Tastes

On the 4th of November 2022 I poured my 100th Distiller Whisky Taste, Port Charlotte CC:01, one hundred tastes later on the 1st of June 2023 I poured number 200, Bruichladdich Black Art 10.1 29. It seems I’m slowing down rapidly at this whisky business but none the less tonight, number 300 is being celebrated with Octomore 14.4. I think 14.3 is going to be hard to beat, maybe my trend of 5/5 for ‘100’ reviews will be lost here. I don’t know, I type as I taste. N: Kill me now. I am not religious, but holy f***. Butter! Vanilla (of the most French like variety), richly warmed by an embrace of delicate peat laden with bright and airy citrus and sweet-sticky BBQ burnt ends. This is summer, winter, spring, and autumn rolled into a single buttery moment. The peat here is dry, but joined by a sweetly tropical and deeply oaky and maybe even waxy component that balances everything expertly. I’m thirty minutes in, haven’t tasted a drop yet, and custard, pear and peach have all joined us. P: Seriously, kill me. End it all. This is an explosion of simple excellence. Laden with warm, soft, pillowy barley and run through with silky pear. The wood and smoke combine into black pepper, sugar puff cereal, and resin. Smoke is through it all, earthy and creamy in equal measure. This is sweet and savoury done properly. This is whisky. F: Just long enough to drown in. Sweet wood and barley, just enough iodine to keep things interesting, a little leather?, ashy slightly lemony brine. A single drop of water is all I could bring myself to add. Why would I risk more when neat was so very good? The nose is unchanged, the palate and finish just build on the warmth of the smoke and the buttery goodness of the mouthfeel. Wow. What a ride. Skip 14.2 sure, but line up 14.1, 14.3, and 14.4 and that is a progression worth something. 300 and I am bowing down yet again to the team at Bruichladich. I’ll say it again, holy f***. This is what whisky is meant to be about, it’s meant to be exciting, it’s meant to be an expression of craft and story telling. It is amazing that such a young liquid, partnered with such an atypical wood (Colombian Oak; wait, is there cocaine in this, I hear that’s moorish?!) can produce such a powerful and luxurious outcome. At 100 and 200 alike Bruichladdich had crafted an experience, at 8 years of age and 29 years of age they were established artists. This Octomore 14.1 is different. It’s the young disrupter, the prodigy. Not the masterful aged hand, but the young future master. A natural talent. If I had access to it, it would join the stash of three CC:01 on my darkest retirement shelf… Happy 300 - if you have been playing along at home, thanks for tuning in. The eight of you that read them - keep reading them, I’ll keep writing them I guess. The question now though; at 400 what 5/5 Bruichladdich should I be lining up?! Distiller whisky taste #300 [Pictured here with a pretty block of silvery-yellow marcasite and white quartz. Marcasite has the same chemical formula as pyrite but is structurally different (orthorhombic). Marcasite crystals of good quality are quite rare and lots of marcasite is quire reactive, breaking down to powder in air. So these doubly terminated coarse crystals from Peru are quite special, a bit like this whisky]. Bruichladdich running scores Classic Laddie: 4/5 Bruichladdich 18 re/define: 4.75/5 Black Art 10.1 29 y/o: 5/5 Port Charlotte 10: 4.5/5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5/5 Octomore 14.1: 4/5 Octomore 14.2: 2.75/5 Octomore 14.3: 4.25/5 Octomore 14.4: 5/5

