Review by: The Muskox
This is only my second experience with Swedish single malt, and my first from High Coast. High Coast writes that this peated expression is their “humble tribute to the men and women who once lived and worked here. Those who risked their lives fighting icy cold waters as they steered the heavy logs downstream and kept warm by burning fires under the pale moon light.” I myself am about to head into the wilderness of boreal northern Canada for a job in a few days, so I can sympathize.
This is a heavily-peated single malt whisky, using barley smoked to similar levels as your standard Islay scotch whisky.
Distillery: High Coast.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Sweden.
ABV: 48%.
Age: 6.55-7.02 years, according to High Coast’s site. Bottled in 2019.
Cask type: Bourbon barrels.
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Straw. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Raw and peaty. Quite ashy, with white pepper and a bit of kerosene. Complex green notes: fragrant fresh jalapeno and lemongrass, as well as mustier herb notes of bay leaf, dried mint, licorice root, tomato vine, and thyme. Earthy barley, damp hay, and floor of a deep-winter log cabin. Soft sweet flavours of pear and gentle vanilla. Blueberry? Is that just because this is a Swedish whisky? Oh, as it sits, definitely blueberry, and lime as well.
Palate: Medium texture. Bitter and earthy on the arrival, with various root vegetables. Ashy peat smoke on the development. Quite dark, earthy, and vegetal. Lots of tobacco, old leather, musty basement.
Sweetness only appears once the whisky has sat for a while – now there’s some soft barley and lemon on the arrival.
Finish: Medium-long and bitter. Campfire ash, cool oak, suede, and mud. A snowy creek in the winter forest, trickling into frozen wetlands. White pepper and a hint of nutmeg. A tiny hint of sweet malt and lime zest.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Wintering at the cabin”
Conclusion: This is a strange one! It’s very, very bitter, without much sweetness at all on the palate or finish… but it’s also kind of good! This whisky brought up lots of memories of snowy winter walks, in case you couldn’t tell. As far as what scotch this might compare too, I actually tried it blind before writing this review and thought it was a Ledaig. It’s missing the coastal elements, but it’s got that heavy peat and the vegetal notes. I’d recommend this to people who want pure smoke in their whisky, without all this “sweetness” and “balance” nonsense.
Final Score: 79.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 