Remember the Box distillery from Sweden? It has only featured once on this website, as far as I can remember: Box Quercus Robur.
Founded in 2010, the distillery changed its name to High Coast in 2018, after a brand collision with Compass Box. It is located 450 km north from Stockholm, exactly at 63° north latitude, where they have winters down to -38°C. Their core range is called The Origins and consists of four expressions, which we’ll investigate today. I discovered it through DeinWhisky, who are selling a box with miniature bottles of all four.
High Coast Älv is their lightest offering (both colour and ABV). It simply translates to ‘river’ in Swedish, referring to the Ångermanälven river the distillery sits on.
High Coast Älv ‘Delicate Vanilla’ (46%, OB +/- 2024, first fill bourbon casks)
Nose: very bright and fruity, full of green apples, pear sweets, tangerine and pineapple. Vanilla indeed, with a hint of marshmallow. Then some pancakes, salted peanuts, coconut ice cream and lemon mousse with a mint leaf.
Mouth: mild, still really high-pitched on green apples and vanilla. Touches of sour grapes. Then it turns towards grassy notes, bitter almond and a bit of youngish oak. White bread and peppermint. Rather delicate flavours, which means there’s also room for a light boozy edge, which reminds us of gin in a way.
Finish: medium, on fresh wood, vanilla and drying baking spice.
Very lightweight, which I understand is a conscious choice. Overall really clean and very accessible, but missing some depth and getting a little rough in the end. Available from DeinWhisky or Master of Malt for instance.
Next up is Hav, Swedish for Sea. In the majestic landscape of a world heritage site, High Coast is very close to the sea. This expression includes 25% peated and 75% unpeated spirit, from classic oak (small 40-litre casks though) but also Swedish and Hungarian oak.
High Coast Hav ‘Oak Spice’ (48%, OB +/- 2024, lightly peated, virgin oak + first fill bourbon)
Nose: a lot more (new) wood influence, in a warming profile. Cloves, a lot of malt notes and hay. Then juniper berries and roasted pumpkin seeds. Light toasty notes (not quite smoky), a hint of citrus and some moist leafy notes. Something meaty as well. Interesting.
Mouth: a lot more smoky now, almost heathery smoke. Citrus again, with bread crust, freshly sawn wood, walnuts and black peppercorns. A bit of salt and wholegrain bread. Hints of ginger and juniper.
Finish: medium long, firmly on oak spice. Drying toasted notes, aniseed and a subtle meaty edge again.
While clearly more full-bodied, the ultra-active wood kinda overpowers the flashes of genius. The elements are right, but they don’t find the right balance, I’d say. Available from DeinWhisky or The Whisky Exchange for instance. Score: 84/100
High Coast Timmer ‘Peat Smoke’ (46%, OB +/- 2024, first fill bourbon casks)
Nose: back to vanilla and custard notes, along with peach yoghurt and all kinds of biscuity and creamy notes. Peat, but not as strong as expected. Then a whiff of sauna wood. Something diesel-like too, as well as liquorice root, herbs and tomato stems.
Mouth: the same light texture of Älv, with a hint of leather, earth and faint vegetal bitterness. Subtle floral hints, with sweet mint, tart lemon, grains, ginger and a touch of chilli.
Finish: not very long. Peppery notes, campfire ashes, nutmeg and a muddy note.
Young Ledaig comes to mind here, with vegetal smoke at its core. There’s potential, but I’m sure it would benefit from longer ageing. Available from DeinWhisky or Master of Malt for instance. Score: 85/100
High Coast Berg ‘Pedro Ximénez’ (50%, OB +/- 2024, bourbon + PX)
Nose: good – the sherry mingles nicely with the spirit. Lots of fruity notes, half dried, we’d say. Red grapes and raisins, fresh plums and stewed apricots. Also buttery biscuits, burnt sugar, pine needles, chocolate and a hint of shoe polish. Becomes darker over time.
Mouth: spicier now. Nutmeg and cloves mixed with dark chocolate. Plenty of leafy notes, ginger, burnt cinnamon pastry and some bitterness. Heavily steeped tea with charred lemon peels. Quite dark and dry, entirely on dark roast espresso in the end. Not entirely common for PX.
Finish: long, on more coffee, burnt sugar and a bitter edge.
The nose set high expectations but they aren’t fulfilled on the palate. It leans heavily towards roasted and bitter notes in the end. Good casks, I think, but I assume they were small and acted as a pressure cooker. Which reminds me… bork, bork, bork (sorry). Available from DeinWhisky for instance. Score: 88/100