Nordic Whisky #90 - Box Whisky The 2nd Step Collection 01

Box Whisky The 2nd Step Collection 01, 4 YO, 51,1 %

Swedish distiller Box Whisky have now launched the first whisky in their brand new series. Over the past two years they have released the four whiskies in The Early Days Collection (The Pioneer, The Challenger, The Explorer, and The Messenger). Now they are starting a new series with Box Whisky The 2nd Step Collection 01.

This is the first release from Box Whisky that is a 4 YO, all previous releases have officially been 3 YO whiskies. This whisky is made up of only casks with their peated spirit. The average peat level in the malt for the contents here is a whopping 42,5 ppm phenols. The whisky was matured in 29 American Oak 1st fill bourbon quarter casks (30 litre) from Speyside Cooperage, and one 100 litre fresh American oak cask from Kelvin Cooperage. The total outturn was 7880 bottles at 50 cl each.

You can find al the nerdy details on their website, as usual. Just follow this link.

You can buy the Box Whisky The 2nd Step Collection 01 in Sweden at SEK 747 (40021). It will hopefully be available in Norway later this year.

Nose (22/25): Calm and distinguished. There is a lot of peat here, but it is well-behaved.  Wood smoke, sweet licorice, chocolate, and soft oakiness. It reminds me of a pine wood forest on a crisp spring morning, with dewdrops glittering in the early sunshine.

Taste (22/25): Rich, full and chewy mouthfeel. Pepper, chilli, ginger, dried pineapple, and sweet licorice. It is intense and fiery!

Finish (21/25): Long finish. Continues along the same path as it started, but the fire does subside a little. Now we have a light sprinkling of sugary sweetness adding a new dimension.

Balance (21/25): On one hand it does feel more mature than previous releases from Box Whisky, on the other hand it lacks a little bit of omph. The spark is there, but I wish it was even brighter. Maybe I am a bit too tough here, maybe I am just spoiled by the previous releases from Box Whisky.

Score (86/100)

Images from Box Whisky.

Sláinte! - Thomas