Nordic Whisky #84 - Box Whisky The Archipelago Baltic Sea 2016

Box Whisky The Archipelago Baltic Sea 2016, 3 YO, 56,5 %

At the Cinderella Whisky Fair 2016 in mid-January 1000 bottles of the limited release Box Whisky The Archipelago Baltic Sea 2016 were sold. Last year Box Whisky also released a special bottling for the Cinderella Whisky Fair. That was an unpeated release and the most exciting detail then was the chaos during the launch. The launch was organized a lot better this year, and I had no trouble securing a bottle.

We get a ton of details on this release, as we do with every single release from this distillery. Here are the highlights:

• 46,9 % of the whisky was matured in 130 l 1st fill bourbon casks
• 48,6 % of the whisky was matured in 96 l new American oak casks
• 4,5 % of the whisky was matured in 20 l new American oak
• 95,5 % of the whisky in the vatting was peated, and the rest unpeated
• The average peat level adds up to 41 ppm, making this the most peated release so far from Box Whisky.

More details can be found on the distillery website here.

The 1000 out of a total of 1114 bottles that were made available at the Cinderella Whisky fair sold out in minutes. The selling price was 999 SEK.

Nose (22/25): Warm embers, ashes and wood smoke. We are transported to the ruins of a caramel and candy factory. The wooden structure of the factory has just burnt down, and the few flickering flames left in the still hot ruins are now doused by a light summer rain. Did I mention that the factory is located right on the waterfront? A whiff of seaweed and sea salt lingers in the background.

Taste (22/25): Full and rich mouthfeel. Spices - for sure - and they are hot tempered if not aggressive; peppers and chilies. Licorice and herbs. Yeah, that's about as close to a Box distillery character as I get. There is a lot of peat here, but it is still a balanced whisky. Soft citrus notes and warm ashes and soot.

Finish (21/25): Medium to long finish. Sweet and more tempered peat by now. The licorice and herbs are more pronounced. A touch of fresh oak.

Balance (22/25): Rich, warm and with lots of sweet licorice. A typical peated Box Whisky. More of this!

Score (87/100)

Image from Box Whisky.

Sláinte! - Thomas