Tasting Notes: The Lakes' Whiskymaker's Reserve #6

Following on from my last post, about spirits tasting, I'd like to share with you the notes I made recently when I was sent a sample of The Lakes Distillery's latest in their "Whiskymaker's Reserve" series. As has become my habit, I took the sample to share with my Dad on one of my weekly visits, so some of the insights are his.




Visual:
Presented neat, the whisky is a deep gold/acorn colour. It moves freely around the glass, leaving fine "legs."

On the nose:
One is struck first by a creamy-vanilla aroma, followed by notes of chocolate and coffee. Less pronounced notes of thyme, resin or beeswax creep in as the spirit opens up. The sherry character The Lakes has made its signature is present, but much less obvious than in other Whiskymaker's Reserve releases.

Palate:
At first, the flavour shows some astringency (not unpleasant). The whisky is full- to heavy-bodied, luxurious and velvety in texture. Those notes of coffee and vanilla are off-set by a rich bitterness at the back of the tongue - something akin to burnt sugar. The whole effect is complex, and it's hard to define the taste without sounding effusive or comical. 

Finish:
The complex flavours linger for a long time after tasting, the last to disappear being a delightful grassy note that goes unnoticed until it alone remains.

Now with 50% water...
As per the method described last time, we added to the second glass a splash of water of equal volume to the whisky. This brought out much sweeter aromas of muscovado sugar and dried apricot. A citrussy note comes out that hints at pink grapefruit. On the palate, the burnt-sugar bitterness moves around to the sides of the tongue and is now well integrated with the other dark flavours of coffee and chocolate.
The whisky retains its long finish, even with so much water. It now tastes toasted and has piquant touches of cayenne. The grassy flavour is now sweetened and more hay-like.



I am led to believe this will be the last in the Whiskymaker's Reserve series, which has tracked the evolution of The Lakes' house style as a single malt. If this is to be the definitive expression of their whisky, it will be a good news for drinkers. It is complex, rich and smooth, well deserving of attentive and mindful sipping. 

Images in this post are from The Lakes Distillery.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fine food with fine beers

Image
We've been drinking beer with food for centuries, but it's only in the last couple of decades that people have begun to give serious thought to matching food with beer. In the English-speaking world, especially, beer used to be seen as a working man's drink, and therefore unworthy of respectful consideration; wine was the drink of sophisticates. Working men were not expected to have discerning palates and an interest in what makes food taste good. As wine has become more popular, though, so too has to wine-drinkers' interest in food matching. I wouldn't have a blog if that cultural shift hadn't happened. Regardless of cultural class, these days there can be few drinkers unfamiliar with the idea of serving certain drinks with certain foods to enhance the appreciation of both. With the growth of interest in craft ales and micro-brewing, beer, too, has positioned itself as a drink for discerning and sophisticated drinkers, and sophisticated drinkers like to
Read more

Spritz and more

Image
Aperol Spritz About fifteen years ago, the Beloved and I visited Venice on holiday. Every guidebook recommended we try the local aperitif drink. In Venice at the time, spritz was made with still wine and a little soda and flavoured with one of several bitter liquors. Our guidebook noted that, while Campari was generally the preferred flavouring south of the Grand Canal, most bars in the tourist north served spritz with Aperol, then virtually unknown at home. Perhaps the students and celebs on the south islands like the higher alcohol content of Campari! It was served in a straight-sided glass (usually a high-ball), filled with ice, fruit and olives. How times have changed! I've just done a quick Google image search, my search-term being simply "spritz." Most of the images show bright orange Aperol spritz in large wine glasses, although there are some old fashioned glasses. Orange slices are frequent, and there are a couple of raspberries and blueberries to be
Read more

Once upon a Time... (Apologia pro curriculo meo)

Image
I'm often asked how I got into hospitality as a profession. The truth is it's only been my main source of income for just under two years. Before that, I was just an experienced amateur. Now, I freelance as a features writer, cocktail tutor, consultant/trainer to the industry and sommelier at a highly-respected establishment in North Yorkshire. Not a bad trajectory for someone who was a gibbering wreck under the table a few years ago, eh? Let's revisit a significant phrase from that second sentence: "...only been my main source of income..." Nobody's skills and knowledge are limited to their field of employment, and I have been cooking, hosting, drinking and even teaching all my adult life. My journey to my current, happy career has taken longer than many people's, but I can trace a clear path that has led me here. Just as a canal has its towpath, so my former career in social care has a parallel path that I have walked in hospitality. Regular or longstand
Read more