Number 2 in the countdown to 300. After a rocky start I am entering 14.3 with a degree of trepidation… wine casks, again! But, second fill. Maybe this one will figure itself out before all hope is lost. I guess I am about to find out. N: Oh, hello. Ever walked along the coast, stony beach underfoot, sea breeze whipping in, warm fresh pastry in hand. I don’t think I ever have (seagulls would have that pastry in seconds). But damn, I’m close to being there in spirit. Vanilla, toasty oak barrels and grist, briny-salty air, and a danish pastry with that little glazed fruit compote in the middle (pear, apple, mango?). There is also a curious waxiness to this nose, and it’s good. The peat here is gentle, restrained and quite floral, but a spectre of sulphur is also there. P: Wow, it’s huge. Cured beef with demerara glaze, oatmeal with rich creamy milk and churned honey. Salted caramel and toffee apples. Tobacco leaf, ash and salt, aniseed and toasted nuts. I may be wrong, but the palate feels simple, approachable, and yet; monstrous. This is poised and authoritative, it knows what it is about. F: Long. cool dry smoke, some menthol, creosote, brine. Black tea, and maybe fresh blackcurrant at the last. Two drops of water, a swirl, and time to rest. The result is wonderful. The nose warms towards BBQ but slightly mutes and waxiness turns oily. The palate loses and gains nothing in flavour, but it extends each flavour drawing wider arcs and bleeding more subtly into one another. The finish melds into a firm powerful teashop affair. I have at this point forgotten that this was a wine cask or a bourbon cask. These elements are clearly present in the nose, that much should be apparent from the notes I have ascertained. But the palate and finish feel driven by the peat and the distillate, which is, to me at least; what it seems Octomores should be striving for. Distiller whisky taste #299 [Pictured here with a lovely ***** of spodumene pegmatite from Pilgongoora in the Pilbara of Western Australia. This pegmatite is ~2.8 billion years old and formed as dykes between 0.5 to 80 m wide, 50-1500 m long and up to 400 m thick, intruding into an ~3.2 billion year old continental rift. These dykes, thanks to their endowment with huge spodumene crystals and platy lepidolite micas, makes them one of the worlds largest hard rock lithium sources; also, really pretty.] Bruichladdich running scores Classic Laddie: 4/5 Bruichladdich 18 re/define: 4.75/5 Black Art 10.1 29 y/o: 5/5 Port Charlotte 10: 4.5/5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5/5 Octomore 14.1: 4/5 Octomore 14.2: 2.75/5 Octomore 14.3: 4.25/5

Number 3 in the countdown to 300, and the obvious next step from Octomore 14.1. Straight into the glass, and something is clearly drastically different from what came before; what is in store for me here… N: Wow, that hits different. This is overwhelmingly winey. After almost ten minutes in the glass there is still a wall of red wine. Sherry, dried fruit and maybe some marzipan or turkish delight that I can’t single out. A hint of black pepper. With enough effort I think I find some raw very mulchy peat and ashy-sulphur. (The nose here is uncomfortably close to a Berry Bros and Rudd Sherry Cask I very much disliked). The malt brilliance of Bruichladdich is lost to me and I am wounded. P: Yikes. What is this?! Sweet and tannic in complete disharmony. Bitter burnt coffee, seaweed and heavy stony minerality. Menthol and aniseed. The somewhat briny, mineralic ashy smoke is buried under a wall of sweet wine. F: Medium. Sherry, waxy-oak. Beach pebble and ash. A fairly liberal watering (four drops into half a dram) draws more sulphur out of the nose but with it a hint of dry barely and tannic spice. The palate kind of doubles over in pain, the smoke billows forth and its cool and maritime, but then a strange rose, wet cardboard and prickliness develops against wine and sherry that just wont settle down. Ooph. Bruichladdich, seriously?! What have you done here? I don’t get it. I realise that Octomore is experimental, pushes the envelope yada yada. But really? Sweet and smoke can work, yes. But it is also really easy to balls up. Not everything has to leave the editing room floor. Some things should be chalked up to experience and allowed to fade away. I realise I have little right as a rank amateur to call out one of the finest distilleries anywhere in the world, but come on guys this is not anywhere close to the excellence I, and I am sure others, would expect from you. It’s weird, jarring, and doesn’t work. Be better than this. Distiller whisky taste #298 [Pictured here with sparkly chunk of ruby fuchsite schist from the westernmost part of the Archaean Dharwar Craton in Karnataka, India. This delicious rock is predominantly fine grained green fuchiste (a chromium mica) with poprhyroblasts of reddish corrundum (rubies). Rims of kyanite altered to fine white quartz and muscovite rim the rubies as coronas. This rock was formed from potassic-siliceous fluids infiltrating high pressure-temperature zones of metamorphism that were busy transforming thick piles of marine muds and silts during the early Proterozoic]. Bruichladdich running scores Classic Laddie: 4/5 Bruichladdich 18 re/define: 4.75/5 Black Art 10.1 29 y/o: 5/5 Port Charlotte 10: 4.5/5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5/5 Octomore 14.1: 4/5 Octomore 14.2: 2.75/5

