Gotland Whisky AB

About the distillery (briefly)

Gotland Whisky is located in Roma on Gotland and makes Swedish organic single malt with a clear local foundation. The distillery works with water from Gotland, locally grown grain, and maturation on the island, and the visit combines a tour, tastings, and a farm shop. It is especially interesting for whisky lovers who want to taste how Gotland’s raw ingredients, organic production, and different cask types work together.

History

Gotland Whisky AB was founded in 2004 in Klinte by the artist couple Bo Wikström and Marianne Hult together with Tommy Daun. Later, the company moved to Roma, where work on whisky development continued. The first drops were distilled in 2012 with help from the Scot Harry Cockburn, who previously had been distillery manager at Bowmore. Since then, the distillery has grown into a producer that both matures and bottles its whisky on Gotland, building its identity around the island, the raw materials, and a clearly stated ambition to create whisky with a Gotland character.

Raw materials and production

Gotland Whisky describes its whisky as an organic single malt produced, matured, and bottled on Gotland. The grain comes from local farmers, and in the Gotland edition the type of grain is stated as Propina Tipple, organically grown on Gotland with farms in Bro and Rone. The malt is made at Sigdes farm in Rone and is peated with peat for nine hours, and malt whisky uses peat yeast, DistilaMax MW. Distillation takes place in large hand-hammered copper stills, while the water comes from Gotland springs and water rights. Production is KRAV-certified and kept free from added color and flavor enhancements. When the whisky is finished, it is matured in two distinctive maturing rooms at the distillery—both below and above ground—supporting the house’s focus on a local and controlled expression.

Maturation and cask types

Maturation spans several distinct casks and combinations. The distillery uses, among other things, first-fill bourbon barrels, sherry casks, Pedro Ximénez casks, oloroso casks, Sauternes casks, and different types of oak—both Swedish, French, and American. Experiments are also made with refill casks, medium-roasted American oak, cold Swedish 50-liter oak casks, and finishing on Sauternes. This results in a range where the cask type is not only a maturation tool, but a central part of the whisky’s identity and the variation the house works with.

Whiskies

The core of the range is the Isle of Lime series, where Gotland Whisky brings together its organic single malts. Here, Gotland is the house’s first standard version, while Karlsö, Majgu, Fjäle, Beckrevet, Bjärge, Barshalder, and Digerrojr show different sides of the distillery’s work with age, peated recipes, and cask selection. Gotland is the most direct introduction to the style, with bourbon and sherry influence, light smoke, and a Gotland raw-material profile. Other editions move toward more sherry character, vinous elements, rum-like character, or finishing on special casks—so the series as a whole gives a broad picture of how the house builds its single malt.

Whisky	Type / series	Age	Cask and style	Tasting profile	Status
Gotland	Single malt whisky; Isle of Lime	No age indication on the page; the oldest casks in the blend are just over 7 years and the youngest are more than 4.5 years old.	Bourbon barrel and Sherry hogshead; smoked/peated	Gotland Whisky’s first standard edition, blended of first-fill bourbon barrels, sherry casks, and for the first time casks with the distillery’s slightly more peaty recipe.; Nose: Fruity, peat, hay; Taste: Raisins, figs, vanilla; Finish: Medium-long with a hint of smoke and licorice	Current; Core range; In Systembolaget’s fixed range
Karlsö	Single malt whisky; Isle of Lime	6-year-old	First-fill Pedro Ximénez sherry casks	Organic single malt, matured in eight first-fill Pedro Ximénez sherry casks from the Spanish Casknolia.	Current; Core range; Available via Systembolaget
Majgu	Single malt whisky; Isle of Lime	9-year-old	Second fill of American oak	Organic single malt in which all eight casks were filled on 2016-11-18 and are of second fill in American oak.	Current; Core range; Available via Systembolaget
Fjäle	Single malt whisky; Isle of Lime	7-year-old	Swedish, French, and American oak	Organic single malt matured on Swedish, French, and American oak.	Current; Core range; Available via Systembolaget
Beckrevet	Single malt whisky; Isle of Lime	7-year-old	First-fill bourbon barrels, refill of American medium-roasted oak and first-fill oloroso sherry casks on American oak	Organic single malt matured in eight different casks, including first-fill bourbon barrels, refill of American medium-roasted oak, and first-fill oloroso sherry casks.	Current; Core range; Available via Systembolaget
Bjärge	Single malt whisky; Isle of Lime	7-year-old	Red wine casks, including Sangiovese from Northern Italy, as well as second-fill bourbon barrels and cold Swedish 50-liter oak casks	Organic single malt matured in six different casks, including red wine casks of Sangiovese from Northern Italy and cold Swedish 50-liter oak casks.	Current; Core range; Available via Systembolaget
Barshalder	Single malt whisky; Isle of Lime	6-year-old	Swedish oak cask finish; finish: Swedish oak cask finish; smoked/peated	Organic single malt with Caribbean rum character, Swedish oak cask finish, and balanced smokiness.	Current; Core range; Available via Systembolaget
Digerrojr	Single malt whisky; Isle of Lime	7-year-old	Sauternes casks for finishing; finish: Finishing	Organic single malt finished in casks that previously held the French dessert wine Sauternes. Stated as an auction edition that can only be purchased by shareholders.	Current; Core range; Auction edition for shareholders
Gotland	Single malt whisky; Isle of Lime	See product description	Bourbon barrel and Sherry hogshead; smoked/peated	Gotland Whisky’s first standard edition.; Nose: Fruity, peat, hay; Taste: Raisins, figs, vanilla; Finish: Medium-long with a hint of smoke and licorice	Current; Core range; In Systembolaget’s fixed range

The style and flavor profile of the whiskies

The style centers on fruitiness, cask character, and a clear use of smoke in the more smoky editions. Gotland has notes of fruit, peat, hay, raisins, figs, vanilla, licorice, and a hint of smoke. Other descriptions point toward dried apricots, marzipan, macadamia nuts, and cinnamon, while some editions also highlight vinous tones and Caribbean rum character. The overall result is a whisky with both sweetness, dried fruit, grain character, and a layer of smoke, kept relatively subdued in most editions.

Visit the distillery

Gotland Whisky can be visited in Roma. Guided tours are offered where guests go into the distillery and learn about raw materials, mashing, distillation, and maturation, and afterwards you can choose a tasting. The farm shop sells the distillery’s own bottled products, including those that are also available at Systembolaget, as well as a few editions, cask samples, and smaller bottles. It is open every day from 12:00–16:30, and from June 21 through and including the end of August there are also daily drop-in tours from 12:00–17:00, with the last tour at 16:30, plus daily bookings at 10:30 or 11:30 depending on the week. Tours are free for children under 16, while tastings require that you are 20 years old.

The stated opening hours are Every day 12:00–16:30. From June 21 through and including the end of August, also daily drop-in tours 12:00–17:00 with the last tour at 16:30; daily bookings 10:30 or 11:30 depending on the week.
See times and book a visit.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

Gotland Whisky works from a clearly local and organic philosophy. The grain is delivered by local farmers, the whisky is KRAV-certified, and no color or flavor enhancements are added. The distillery also states a clear ambition to create whisky with a Gotland identity. It is craftsmanship where raw materials, water, island conditions, and cask selection should be directly traceable in the bottle.

Sustainability

Organic grain from local farmers.
KRAV-certified whisky.
No added color or flavor enhancements.