High Coast 9yo 2014/2025

High Coast 9yo 2014/2025

Selection, Adelphi
Single malt - Ångermanland
Amber copper
58.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, sandalwood, black pepper, honey, figs, fresh cut grass. With water, honey, leather, hints of figs. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, volatile, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Black pepper, figs, sandalwood, honey, blackcurrant cordial, hints of caraway seed. With water, honey, leather, figs. 
Finish: Long. Black pepper, blackcurrant cordial, milk chocolate, figs. 

Comments: 

A delicate and floral High Coast, with lots of fig and blackcurrant notes. Good whisky, surprisingly refreshing, and tastes excellent in a highball.

Verdict:

I like this.

High Coast Quercus IV

High Coast Quercus IV

Official bottling 
Single malt - Ångermanland 
Orange gold
50.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pear drops, magic marker, gooseberries, apple juice, sandalwood, honey, hints of malted grains. With water, honey, sandalwood, vanilla, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Magic marker, gooseberries, sandalwood, apple juice, cardamom, black pepper, honey, hints of sandalwood. With water, honey, sandalwood. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, sandalwood, black pepper, cardamom. 

Comments: 

Swedish whisky aged in Mizunara oak, but grown in Mongolia, not Japan. Fruity and sweet, more of that cardamom note, but there’s a herbal, incense note that pervades the whisky. Rather fascinating.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

High Coast Hav

High Coast Hav

Official bottling 
Single malt - Ångermanland
Golden
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, honey, sea salt, malted grains, smoke, cloves, cardamom. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Malted grains, peat, raisins, leather, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, honey. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, vanilla, leather, peat, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Honeyed, but with a savoury herbal edge. It’s mostly cardamom that is the spice note, which I think is fairly unusual. It builds to a short intense finish that’s malty and slightly smoky. 

Verdict:

I like this.

High Coast Älv

High Coast Älv

Official bottling

Single malt - Ångermanland
Pale silver
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Limes, malted grains, white grapes, lemon zest, walnuts, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sour. Malted grains, limes, lemon zest, sea salt, vanilla, lavender, honey, hints of nutmeg. 
Finish: Short. Limes, lavender, honey, malted grains. 

Comments: 

Swedish whisky made in the style of Japanese whisky. Very well defined flavours - limes, white grapes and malt - and very gentle and fruity. Rather good, although personally I think Japanese whisky is more robust.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

High Coast Timmer Peat Smoke

High Coast Timmer Peat Smoke

Official bottling 
Single malt - Ångermanland
Pale green gold
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mangoes, green tea, leather, orange peel, sultanas, peat, hints of smoky bacon. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, slippery, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. Green tea, sultanas, bitter gourd, leather, orange peel, peat, hints of smoky bacon. 
Finish: Long. Bitter gourd, orange peel, green tea, peat, sultanas. 

Comments: 

Fruity yet bitter, lots of complexity alongside some gentle smoke and peat. I like this, it’s unusual and definitely not scotch. Nice long finish as well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

High Coast 8yo 2012/2021

High Coast 8yo 2012/2021

Selection, Adelphi
Single malt - Ångermanland
Pale gold
62.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, lemon juice, shortbread, leather, cinnamon, green apples, hints of white chocolate. With water, shortbread, toast, lemon juice, hints of cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands, airy, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Peat, leather, smoke, green apples, mint, peanuts, shortbread, hints of germolene. With water, malted grains, green apples, toast, smoke, hints of germolene. 
Finish: Long. Lemon juice, cinnamon, white chocolate, germolene, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Earthy, chemical but fruity whisky from High Coast. Lots of malt and smoky toast, with a good tart fruity spine. Harsh but opens up with water.

Verdict:

I like this.

High Coast 8yo 2013/2021

High Coast 8yo 2013/2021

Nordic Casks #1, Berry Bros & Rudd
Single malt - Ångermanland
Amber
60.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black tea, red grapes, malted grains, cocoa nibs, prunes, hints of sea salt. With water, fresh baked bread, dark chocolate, raisins, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, hot, expands, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Prunes, butterscotch, tobacco leaf, date molasses, red grapes, cocoa nibs, hints of honey. With water, black tea, fresh baked bread, raisins, prunes. 
Finish: Short. Red grapes, black tea, prunes, honey. 

Comments: 

Cask 1384. Highly sherried, and very high ABV for the age. Lots of underlying cereal notes but these are overlaid by chocolate, cocoa and dried fruit. It’s not that characteristic of the distillery, but it’s a decent sherried dram. 

Verdict:

I like this.

High Coast Berg

High Coast Berg

Official bottling
Single malt - Angermanland
Light amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, honey, fresh baked bread, hibiscus, black tea, hints of malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly oily, mouth coating, smooth. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Red grapes, honey, black pepper, brown paper, vanilla, hints of pine. 
Finish: Long. Red grapes, orange peel, vanilla, cloves, hints of pine. 

Comments: 

First High Coast whisky, under the new badge (previously Box). It's floral and sweet, plenty of cereal too. Characteristic pine and cloves in the finish, these notes are well hidden by the sherry (?) influence.

Verdict:

I like this.

Box Single Malt - The Explorer

Box Single Malt - The Explorer

Official bottling
Single malt - Angermanland
Golden
48.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, peanuts, cherries, apples, molasses, hints of pine. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, airy, slightly watery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Peat, pine, apple juice, molasses, lemon juice, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon juice, apple juice, black tea, peat, smoke. 

Comments: 

A medium peated whisky, not sweet at all. Instead it's redolent with tart fruity notes, pleasant herbal scents and a caramel bitterness that is reminiscent of molasses. The peat is very obvious on the finish, perhaps less so on the tongue.

Verdict:

I like this.

Box Single Malt Dalvve

Box Single Malt Dalvve

Official bottling
Single malt - Angermanland
Silver gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, vanilla, plums, apple juice, hints of honey, hints of black pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loose, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black tea, molasses, peat, apple juice, hints of lemon zest. 
Finish: Short. Black tea, black pepper, apples, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

I may have exhausted my palate by the time I had this - judging from others' tasting notes I missed some subtle oily pine notes. Nevertheless this was remarkably fresh and light, tart, slightly bitter, even tannic in the finish. Also remarkably spicy. Good whisky from a distillery I've not tried before.

Verdict:

I like this.