Number 4 in the countdown to 300 (it may be obvious at this point what my 300th will be). I’m not sure how I’ve only just poured my very first Octomore? Bruichladdich are in my Top 5 distillery picks, no question about it, and yet to have never tasted these experimental delights? It feels wrong. Well let’s right that wrong right now… N: Wow, not what I was expecting. Bright, yet brooding. Peat smoke is unsurprisingly everywhere. Ashy campfire embers, meaty BBQ, coconut and oily toasted nuts provide a robust backbone to an otherwise lemony and slightly floral brightness. P: Bold, and with some high ABV but it isn’t aggressive; just quite big. Very briny and with what I can only describe as the charred lemons I end up with after cleaning my BBQ post cook up. A creaminess unfolds with time that is a little ashy but with chocolates and pear and fresh pastry with plenty of bakery spice. F: Medium. The citrus, ash and brine all persist but as they fade butterscotch and vanillin come out. The last thing to wisp away is a floral peat note. At the high ABV this demanded a couple of drops of water and time to marry. The dram becomes much greener and sweeter. There are grassy or soft herb vibes coming through along with a bit of coffee bitterness. With no other Octomores in the bank to compare to I don’t know how this sits. Is it the immediately brilliant normalcy of Bruichladdich, no assuredly not. But it is still Bruichladdich that heart is apparent. What this is is something altogether different, indeed thats what the Octomores are meant to be about as I understand it. Big, ashy peat adds an interesting textural dimension to what is a heavy and brooding youngster, and I think it’s a fun dram to try and keep up with, it certainly shifts and subverts expectations from start to end. Distiller whisky taste #297 [Pictured here with a piece of vein graphite from Ceylon in Sri Lanka. This graphite is unique, Sri Lanka is the only place in the world with commercially extractable quantities of coarse vein graphite. Hosted by Precambrian aged high temperate metamorphic rocks (granulite) this vein of graphite represents CO2 extracted from the mantle during the amalgamation of the supercontinent Gondwana, forming veins as pressure was released during rapid uplift of the crust]. Bruichladdich running scores Classic Laddie: 4/5 Bruichladdich 18 re/define: 4.75/5 Black Art 10.1 29 y/o: 5/5 Port Charlotte 10: 4.5/5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5/5 Octomore 14.1: 4/5

Number 5 in the countdown to 300, and another two years of age to the dram in tonights glass. I know nothing of Deanston and have not sampled their wares before. This liquid was distilled in 1991, matured first in ex-Bourbon then finished in ex-Muscat for two years. I suspected Muscat on last nights Bladnoch Talia 26 was like a smack in the face from a bowl of potpourri. Let’s see how Deanston measures up on the florals. N: Yep, floral. This is a gentle nose but with plenty going on. Bright and juicy with both stone fruit, dark berries, and dried fruits. The sweetness carries well with toffee and vanilla. The florals are, unsurprisingly king here though; fresh blossoms interlace with orange spritz and a tropical tang. Vaguely malty and oaky at the back. P: Sweet and winey out the gate. A oiliness creeps through what is otherwise an almost cloying texture. Surprisingly tannic and spicy with a dominant old oak spice and hints of sweet cinnamon. The palate becomes waxier over time and honied. A dusting of cocoa here, a spattering of blackcurrant there, and through it all