Rating: 15/23 I finished a rough week at work and decided to go ahead and open this one up. I've been wondering about The Lakes for a while and have been very skeptical of it, but I had one experience with Penderyn and was very pleasantly surprised (though I hear that isn't the norm), so I figured I'd give this a shot. N: Yeah, it's a bit youthful. Not in a bad way though. I was expecting sulphur, industrial scents, and/or overwhelming PX sherry. There's a nice maltiness with some interesting spice that reminds me of Gouden Carolus. It's dry but yeasty, then a full oloroso oily scent comes in. There's a faint buckwheat scent too. I get hints of cherry and blackberry, but they're very light. This may not be the most mature nose, but it's very nicely balanced and developed. P: Sweet with malt and spices. Very classic. It actually tastes nicely rich and fairly old. I would guess that this was a more than 12 year old Speysider. There's that rich, oily backing with a hint of buckwheat and a really nice, mild cherry sweetness going on. It's full and decadent without being aggressive. The ethanol does come through a bit, but keep in mind that this is 54% ABV. I get some spiciness that is founded largely in yeasty complexity that melds into the malt. The balance here is terrific. F: Lingering oily cherry with malt and a hint of something nutty or maybe buckwheat. A vague cloud of light spiciness with a bit of woody complexity to that cloud. This is actually quite a nice finish. - Conclusion - I do get the idea that this isn't super old, but The Lakes is one to watch for sure. This strikes me as an excellent execution of a fairly young malt whisky with an oloroso finish. It isn't over the top with excessive flavor to cover its youth and it has a really nice flavor from the distillate itself. This literally cannot be more than 10 years old and that fact is blowing my mind. Gouden Carolus (15/23) has a lot of interesting spicy, yeasty nuance going on, but it doesn't have the refined complexity that this has. This is less challenging with more of a standard profile and the ethanol does show through more here, but it's clean and tasty with a nice amount of balance and complexity. This isn't blowing the Goudon Carolus out of the water at all, but it's showing such terrific nuance in spite of its young age and ethanol bite that I'm really enjoying it. I could maybe be convinced to go down to a 14 for this. Likewise, I could maybe be convinced to go up to an 18. This is very solid. Although the Gouden Carolus is richer, my general impression is that this is slightly better executed. There is a lot of sophistication to the Gouden Carolus though. Maybe I should have put it at a 16 instead of a 15? It's very enjoyable. This doesn't have quite the same amount going on, but it's more refined with subtle layers lurking in the nuance. I'm getting a bit of guava from this now, which I absolutely love. As sort of an odd side note, I don't really like this mixed with the Gouden Carolus. It waters down the Gouden Carolus while increasing the ethanol and losing the complexity and depth that this has. Small quantities of Gouden Carolus (25% or less) can add to this, but it requires caution. The right blend though is delightful. Easily better than either of them, but not mind-blowing. This is in the 14 to 17 range. It's a tough call. I can imagine an 18 as well. Despite the ethanol here, I don't think that a 13 is reasonable. Mortlach 15 Six Kingdons (16/23) strikes me as perhaps very slightly beating the Goudon Carolus. It has a richer and more typical malt profile while retaining some complexity. It isn't as out there ,but it is more generally enjoyable. The Lakes shows up with a much weaker palate that thins out quickly as its dependence on ABV becomes apparent. It's younger, but at least it embraces some of the shared advancements before giving into a more modern take on this story. I am kind of worried though that The Lakes is relying on paying over-performers to wear their brand. OK, so this is out of control. I'm posting all future videos under a channel that oddly makes no profits, if you can believe it. I'm continuing to wonder whether this is a 15 or 16. It's decadent, but has a lot of alcohol and not as much complexity as those 16s. Loch Lomond 12 (16/23) is richer, but more muddled. It has less alcohol, but also less proof. It's funkier with more richness. This is kind of close. It's no 17, but it could be a 16 or 15. I very much enjoy this, but I think I need to go with a 15 for now. This may not be great value, but I am enjoying this a fair amount. I was worried that this would be hard to get down, but it's actually an easy, casual sipper (assuming you can handle the high proof). I imagine myself going back to this a little bit at a time until I'm surprised that I've managed to drain it all. I'm looking forward to more releases from The Lakes!