The Lakes Distillery presented a special showcase in their 10th anniversary year.
A big 🙏 to Hemil key account manager and brand ambassador for taking us through some amazing, award-winning drams:
1. Galáxia / The Whiskymaker’s Editions (£185, 54%)
2. The One Fine Blended Whisky (£42, 46.6%) (Buy 2, save 20% on distillery website)
3. The One Manzanilla Cask Finished Whisky (£42, 46.6%) (20% off at The Whisky Nest with code ‘YWC20’)
4. The One Sherry Cask Finished Whisky (£42, 46.6%) (20% off at The Whisky Nest with code ‘YWC20’ / buy 2, save 20% on distillery website)
5. Iris / The Whiskymaker’s Editions (£90, 56%)
6. Reflections / The Whiskymaker’s Editions (£85, 54%)
7. Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.7 (£84.95, 52%) (20% off at The Whisky Nest with code ‘YWC20’)
The art of élevage
A great brand tasting is one where you try old favourites, but also get knocked out of the park by something new, and that was the case with this tasting. We got a snapshot of the distillery’s uniqueness, particularly the Lakes’ application of ‘élevage’ during the maturation process – a process of sampling the liquid in each cask (every 3 to 6 months), then, depending on the result, reracking in different casks or changing the vertical position in the warehouse to craft a quality and consistent dram (better explanation on their website).
Distillery factoids are excited but not as exciting as diving into Galáxia (£185, 54%), the product of 12 casks and the last whisky from outgoing blender Dhavall Gandhi. Recently awarded Gold at the 2024 International Spirits Challenge (ISC), taste notes on this dram are:
“Rich, indulgent, and seductively perfumed, ginger and cocoa succumb to creamy wood spice and candied pecans. Balanced by a drop of Manuka Honey, Galáxia’s finish is long and bold adored with dark fruit and decadent chocolate.”
We loved this one, so much so that Jim had speed-ordered a bottle before Hemil had finished presenting it. It *almost* got dram of the night but was pipped by Iris by one point. With the wholesale allocation sold out, and much of the output going international (6,000 bottles), we were delighted to have tried one of the <1,000 bottles in the UK – grab one while you can!
After that bold start, we headed to a Lakes staple, The One Fine Blended Whisky (£42, 46.6%), also a recent ISC winner. ‘Chewy’ compared to the smooth Galáxia with a richer mouthfeel, this set the scene to understand how the Lakes create a base spirit and then layer on different flavours for distinct releases such as the The One Manzanilla Cask Finished Whisky (£42, 46.6%), our 3rd dram.
Hemil gave an accessible analogy of how Indian restaurants create a base sauce which they then finish to create individual dishes. Exclusively from the Andalusian town of Sanlucar de Barrameda, the cooler coastal climate of the region gives the Manzanilla casks a distinctive dry saline characteristics, and this dram practically volunteered to be part of our Cheese/Whisky pairing evening with Love Cheese in July (we’re thinking Manchego!).
Sticking with the blends for The One Sherry Cask Finished Whisky (£42, 46.6%), we got to try the first whisky from new whisky maker Sarah Burgess (Ex-Macallan). The casks involved are first fill PX American oak and first fill Oloroso American oak and this was a great end to our blends run.
Back onto the single malts, our Dram of the Night (by one point) was Iris (£90, 56%) from The Whiskymaker’s Editions series. A taste of spring, this had pear drops on the palate, a really crisp fruit / citrus tang with a surprising lack of throat warming for this cask-strength malt. Matured in some of the pricier casks, whilst apparently it makes a great Juno cocktail, we’ll stick to sipping!
A great tasting is not a great tasting without some exclusivity and Hemil didn’t disappoint, with a bottle of Reflections (£85, 54%), which whilst on the distillery website, has selective retail distribution. This dram was a collaboration with the chef Simon Rogan for the autumn menu at his restaurant L’Enclume, a dram 3.5 years in the making where the red wine influence combines to produce pumpkin notes.
The end of the Whiskymaker’s Reserve – No.7 (£84.95, 52%) topped the tasting with maturation in a trio of PX, Oloroso and Red wine Spanish and American Oak. We also received some advance notice that the Lakes are changing their approach in September with a permanent single malt range – a distillery to watch!