puffs of orange and perfume. F: Medium. Creamy fading to sticky and sweet. Sultanas, some shortcrust pastry, leather and more oak. Huh. I didn’t know what to expect here, but it wasn’t this. Curious, if it wasn’t for the waxy oak I would have suspected a 15 year old, maybe, certainly not 28. The malt that is trying to escape from the thick and weighty muscat finish would be so good if it could shine through a little brighter, there is not enough savoury here to balance the torrent of sticky sweetness. The nose is definitely the best part of this dram. The florals on the nose are inexorable, but they remain gentle and bring a lovely brightness. The palate is a bit of a disappointment it lacks the depth of the nose and the finish hints at what should be; instead though heavy finishing has stopped the palate from shining. Distiller whisky taste #296 [Pictured here with a lovely Eclogite from Monte Torretta in Piémont, NW Italy. This wonderful lump is yet another piece of the deep underbelly of our planets crust, and represents the highest pressures of metamorphism now thrust up onto the surface. This rock used to be a gabbro and is now a mix of red garnets, green omphacite, rare blue glaucophane, and retrograde flaky micas]

Number 6 in the countdown to 300 and we present the age forward by another year tonight. I’m surprised to see that this wasn’t already listed here on Distiller. I have seen this on the shelves of my mega liquor store for many years now and have, like the Glenfarclas 25 last night, thought this seems an accessibly priced older whisky. Apparently though, I will be the first to sample its possible delights here on Distiller. Hooray? What do we have then? It seems that Bladnoch release different Talias at around 25 years of age. This expression, released in 2020 at 44% ABV was aged exclusively in American oak red wine casks whereas the other expressions of Talia have showcased cask finishes. For what it’s worth this was apparently the first Bladnoch release from Master Distiller, Nick Savage. As with all Bladnoch Single Malts, this release is non-chill filtered and natural colour. N: Wow, thats a lot of wood. I’ll be back in five to ten minutes… thats better. Old oak is the obvious place to start and it’s dark, rich, slightly waxy and surprisingly creamy. Despite a lot of age in the tannins there still manages to be delicacy with twinkles of florals. The body that emerges with time is pretty juicy plenty of jammy berry laden red wine (raspberry, strawberry, cranberry). Some toasty malt, and maybe cocoa. P: Heavily tannic, and becoming waxy. The tannins of both red wine and oak are on the cusp of being to astringent. Quite a linear palate driven by furniture polish, aniseed, bitter dark orange marmalade, honey and milk chocolate. The real powerhouse though, surprisingly, is a floral smack that builds over time. If a spring orchard in full blossom could be distilled into a single drop that is the floral presence that is found here. The florals have a lovely delicacy to them but it is slightly reminiscent of a single snowflake in an avalanche. They are collectively huge; orange blossom, rose, nutmeg. F: Long. Very drying, waxy furniture, leather, dry tobacco box and wood shavings. More florals, and some tight warmth from ginger and chilli. I don’t know. I just don’t know what to make of this. This whisky is big, its bold, and its either bad, or brilliant. I don’t know which. The turmoil I am having is with the massive juxtaposition of heavy oak, and deep dark woody oak notes and feinty leather meld with impossible levels of florals and perfume? I have grown to seek out florals in recent times on both the nose and palate, but this seems to heavy on them? i suspect the red wine barrels held Muscat; how else do you pack so many into a malt? I realise I am completely forgetting about the berry laden elements that are in here also, I think because they are forgettable. Flashes of malt character, lovely, great. But then leather and florals. Ah, conflict. I really don’t know about this, but I’m going to err on the side of excellent. Distiller whisky taste #295 [Pictured here with a lovely smargadite metagabbro from Lago Superiore in NW Italy. This rock is super complex and is related to an ophiolite, a section of oceanic crust thrust onto the continental crust. Bands of predominantly white plagioclase and dark clinozoisite and omphacite. In reality it is far more complex though. The distinctive trait though is the bright green smargadite, a type of amphibole replacing coarse ompachite. Ultimately, a pretty rock produced by complex chemistry under immense pressures for huge expanses of time; not too dissimilar from whisky I suppose.] Bladnoch running scores: Embers: 3.75/5 Vinaya: 3/5 Samsara:3.75/5 Talia 26: 4.25/5

