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