Spirit of Hven Merak / Seven Stars No.2 Swedish Single Malt Whisky

Marcus Chen — Interesting but not quite there for me

7/10

I wanted to love this more than I did. The nose is genuinely lovely — marzipan, vanilla, a hint of sea salt — but the finish drops off quicker than I'd like. It's a solid dram and I respect what Hven is doing with Swedish single malt, but at £95 I expected a bit more complexity. Would be curious to try it with a few drops of water.

Finn OBrien — Interesting but not quite there for me

7/10

I wanted to love this more than I did. The nose is genuinely lovely — marzipan, vanilla, a hint of sea salt — but the finish drops off quicker than I'd like. It's a solid dram and I respect what Hven is doing with Swedish single malt, but at £95 I expected a bit more complexity. Would be curious to try it with a few drops of water.

Sibel Nur — Interesting but not quite there for me

7/10

I wanted to love this more than I did. The nose is genuinely lovely — marzipan, vanilla, a hint of sea salt — but the finish drops off quicker than I'd like. It's a solid dram and I respect what Hven is doing with Swedish single malt, but at £95 I expected a bit more complexity. Would be curious to try it with a few drops of water.

Olivia Park — Worth the splurge for something different

8/10

I'm always hunting for non-Scottish single malts and the Merak is a cracker. Creamy texture with notes of toasted almonds and a slightly coastal character that makes sense given the island distillery. My only gripe is availability — took me ages to find a bottle. If you're bored of reaching for the same Speysides every weekend, give this a go neat.

Daniel Torres — Worth the splurge for something different

8/10

I'm always hunting for non-Scottish single malts and the Merak is a cracker. Creamy texture with notes of toasted almonds and a slightly coastal character that makes sense given the island distillery. My only gripe is availability — took me ages to find a bottle. If you're bored of reaching for the same Speysides every weekend, give this a go neat.

Aria Kim — Worth the splurge for something different

8/10

I'm always hunting for non-Scottish single malts and the Merak is a cracker. Creamy texture with notes of toasted almonds and a slightly coastal character that makes sense given the island distillery. My only gripe is availability — took me ages to find a bottle. If you're bored of reaching for the same Speysides every weekend, give this a go neat.

Emily Thomas — Sweden's best kept secret

9/10

Picked this up on a whim and wow, Spirit of Hven is doing something special. Loads of orchard fruit and gentle oak spice on the nose, with a honeyed sweetness that carries through the palate. At 45% it's perfectly balanced for sipping neat. Yes it's pricey at nearly a hundred quid but honestly I'd take this over plenty of Scottish malts at the same price point.

Sara Lindstrom — Sweden's best kept secret

9/10

Picked this up on a whim and wow, Spirit of Hven is doing something special. Loads of orchard fruit and gentle oak spice on the nose, with a honeyed sweetness that carries through the palate. At 45% it's perfectly balanced for sipping neat. Yes it's pricey at nearly a hundred quid but honestly I'd take this over plenty of Scottish malts at the same price point.

Nils Bergman — Sweden's best kept secret

9/10

Picked this up on a whim and wow, Spirit of Hven is doing something special. Loads of orchard fruit and gentle oak spice on the nose, with a honeyed sweetness that carries through the palate. At 45% it's perfectly balanced for sipping neat. Yes it's pricey at nearly a hundred quid but honestly I'd take this over plenty of Scottish malts at the same price point.

Wei Zhang — Proper craft whisky

8/10

Had this at a tasting night and immediately tracked down a bottle. There's a real biscuity maltiness with dried apricot and light citrus peel that I keep coming back to. You can tell this is made by people who genuinely care about the spirit. The 45% ABV hits a sweet spot where you get plenty of flavour without any burn.

Diana Cruz — Proper craft whisky

8/10

Had this at a tasting night and immediately tracked down a bottle. There's a real biscuity maltiness with dried apricot and light citrus peel that I keep coming back to. You can tell this is made by people who genuinely care about the spirit. The 45% ABV hits a sweet spot where you get plenty of flavour without any burn.

Helena Kosta — Proper craft whisky

8/10

Had this at a tasting night and immediately tracked down a bottle. There's a real biscuity maltiness with dried apricot and light citrus peel that I keep coming back to. You can tell this is made by people who genuinely care about the spirit. The 45% ABV hits a sweet spot where you get plenty of flavour without any burn.