High Coast (Box) Whisky
High Coast (Box) Swedish Single Malt WhiskyBox Advanced Master Class – Toasting – is the name of the first edition in a series that will highlight important features of whisky making. The Box contains 5 x 20 centilitres of malt spirits from Box Destilleri, which have been matured for 30 months in 100-litre Swedish oak casks at various levels of toasting from light to charred. In order for the toasting flavours to emerge as distinctly as possible, the casks are completely new and have never previously contained bourbon, Sherry or indeed anything else. “Toasting is essential when making barrels. Whisky literature often disregards how important toasting is for the development of flavours; it can impart around 100 flavours to a whisky. Just how this process works and its significance for the whisky experience is what we shed light on in our first Master Class,” says Distillery Manager Roger Melander. When making wine or whisky barrels the barrel staves must be bent, so to make the oak pliable the staves are heated up. During the toasting process the lignin in the oak becomes soft, which means the staves can be shaped without splitting. Depending on how long a barrel is toasted, the type of heat source used and how high the temperature is allowed to rise, flavours develop that later emerge during maturation. During toasting, a variety of substances are transformed, caramelized and charred to varying degrees thus forming different tastes and aromas. Box Advanced Master Class – Toasting – makes possible the study of toasting theory and practice to broaden your understanding of whisky making and the whisky experience. The comprehensive study material supplied with The Box was developed by Distillery Manager Roger Melander in collaboration with chemist Bert van Bavel from Örebro University and cooper Johan Torslund. Some of the whisky world’s most distinguished ‘noses’ – such as British author Dave Broom and Robert Karlsson, member of Malt Maniacs – contribute with taste and aroma analyses. The study material is available on a special website where whisky lovers can learn the theory behind the process, how toasting is carried out and what happens taste-wise chemically and physiologically. There are also opportunities to comment, pose questions and discuss with other ‘course members’. The Box is available at Systembolaget and will also be sold by leading international whisky retailers. Box Advanced Master Class – Toasting – is lavishly and elegantly packaged. The idea behind the series is to provide an instructive, educational and tasteful means to broaden one’s understanding of whisky and to enrich the whisky experience. The bottles in The Box are anonymously numbered from 1 to 5; a key is available on the website. |
