High Coast Whisky
High Coast is one of a handful of Swedish distilleries founded in recent years; it was previously known as Box Whisky. Situated on the banks of the Ångermanälven river, its location at latitude 63°N makes High Coast one of the world’s most northerly distilleries.
The High Coast Whiskies are available via Berry Bros. & Rudd Brands in the UK only.
Ångerman River
The mighty Ångerman river flows rapidly past the distillery. The river has for millennia been the lifeblood of the people along Ådalen. Around 500,000 litres of ice-cold mountain water pass outside the distillery windows every second.
Temperature Variations
The temperature variations between summer and winter and between day and night are dramatic in Norrland. A cold winter can take the temperature to 30 degrees below zero and hot summer days it can be almost 70 degrees warmer.
Barrel Pressure
During hot days, the pressure in the barrels increases, the whisky expands and penetrates deeper into the oak. Deep inside the barrel, the oak’s flavours are released, which come out when the temperature and pressure drop again. The temperature changes are ongoing, day and night.
Älv
High Coast’s signature whisky opens very gently on the nose, offering vanilla and wood spice, with subtle, ripe fruit developing over time in the glass. The palate is initially dominated by manuka honey and vanilla, though the excellent distillate character brings a near-perfect balance, with some tropical fruit and a touch of white pepper and citrus coming through. The finish is long, offering waves of wood spice and lingering fruit.
Hav
This unusual whisky gives waves of delicate peat-smoke and new oak on the nose – but it is tempered and doesn’t overpower the spirit. Wood spice immediately jumps out on the palate, with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and some gentle vanilla. Light peat-smoke emerges, along with notes of aniseed and a coastal tang. More spices appear on the finish, with a touch of cardamom meandering between smoke and oak.
Berg
This splendid addition to the High Coast offering rejoices in having been matured in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. Consequentially, aromas and flavours of dates, figs, prunes and sultanas overlay the more classic orchard fruits and sweet oak found at this distillery.
63°N
High Coast Distillery is one of the world’s most northerly situated whisky distilleries. Its home in Norrland sits in the middle of a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the surroundings naturally provide the distillery with unique conditions to create whisky. When the seasons change from frozen, dark winters to long, warm summer days under the rays of the midnight sun, the whisky is exposed to a fantastic spectrum of flavour enhancing factors where it silently matures over time.