Spirit of Hven Seven Stars No.2 Merak

Spirit of Hven Seven Stars No.2 Merak is a Swedish single malt, which earned 92,5 points from Jim Murray. I won't rate it as high but it is a promising start from the Backafallsbyn distillery. This is a 6 year old whisky, while no.1 Dubhe was 5YO.

Nose: Young age really shows but it isn't bad at all. Fruity notes, honey, cherries and hints of citrus peel. Drops of water add toffee.

Taste: Notes of licorice are absolutely amazing. Creamy toffee, caramel and malt. Sweet fruity notes are present too. Shows its young age again, but especially in the taste, it doesn’t matter. Definitely the best part of this dram. Water makes it more smooth and rises the toffee and malty notes.

Finish: Nice length, yet too dry for my taste and bit one sided. Bits of warming smoke and oak with spices.

Balance: Shows its youngness in every step, aftertaste being the part where it doesn't feel so good. Funny how some reviews find this dram to be rich. Well, the taste offers some complexity, but otherwise pretty straight forward.