Number 7 in the countdown to 300. I must have walked past Glenfarclas 25 a dozen or more times in my early foray into whisky. AUD$350 in my big liquor store. I often thought to myself how rubbish it must be, $350, Highland Park 25 is around AUD$1000. This Glenfarclas must be cheap slops. I have learned since then. Not a lot, but enough. I am very pleased to be moving into some nice age statements as I edge ever closer to 300. N: A few harsh whiffs of what I can only chalk up to sulphur notes and then into the good stuff. There is a nose opening menthol or wild mint early on for me that allows a rich and oozy bouquet to unravel. Rich figs, espresso, treacle, bitter marmalade. It’s all going on, and then some. A gentle warm spice profile is present and made of equal parts crystallised ginger, cinnamon, with tobacco and leather laden wood tannins. P: Surprisingly juicy, creamy, and gently textured. The mouthfeel is an excellent canvas here. No hint of sulphur, just a whistle clean profile. Sherry, sure. Strawberry, cherry, mocha, leather, a little herbal mint and cardamon. Almonds. There is a creamy barely though, the malt is not lost to aggressive sherry casking. I think honey is carried through with that barely cream presence too. Lovely. Over time the wood develops and unfolds; wood shavings are dark as if stained by leather and tobacco smoke. The tannins are tempered by the darkness and come with more ginger, maybe cinnamon and clove. Milky chocolate runs the background unifying thread. F: Long. The full palate is here, but it leaves a lasting bright juiciness, rich creaminess, and ultimately goes out to plain chocolate and the suggestion of jam on toast. This is undeniably a classic sherry cask profile, but age has tempered this from what could have been a sherry bomb into a more demure and considered dram with subtleties and nuance. The initial off-putting sulphur quickly subsided, I rarely like sulphur notes (Mjolner excepted) and but moments in the glass were enough to see it off. The palate is somehow walking a razor thin line between bright and juicy and rich and dark. A deft hand crafted this whisky. I’m an hour into this dram, admittedly it was a large 50 ml pour, but having fully merged with my arm chair I am feeling deeply satisfied with this liquid. This is not a magical transformative experience. It is not a revolutionary dram that rocks the boat or excels at anything in flamboyant fashion. This is a quiet, understated and magnanimous whisky that affords enjoyment to, I suspect, the beginner through to the expert. I have found quiet peace in the bottom of this dram and that surely is worth more than the meagre price point of this 25 year old gem? Distiller whisky taste #294 [Pictured here with one of my singular favourite rocks: a banded metagabbro-eclogite from Lago Superiore in NW Italy. This rock is from part of a 35 km long shear zone through a metaophiolite complex in the Piemonte area of Italy. These metamorphic rocks represent complex geological histories and originate from cumulate (layers of crystal mush) gabbros found deep at the base of oceanic crust later thrust onto the earths surface as an ophiolite after being metamorphosed during subduction processes at around 550 degrees C and up to 2.8 GPa and then further altered by retrograde processes on the way up. Light bands are comprised of retrograde epidote, actinolite and plagioclase. Dark bands are comprised of predominantly prograde omphacite. The banding reflects original igneous layers enriched in Fe+Ti (light green) and Mg-Al (dark green)].

