Cinco II is the second edition of High Coast's five-sherry single malt, released in 2023 at 51.1% ABV in a 50cl bottle. It is a Swedish whisky rather than a Scotch, made on the Ångermanälven river in northern Sweden, and it shows how far that distillery has pushed sherry-cask maturation.
About This Whisky
Cinco means five in Spanish, and the whisky draws on casks that held all five main sherry styles: fino, amontillado, palo cortado, oloroso and Pedro Ximénez. Eighteen casks went in, twelve of them Spanish oak with American oak added to soften the spice; sixteen held the whisky in sherry wood throughout, while two started in bourbon casks. The spirit is unpeated and averaged just under nine years of age. The edition ran to 5,355 bottles.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Raisins, bread spice, clove and wood shavings, then dried apricot and coffee.
- Palate: Red apple, walnut, cinnamon and anise over date and light syrup.
- Finish: Peppery and persistent, with spice and cocoa.
Serving & Food
Serve at room temperature as an after-dinner dram in a Glencairn glass, with water on the side if you like. Pair with gingerbread, walnut cake or a hard Swedish cheese such as Västerbotten.
How to Enjoy
Sherry-cask fans looking beyond Scotland, and anyone following High Coast's limited editions.
Product Details
Distillery: High Coast
Country: Sweden
Location: Bjärtrå, Ångermanälven river
Release: Cinco II (2023)
Casks: Fino, amontillado, palo cortado, oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks
Peat: Unpeated
Outturn: 5,355 bottles
ABV: 51.1%
Format: 500mL
About the Distillery
High Coast Distillery stands in Bjärtrå, on the east bank of the Ångermanälven, inside an old brick power-station building. The company was set up as Box Destilleri, with stills made in Speyside, and the first distillation ran in November 2010. The whisky was renamed High Coast in 2018 after Compass Box raised concerns about the similar name, and the company itself took the High Coast name in 2019.
The distillery makes both peated and unpeated spirit, but its sherry-cask releases have become its best-known work. The region's big seasonal temperature swings push spirit in and out of the wood quickly, which helps explain the depth these young whiskies reach.