Box The Explorer, Swedish Single Malt Whisky, May 2015 (48.3%, 50cl)

From the producer:

"The idea is that all four editions in The Early Days Collection will show stages of development that, overall, show the whisky world the story of the beginning of Box Distillery. The Explorer is mainly a bourbon matured whisky that is matured in three different cask sizes of 40, 100 and 130 liter casks. The ages range from three years and three months up to just over four years. Just over 60 percent of the whisky used comes from a smoky distillate, which gives The Explorer a rather smoky touch. Much of The Explorer’s taste profile comes from new oak. Twelve percent of the in going casks are made from virgin oak, new oak barrels that have not been used to store wine or bourbon whiskey. The new oak barrels contribute many powerful flavours. Three oak species have been used for The Explorer: Swedish oak (Quercus robur), American oak (Quercus alba) and Hungarian oak (Quercus petraea). The Explorer thereby becomes a first study in oak and by what a skilled blender can do with oak types and different roasting degrees"