Number 8 in the countdown to 300 and we are heading into the territory of some older offerings. Leading the charge is the relatively newly released Bruichladdich 18 re/define. Matured on Islay, the whisky was aged predominantly in bourbon casks, alongside a smaller number of Sauternes and Port casks, vatted and married for nine months before bottling at a robust 50% ABV, without added colour or chill filtration. I’m excited for this dram, I think Bruichladdich is probably in my top four favourite distilleries, and this offering seems to have been lightly touched by two of my favourite cask profiles. I’m ready. N: A little bit aggressive straight out the bottle. Give me five minutes and I’ll come back to this… O.K. where were we? Thats better, all the harsh ABV is gone. This is wonderfully light and fragrant. Lightly honied malt, fresh hay, peach, vanilla, coconut (like Malibu Rum), a slight minerality joins some subtle pencil shavings. The longer I spend with this the more convinced I am of creme brûlée and the firm crunch of brown sugar. P: Decadently velvety, creamy and slightly waxy at the same time. Subtle peach underlies honied malt, and a tropical feeling that is bright, juicy and vibrant. Oak influence turns slightly buttery with a warm and sumptuous porridgy characteristic. ‘Green’ winey flavours of honeysuckle, gooseberry, and melon add to a lovely crispness. The influence of the port casks is just noticeable as an enveloping leatheriness that suggests opulence under the oh so right and light summer profile. F: Deceptively long. It seems short perhaps, green winey notes dissipate, brighter tropical notes flourish and fade. But then a surprise left turn with stoney minerality, a flash of cracked pepper and a little jasmine(?) tea. At 50% perhaps there is more to discover. I have taken a chance and added a single drop of water to the half dram that remains… it married quickly. The nose unravels to tropical fruits, guava and lychee perhaps, the palate lifts a solid toasty pastry flair, and the finish builds on stoney pebbles in the hot sun. I needn’t say anymore really? Bruichladdich are masters at their craft. If i could find this locally $330 would be worth every penny. What a fantastic treat this evening. My only real criticism is the slight intrusiveness of the alcohol; is it possible to have a young 18 year old; that’s perhaps what this feels like. Distiller whisky taste #293 [Pictured here with a piece of Preseli Bluestone from the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire in West Wales. Bluestone is a catch all term used to describe all of the ‘foreign’ and ‘exotic’ rocks at the prehistoric monument Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. Although there are around twenty seperate rock types represented at Stonehenge, one of the most common is the ‘Preseli Spotted Dolerite’ or Preseli Bluestone. Dolerites are igneous rocks, essentially identical to basalt but with slightly larger crystals. The Preseli Spotted Dolerite is characterised by clusters of secondary minerals that have replaced the original plagioclase feldspar. The slightly greyish-green-blue colour of the rock is a result of low grade metamorphism in that partly altered the original mineralogy to chlorite and epidote.] Bruichladdich running scores Classic Laddie: 4/5 Bruichladdich 18 re/define: 4.75/5 Black Art 10.1 29 y/o: 5/5 Port Charlotte 10: 4.5/5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5/5

Number 9 in the countdown to 300. Another from the Lakes tonight, this time Reserve No. 6. The Lakes Whiskymakers Reserves are intended to be building towards a signature style for the distillery. Either that or excellent marketing for yearly releases. Indeed, I think it was the win at world whisky awards best whisky with reserve No. 4 that really put The Lakes on the map. I thoroughly enjoyed No. 5, and recall it from Dec 2022 quite fondly. Quick side bar: @Stephanie_Moreno / Distiller it would be excellent if you could allow suggested edits to bottles information. This bottle is not 69 y/o and the cask type is well known. Wank check for No. 6 from Aloysius in marketing: “turning the spotlight on exotic spices and gentle rose fragrance, The Whiskymaker's Reserve No. 6 brings rich new flavours to the fore, creating a distinctly different mood from its predecessors. Matured in the finest, meticulously sourced Oloroso, PX and red wine casks, this complex and aromatic release transports you to the bustle of moorish bazaars” N: Thick, reasonably heavy and oozing red fruits; cranberry, plums, plump berries. Darker, sugary notes of dates, caramel, malty steamed pudding and tannic spices lead to a leathery presence. Floral notes a little buried in this richness but a little rose and maybe just maybe something herbal or menthol. P: Thick, rich and oily. About as full bodied as any whisky I’ve