Whisky Entrepreneur – My Mackmyra Whisky Story

Is an online book by Magnus Dandanell in 2 seasons and 14 episodes.

Season 1 ENG is in English and consists of Episodes 2-7. It takes place from the idea of ​​Mackmyra 1998 to the decision to build its own Whisky Village 2009.

(Click on the image to proceed directly with buying Season 1 ENG)

More Info about the Episodes

Episode 1

Episode 1 has free access so that everyone can test the form of the book before buying and get an idea of ​​the content of the seasons. Episode 1 summarizes the entire period (overview) from the idea 1998 to May 2021 when Magnus left all operational assignments for Mackmyra and started to write this book under his own auspices.

Episode 2

Episode 2 is about the time between the idea in 1998 and the start of the company in March 1999 and the plans that were created in between. How the founders found the site for the first distillery, early recipe tests for the raw materials and how the project became known throughout the country overnight.
But also about the significance of the story for a company. In Mackmyra's case, it was so important that it ended up screen-printed on the Brukswhisky bottle.

Episode 3

To develop the truly first Swedish single malt whisky, the Founders built a small experimental distillery, the Pilot Distillery. In this, the recipes were developed together with future customers, so-called crowdsourcing. The same customers who also helped with the seed capital through analogue crowdfunding. You also get to know why Swedish oak is perhaps the most far-reaching part of the vision of Swedish flavors in Swedish whisky. 

Episode 4

Episode 4 is about the design, financing and construction of the full-scale distillery at Mackmyra Bruk and when the world-famous whisky writer Jim Murray came to visit for the first time. It also tells about the hunt for the best empty 200 L barrels and other inspiration found in the United States.

Episode 5

Episode 5 is about how the concept with the private 30 litre casks "Reserve" was developed, that Reserve is primarily an experience product which after about 5 years turns into about 50 bottles of unique personal single cask whisky. You also get to know why whisky maturation could not take place at the distillery-site, which led to Mackmyra creating the first satellite warehouse for private casks, the whisky warehouse at Fjäderholmarna in Stockholm, and that the main whisky warehouse at Bodås Gruva was created. On December 18, 2005, the first bottles of Swedish whisky were bottled and the next morning they were delivered by horse and carriage together with about 50 cask owners in a torchlight procession to the nearest Systembolag-store (state monopole liquor store).

Episode 6

Episode 6 is about the development, production preparations and the launch of Mackmyra's first bottle products. The preparations included creating a brand platform called "Mackmyran" which was early adapted to the Internet age's relationship-based brand building. The first limited edition series was called Preludium and created whisky craze throughout Sweden for two years. Maybe the release of the six whisky editions was a world record in analog whisky queues? Preludium was also the first whisky recipes Angela D´Orazio mixed and tuned. Angela, who later became Mackmyra's Master Blender and was elected to the whisky's Hall of Fame.

Episode 7

Episode 7 is about the continued success with 30 L casks and more satellite warehouses that were established in Skåne in the south and in Smögen on Sweden's west coast. The bottle success in the launch was followed up with the first regular bottling "The First Edition" and then “the Brukswhisky”, which both went up in the sales top. Mackmyra was nominated for the Gazelle Prize in growth entrepreneurship between 2007 and 2010 and won the regional final in 2008. But the unexpectedly rapid successes also created new problems, including growth problems at the distillery-site Bruket, which eventually led to a relocation decision in 2009.

Season 2

Season 2 is separate and will be published later, the plan is in 2022. It begins with the project to finance, build and settle in the Whisky Village and how Mackmyra fought to establish the brand in Sweden, Europe and the world until May 2021. Season 2 includes the episodes 8 - 14.