotches this will not hit the spot for you, but if you have a wider appreciation of smoky whisky styles this is definitely one to add to the must try list. It is also interesting to see craft distillers around the world experimenting with alternatives to peat for creating smokiness.
