Whiskey del Bac Arizona Single Malt Spring 2021 Single Cask #5 (Lost Lantern)

I remember when I first had a Del Bac ages ago. It was their mesquite smoked one. I was a huge fan. And then there were their annual special releases. I happened to get one that was finished in calvados, which was damn good as well. Smoky, apple goodness. I’ve been curious to try the Lost Lantern picks. I can be sure of one thing: it’ll be bold and young. And pricey. Wait, I lied. That’s three things. This one comes courtesy of @ctbeck11 This hits you with a brute force of caramel and honeycomb Then comes the BBQ, not Texas style…maybe sweeter. Is that Carolina or Memphis? Either way, sweet BBQ. Dark chocolate, some pepper. This is good. Look, not every whiskey needs to blow you away. At some point you’ll get jaded. But every whiskey that prices itself over $100 should be really enjoyable to you at least. And to me, this fits that bill. So, the thing with Lost Lantern is that the majority fall into a bold edgy territory. Which is great, if you’re a fan of that distillery. You get to try something that’s at its edges, and may not show up in their regular releases. Some are super hits ( there was a Balcones one that bought down the Seelbach website). Others are weird ( California Sloe gin). So…if you’re going to fork over $120 for these Lost Lanterns, know what you’re getting….edgy, not for everyone. But for those who already are a fan of that distillery. Which is what surprised me here. It’s good…but one is paying a premium for something different from that distillery. I don’t think this was that far off from their normal releases, and probably notches lower than their special annual releases. I like this, and would gladly buy a bottle, but I’d expect it to priced lower since it’s nothing over and above their CS normal lineups and private releases, which are all cheaper. Again a huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for this sample!

Hits me a lot like the private barrel I have, which is to say it hits with the brute force of sweet caramel and brisket smoke. It's a taste that calls to me rarely since I've had the bottle, but it's well made and enjoyable when in the mood. The Lost Lantern seems to have a bit more sweetness, but just as heavy of mesquite smoke. I don't know what this cost, but I'm guessing it was more than the $80 I paid for the private barrel, so value considered, I don't know that there's any difference here. As has been noted before, this is better than the similar smoky Balcones Brimstone, but the one Del Bac Distiller's Cut I tried is at another level. However, it's released seasonally, and the contents and finishing changes with each release, so YMMV. The unmesquited regular release single malt (Classic) isn't bad either. Thanks to @ctbeck11 for the sample of this one!

Rating: 15/23 I didn't particularly care for the bottle of Del Bac Mesquite I bought a couple of years ago, but this is cask strength and bottled by Lost Lantern, so I'm kind of hopeful that it's going to be a couple steps up. N: A lot like the regular Del Bac Mesquite, but fuller with more smoke and vanilla. There's that dry sort of tart bitterness to the mesquite smoke and there's sort of a black licorice side to it. The smoked meat is less sweet - more in the beef or even lamb range than the pork to beef range of the regular Del Bac Meqsquite. The apple is still there, though it's subdued and the burnt grass is increased a bit. I like this nose better so far, but I'm a bit worried still. P: That higher ABV really helps to fill this out. It's smoky and dry, giving a little bit of a peaty effect somewhere in the Laphroiag range with all of the other funky flavors. Some dry grass, a dash of minerality, and a few herbs I get wintergreen, pork, black licorice, vanilla, faint apple and orange, and a bold malty backing that avoids being overly sweet. There's a definite burn here, but that's expected for the proof. not much in the way of spice. F: Numbing peaty smoke - but not quite. Wintergreen, barbecued pork, burnt grass, a little wood, a mellow malty layer. There's actually quite a bit of wintergreen in both the palate and the finish. - Conclusion - This whole thing is very odd, but it does kind of work. I'm not blown away by it, but it makes me think of how much I hated Ardbeg Wee Beastie and wonder whether all that's missing here is some more age for this to really start making sense. I'd love to try this at 6 to 8 years. Does this beat regular Del Bac Mesquite (13/23)? Yes. Does it beat Corsair Wildfire? No. And I don't think it's that I prefer the Corsair's hickory smoke to Del Bac's mesquite smoke: I think that the Corsair is just a generally better executed product. Looking past the smoke, it's more balanced and complex, embracing the smoke, grain, malting, wood, and oxidization in a way that introduces smoke to American single malt without inundating it or creating an off-kilter profile. Pulling out Westland Peated (15/23), the two seem fairly competitive. This is obviously more assertive, whereas the Westland is (for once) more balanced. The Shin 10 (16/23) is another funky, off-kilter, young-seeming whiskey, but I find it to be more balanced and refined than this is, so I would take it. Most likely, I'm looking at a 15 here. Thanks for sharing this, @ctbeck11 ! I'm looking forward to trying some mesquite-smoked American single malts that have had some more time in the barrel once they presumably start coming to market, but I don't think these young ones are for me.

The nose is rich starting with a light smoke and butterscotch that fades to fruits of pear tart, apple pie filling, and maraschino cherries that transitions to smoked brisket then light floral notes, vanilla pudding that transitions to spices of cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, ginger, and glowing embers of mesquite wood with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich mouthfeel starting with honeycomb and moderate smoke along with Carolina BBQ sauced baby back ribs that fades to McDonalds baked apple pie, orange peel and maraschino cherries followed by a high drying spice that fades to spicy dark chocolate, smoked paprika, ginger, leather and ashy tannic mesquite wood with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with mesquite smoked brisket, honeycomb, spicy dark chocolate, caramel apples, orange peel, canned peaches, leather and drying ashy oak. Lost Lantern seems to go for those big bold flavored single casks and this is no exception that brings a combination of barbecue, citrus and spices on the nose that carries over to the taste with more meaty and smoky flavors than the nose but veers towards a high drying spice mid-palate that then reveals some spicy chocolate notes along with ashy mesquite oak that finishes with some nice barbecue and citrus but again that overabundance of tannic oak remains throws off the finish. A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample for me to taste.

Nose - toffee, peanut butter fudge, buttercream frosting, mesquite smoke, vanilla, apple, orange blossom, honey, leather, cinnamon, nutmeg, pencil eraser, cherry, grape, sweet floral notes, grass, black pepper, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - lemon lime soda, cherry, ginger, chili pepper, butterscotch, vanilla, smoked meat, grass, honey, grape, leather, mesquite, sweet floral notes, cocoa, orange zest, pecan, clove, allspice, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with cherry, sweet citrus, and wood smoke flavors. This is the last of my three fairly new Lost Lantern releases and my first experience with Whiskey Del Bac. The nose is complex. The BBQ smoke note is strong, but there’s also some nice fudge, ripe red fruit, and honey aromas. There’s even a hint of flinty, pencil eraser that’s reminiscent of young Springbank. The palate arrives with a one-two punch of Sprite and cherry that reminds me of drinking Shirley Temples when I was younger. The flavors quickly turn darker and more savory, evolving into BBQ meat, leather, and prickly baking spices. Following the fantastic Ironroot Republic and Balcones single casks from Lost Lantern, I feel that this is a small step down. While the flavors are fully formed and rich, it tastes younger and hotter, finishing a bit shorter and less satisfyingly than the others. Regardless, this is great whiskey, and an experience that puts Whiskey Del Bac on my radar. In fact, I’ll be reviewing the Dorado release tomorrow.