Welcome to the ninth installment of our regular Whisky Under Fifty reviews, where we review a different whisky (or whiskey) that you can buy for less than £50! If you’d like to know more about why we're doing this series, read our introduction post here. Today’s whisky is The Lakes Distillery “The One” Moscatel Cask Whisky.
The Lakes “The One” Moscatel Cask Whisky
This is the latest release in the excellent and often quirky cask-led range of blended whisky from The Lakes Distillery. "The One" Moscatel Cask is a blend of their own English single malt with some unnamed Speyside, Highlands and Islay whiskies. It's been finished in Spanish Moscatel casks, from the region of Andalucia.
Moscatel is made from Muscat grapes, which are often described as being the most "grape-y" tasting - in addition to notes of flowers, perfumed citrus, light fruit and often honey. All of these notes are present in the whisky, combining with the sweet vanilla notes from the American oak barrels. We recently featured two other whiskies from this series in our "Maltal Kombat" box - these both use the same base blend of whisky before very different cask finishes. If you were lucky enough to try those, be prepared: this whisky is an entirely different thing, thanks to the use of the Moscatel casks. Here's what we thought.
The Lakes "The One" Moscatel Cask Finished Whisky
Review
Colour:
Gold/Straw
Nose:
Soft, sweet and fresh; spring flowers, manuka honey and jasmine, with some lemon peel and a hint of lemon sherbets.
Palate:
A hint of white pepper and spice upfront, swiftly quenched by runny honey and sweet ripe fruit juice. Nectarines, lychees, and tropical fruit punch, plus vanilla and citrus.
Finish:
Right at the end, a hit of toasted oak, madagascan vanilla and caramel. Lingering sweetness on the finish as the spice notes fade.
Overall Thoughts:
Initially it’s easy to mistake this whisky for being overly sweet - the rich honey-like texture and sweet fruity flavour certainly lean that way. And even though we know there’s some Islay whisky in the blend, it’s very subtle indeed. But the wood notes are well integrated, adding just enough spice and backbone to the whisky to make it very drinkable and refreshing.
Flavour categories: Bright, Fresh Fruits; Sweets; Herbal & Floral
TryThe Lakes “The One” Moscatelif you like...
Sweet whiskies, particularly those that have been aged in sweet wine casks - think Glenmorangie Nectar D'or with a little more punch, or Arran Sauternes Cask.
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Want to read more reviews in the Whisky Under £50 series? Check out the previous review,Sonoma American Rye Whiskey.
