A few days ago I met Box Whisky’s Brand Ambassador Bo Eng at the BorderShop in Puttgarden, where this spring’s edition of Whisky & Festival took place. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might remember our little article on our visit. And you might also remember that I promised to write about The 2nd Step Collection 02. Trying this whisky together with Bo at the fair was really great fun; especially since shared so much information on the whole range of Box Whisky. But sometimes you totally enjoy a whisky at a fair and then you are a bit disappointed when you give it another try at home. The atmosphere is no longer there, the influence of the other whiskies you had has worn off or there is no one around to talk you into liking this particular dram. Thankfully, this is not the case for The 2nd Step Collection 02. This was one of my favorite whiskies of both this spring’s and last autumn’s edition of the fair and when I drink it at home, I still find it remarkable. What I really appreciate, in addition to the amazing taste of their whiskies, is the immense transparency Box Whisky offers when you visit their website. They not only tell you the exact age of each whisky and the combination of casks that were used, but also tell where the malt and the water comes from, where the casks come from (in this case the bourbon casks were used by Jack Daniel’s before) and so on. Need more information? 31.26% of this whisky is taken from 1st fill Oloroso Sherry casks that hold 115 litres. But I don’t want to bore you with too many details. While it is very interesting to learn about such facts, it is much more exciting to give this great whisky a try!

by Aaron

Eye: A beautiful mixture of copper and amber.
Nose: Although only 8.53% of the whisky used to make The 2nd Step Collection 02 is peated (43ppm), you will first disover very distinct notes of peatiness when you pour this dram into your glass. But if you give it some time, so many other notes will appear. A very nice selection of fruits including strawberries, cherries, peaches, grapes and apples is combined with malty and herby notes. The more time the whisky spends in your glass the sweeter it gets.
Palate: Very sweet and malty. Vanilla, cinnamon, clotted cream, apples and so much more! With every sip you take, you will discover something new, such as red fruits as well as yellow ones. Imagine Christmas Eve being rescheduled to a late summer day at the end of August. You sit on a greenfield between trees carrying ripe fruits, having the first gingerbread of the season with you. Around you, there are bees flying to their hive. In the background there is a very slight peatiness that harmonizes perfectly with this plurality of impressions.
Finish: Very smooth, long, fruity and spicy. You might even discover some chocolate and some nuts.

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Region: Sweden
Age: No Age Statement (4.72 years)
Alc. volume: 51.2%
Bottle size: 0.5 litres
Price range: ~80.00 Euro
More info: http://www.boxwhisky.se/en/