The Lakes The One Orange Wine Cask

As I explore more single distillery tasting sets, I'm now eagerly venturing into my initial English whiskies. The Lakes has recently garnered attention with a World Whisky Awards Win for their Makers Reserve No. 4, and the buzz around that seems to have made them difficult to find in Australia. Fortunately, I've obtained samples of three 'The One' expressions and three from the Makers series. It's also quite thrilling that in June, I'll be visiting the distillery to learn more about this intriguing newcomer. For now, with no clear starting point for this collection, the orange cask appeared as suitable a place as any to begin. This iteration of The One is presented as 'a singular blend of select grain and malt Scotch whiskies from Speyside and Islay with The Lakes Single Malt at its heart.' The orange cask refers to First-fill American oak casks that have been seasoned with this Orange wine. The wine itself is 'Vino de Naranja' from Huelva in Andalucía, made from white wine infused with orange peel. Honestly, I find this concept a little unappealing, so starting here seemed like the best approach to get any potentially unpleasant aspects out of the way first. Let's see... Nose: Very light and crisp. A hint of marmalade acidity (if you really look for it), a general light white wine, the faintest tannic oak, and something reminiscent of a leathery brandy snap. Palate: Ooh, this is intriguing... a slightly zesty and peppery opening swirls around with gentle smoky peat, musty tobacco or leather, and a distinct orange juice flavor running thinly through the center of everything. The peppery heat does build at the back of the mouth, but it's just about restrained enough to be acceptable. Perhaps some generic vanilla and syrup sweetness, likely from the grain component of the blend. Finish: Short to medium. A little sweetness, juicy fruits, lingering iodine-smoke, and chili. The aroma is uninspired. I was anticipating something intensely sweet and packed with orange, but there's only the slightest hint of winey, bitter orange marmalade to be found. I appreciate a delicate nose, but this leans towards being bland. The palate is diverse and interesting, striking a nice balance, but I find the slight burn distracting. The orange flavors aren't as prominent as I expected; in fact, they are almost an afterthought, but they do work. Still, it would be nice to have a more significant presence. Overall, I'm not particularly impressed. It's clearly an experiment, and it's not bad, it's just average. The most significant letdown is that between the Islay and grain contributions, and the unusual cask choice, I'm uncertain about the identity of the 'Lakes Single Malt heart.' I suppose I'll have to search for it in the next five... [Pictured here with a garish rock to match a garish whisky. This whisky on the rocks is presented by Pyromorphite, a lead chloro-phosphate mineral. This green, snot-like specimen is from the Carboniferous Period (~360-300 million years ago) of Caldbeck Falls, a stone's throw (if you could throw a stone 10 miles) from The Lakes Distillery] Whisky taste #125

Nose: Oak, cigar smoke, citrus, orange. Palate: Light peat, tropical fruit - pineapple, wood/pine. Finish: Short finish. Citrus peel, wood, pine resin. From a limited release of 2,994 bottles. Very easy to drink. Young and woody, with orange and light peat. A respectable young dram.

Notes of orange peel and orange sherbet, with a light sensation on the palate and hints of tropical fruits. It would excel in a cocktail, though I prefer the port cask for casual sipping. It's reminiscent of a bubbly tropical beverage, like Fanta.

The aroma has notes of saltwater and fruit. The taste features chocolate and vanilla.

Fruity and fresh