Review | Thy Single Malt

Thy Single Malt is an organic Danish whisky 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 is a marriage of pale malt and beechwood smoked malt that has been matured in ex-Oloroso sherry, Pedro Ximenez sherry and bourbon casks. The organic spring grains used are of varietals Odyssey barley and Babushka 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, they are 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.

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.

Our single malt is the essence of Thy, expressing our farm distillery style of single malt, where the straight-forward malt and grain flavour of our whisky is at the forefront.

Thy Single Malt is bottled at 48% ABV in small batches of 4800 bottles. It is available direct from thy-whisky.dk if you are based in Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden or France. It is also available in other selected global markets through whisky specialist retailers. Expect to pay 549dkk / €60 / £55.

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Our Tasting Notes

This bright golden yellow whisky is delightfully fruity on the nose. With aromas of orange and mango with fresh red plums, dried strawberries and just a hint of tropical fruits. It is an intriguing fruitiness that is not like anything else we have tried recently. Then comes the honeyed sweetness with more than a dash of creamy vanilla, marzipan and milk chocolate. There is a definite cereal character on the nose with a note akin to baked raisin and oat cookies. Oakiness comes through as freshly chopped wood and finally a whisp of savoury smoke underneath this all, reminiscent of tobacco with a menthol edge.

On the palate this whisky has a delightfully honeyed mouthfeel. It is sweet, woody and malty. To taste it begins with juicy fruit notes then explodes with a burst of sweet savoury smoke. There is a distinct malty character mixed with milk chocolate cocoa, and marzipan. The fruitiness reminds of lychee or white peach. This is met with rich runny honey. The smokiness is distinctive and has a real wood nature to it, which is reminsicent of a wood fired oven. Hints of cocoa powder, old tobacco leaf and menthol sit in the background.

On the finish, the sweetness fades quite quickly but a spicy heat of cloves and nutmeg continue. The fruitiness lingers nicely with a delicate richness along with the maltiness. The smoke builds over time then settles into a comforting level of savoury yet drying flavour in your mouth. It is impossible for your mouth not to be left watering.

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What’s The Verdict?

This is a delightful whisky. The balance of sweet, fruit, malt, oak and smoke is very well controlled. Nothing is out of place. It is a distinctly different style of smoked whisky. The smokiness adds depth without being aggressive and combines with sweetness to be quite moreish.

Thy have done a really great job of producing a high quality spirit that has taken characteristics from the cask without overpowering the spirit style. And that smoke is unique. We would not have been able to clearly say it reminds us of beechwood but it is undeniably woody. It however has sweetness and a well rounded nature that is hugely complimentary to Thy’s robust style of single malt.