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Add Whisky Monkeys as a Google favoriteMackmyra Distillery in Sweden has had a tumultuous period recently, but the storm hasn't fully passed. Following the takeover, the new owner has suddenly passed away. What does this mean for the future of the Swedish whisky maker?
FAQ
- Who was the new owner of Mackmyra after bankruptcy?
Lennart Hero, along with Glenn Ström and investment company No. 1 Capital AB.
- Who is leading Mackmyra now that Lennart Hero has passed away?
For now, Glenn Ström and investment company No. 1 Capital AB are taking the reins.
- Will Mackmyra continue to exist?
This is the plan, but there are some challenges.
Owner and saviour of Swedish whisky pioneer Mackmyra passes away
Lennart Hero, the principal owner and saviour of Mackmyra, passed away on 5th July 2025 at the age of 76. He saved the distillery from bankruptcy and took the helm after filing for bankruptcy.
Hero invested tens of millions of Swedish kronor to save the distillery. Just before his passing, he injected a further 140 million into the business to get it back up and running.
Hero ran the Mackmyra distillery, while he, along with Glenn Ström and investment company No. 1 Capital AB, were in charge.
It remains unclear who will inherit Mackmyra's ownership. Likely, Hero's partner will inherit his share in the distillery, but for now, Ström and the investment company are taking over.
Challenges for Mackmyra
After the bankruptcy of the Swedish whisky maker, there has been a restart, but new challenges have emerged. At present, 14 people are focusing on bottling and ageing the existing whisky.
In the meantime, the equipment needs to be modified and replaced, and the distillery's blender has resigned. The latter has been particularly hard hitting.
Will Mackmyra continue or close down?
The distillery will remain open for now. Considering the recent investments made by, among others, Hero, the future looks promising.
The search for a new master blender has already begun, while operations in Sweden continue. It’s unclear when we can expect a new whisky.
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- There is no distillery equipment there and also no licences to produce or sell alcohol.TRC19-12-2025
- Hi Yvonne, Thank you for your response and for sharing the video. Unfortunately, the evidence you referred to consists only of two people talking about the whisky, without any explanation or identification. We have not spoken to the individuals in the video ourselves, nor can we verify who they are. We describe it as a Chinese whisky because it is released by a Chinese distillery. As you mentioned, the distillery has chosen to label the product as “pure malt” instead of “Chinese whisky.” Based on that, we do not believe they are doing anything illegal.M0nkey16-11-2025
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- Three emails sent (two with videos, linked to a Google Drive Share). 1. The original video. 2. The video with subtitles as it was shared on YouTube 3. Screen grab of the YouTube channel where the video was blocked due to Pernod Ricard lobbying. The story was covered on Drinks Intel at the time - link here - https://drinks-intel.com/subscriber-news/pernod-ricards-the-chuan-pure-malt-whisky-not-sourced-solely-from-china-global-drinks-intel-exclusive/Yvonne10-10-2025