Santa Fe Spirits New Mexico Single Malt 2020 Single Cask #1 (Lost Lantern)

Smell - candy corn, buttered popcorn, caramel, creamy vanilla, red berry, powdered sugar, mesquite, honey roasted peanut, orange zest, cinnamon, cocoa, nutmeg, yeast, black pepper, anise, hay, light oak, high ethanol burn. Taste - orange, cherry, black pepper, barrel spice, caramel, creamy vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, mesquite, candy corn, mint, peanut, buttered bread, milk chocolate, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with caramel, baking spice, and wood smoke flavors. I thought I poured the wrong sample. I would have bet money I was smelling a corn whiskey if I didn't know this is undeniably a single malt. The aromas I associate with candy corn and buttered popcorn immediately leapt from the glass. A deeper search yields nice red berry and orange notes along with a host of baking spices and a whiff of wood smoke. It’s not a meaty BBQ smoke, but rather more like the smell of a grill at the far corner of the backyard that was used an hour or so ago, but is now cooling down after serving its purpose. The proof hits hard on the palate arrival, but also brings pops of sweet orange and cherry accompanied by buttery, creamy caramel and vanilla along with some smoky chocolate and baking spice notes. The finish is neither short nor long, but brings the palate to a pleasant, albeit slightly youthful and bright, close with some of the same tastes from earlier. I find the mesquite smoke makes its presence known more at this point than earlier in the experience. I’m really excited to start this series of Lost Lantern tastings. It’s my first time trying an independent bottler of American spirits and I’m enjoying their mission, transparency, and respect for the craft. I suggest checking out their website, as there’s a lot of great information along with a detailed analysis of what is contained in each of their bottlings. Overall this is good whiskey, but I think it’s too young to receive an extremely high mark. It’s really hot, both on the nose and palate. I feel that the flavors are all very nice, but would be outstanding and much more well integrated with another few years in the barrel. Nonetheless, it’s a pleasure to sample a single cask selection from a relatively small (and previously unknown to me) distillery. A big thanks to the person who provided this sample, as well as the next three I’ll be reviewing from Lost Lantern.

A generous measure of this was given to me by a friend from up north. For context, this is a relatively new independent bottler that selects barrels from American craft distillers that are still emerging or not widely known, yet produce high-quality spirits. These distilleries might lack the extensive distribution of major craft players but can compete with any of them. They recently launched four products. I purchased one of them (a vatted malt, simply because I enjoyed a previous vatted malt so much), but wanted to sample this one as well, an offering from a specific distillery known for Colkegan. It's clearly young, but its youth is well-concealed by quality distillates. While three years is considered young for an established brand, it's actually impressive for new craft producers. A crisp citrus flavor is complemented by some smoke. The mesquite is subtly incorporated; it's not overpowering like some other brands. It's more nuanced and suitable for those new to smoky American malts. If you found other smoky whiskies too intense, this would be a great choice. I might compare it to a less intense peated Scotch, which is more subdued than certain Islay malts, perhaps a different peated Scotch would be a better comparison due to the similar type of peat. I saved half a pour because I'd like to compare it directly with the standard offering from the same distillery, to determine if its smoky character is typically muted by design, or if this particular barrel was selected by the independent bottler to appeal to a broader audience. Thanks to my friend for the pour!