tried. Red fruit is going to reach up and drag you down into the glass, sultanas and raisins are brimming over, lashed with honey, a toffee-butteriness, warm toast. Spices come through as clove, ginger, and leathery polished oak. F: Long. Slightly bitter dark chocolate starts to come through the dark red fruit, but the tannic slightly astringent oak spice lingers for longer. A slight drop of water and the florals come through beautifully on the palate and nose, lightly sweet this could be the memory of a summer garden or the look of a Monet. There is a delicacy to the florals that a whisper could shatter the illusion, quiet contemplation would appear to be key here. The softening and calming of the thick heavy weight profile is transformative. Additive to the palate now is a very subtle earthiness; think clay bowls filled with colourful spices. Shit - the marketing blurb is probably bang on. It’s still wanky though, as is this review now. I’m just going to go and bury my nose in this glass and shut up now. Distiller whisky taste #292 [Pictured here with some lovely green uvarovite from the ~440 million year old Saranvskiy Massif in Russia. Uvarovite is a chromium bearing calcium garnet and is the only consistently green garnet due to the presence of chromium. ⁣Uvarovite is rare in metamorphic rocks (which this rock is) forming through hot fluid interactions with chromium rich spinel minerals. In the Saranvskiy Massif gabbros and peridotite rich in chromium were hydrothermally altered along fractures to form sheets of these lovely green Russians] The Lakes Running Scores: The One Orange: 2.75/5 The One Moscatel: 3.75/5 The One Port: 2.75/5 Mosaic: 4/5 Bal Masque: 3.75/5 Iris: 4.25/5 Reserve No. 5: 4.5/5 Reserve No. 6: 4.5/5

Ohhhh I’m excited. Closing in on 300 Distiller Reviews. I’ve tried to have something pretty good every 50 tastes, and as was the case for 100 and 200, I ended up with a very special Bruichladdich liquid in my glass. So, with 300 approaching I tried to line up what I hope is an enviable line up of ten drams to carry me to 300… I was essentially next door to the Lakes Distillery in July of 2023. Alas, I failed to get through the distillery for want of more mountains and rocks. I am though quite excited to pick up where I left off in December 2022 with my last tastings from The Lakes. As has been customary with my Lakes tastings, we start with some epic walk written by the Liberal Arts Major: “Inspired by the magnificent Himalayan town of Gulmarg – meaning “meadow of flowers” – this bold and uplifting expression showcases our whiskymaker’s sense of adventure as we explore intensely tropical, modern flavour profiles.” Thats pretty good marketing wank. Now bring on the sauce! N: Bright, crisp and with a lot to unwrap in a sultry and enticing kind of way. Initial creaminess from a white chocolate turns to juicy pears, vanilla, and a fragrant herbal or turkish delight presence. Some very subtle malty-sugary and honey notes are hiding in the back. P: A zingy and vibrant approach with some astringency from the high ABV. Crisp as a deep frost, this is a tart green apple at first. Ginger cake, slightly bitter dark chocolate, dark caramel and the sweetness of Black Forrest gateaux. F: Long. Ginger tang lingers on with some mocha and dark fruit. The 56% isn’t present on the nose, but I felt it added to some of the powerful ginger prickle, not that this was ‘alchohol-y’ but it deserved a dash of water to see what happens. The nose is largely unchanged but perhaps a gooseberry or sauvignon blanc grassiness starts to make its way through. The palate definitely tones down and a light wood spice arcs up along with a nutty oiliness and a more apparent floral presence. The finish with water leads slightly more buttery and malty. I reread my reviews for the other Lakes I have tried, they share a common theme, incredible noses and just good palates. This is no exception on the nose, I would of loved longer to sit and inhale this incredibly light yet deep and accessible but complex nose. Beautiful. The gingery prickle is a little overbearing, but there are some curious interplays of juicy fruits, sharp acidic fruits, and deep dark brooding rich and bitter flavours to contend with. This is lovely stuff and am eager to try more of the Lakes whisky makers series; a cracking start on the road to 300. Distiller whisky taste #291 [Pictured here with a piece of K2 Granite from the Karakoram Mountains between Pakistan and China… I don’t have any Himalayan rocks, so this is as close a match to the whisky as I could manage. Anyway, this fancy rock is a white coloured granite with flaky black biotite and little blue blobs of secondary azurite] The Lakes Running Scores: The One Orange: 2.75/5 The One Moscatel: 3.75/5 The One Port: 2.75/5 Mosaic: 4/5 Bal Masque: 3.75/5 Iris: 4.25/5 Reserve No. 5: 4.5/5