53°
Distillery : The Lakes Distillery - England
Sherry and Bourbon Casks
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Malt
Bottled in 2024
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured
Totally Unpeated
The Lakes is a distillery located in the very north of England, in the heart of the Lake District National Park. It opened in 2011, but the first distillation did not take place until December 2014, and the first Single Malts went on sale in 2018. The Whiskymaker's Editions series is launched in 2019, and it is the 4th Batch in this series that is voted World's Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2022. This one was launched on International Women's Day, 8 March 2024, and was named after the great dancer Isadora Duncan. 900 bottles were produced, available only from the distillery. Nothing else has been revealed, so at this stage we can only speculate. The whisky can't be more than 9 years old, and it's probably less. I don't think it's Cask Strength, because at that age the natural alcohol content is higher. The casks used are being kept secret, but there are probably Sherry and Bourbon.
Let's Taste It :
Candied lemon and mellow meringue, delicate mineral touches, crunchy sweets, syrupy caramel, lychees in syrup, grapefruit zest, dates, figs and light wood. Chocolate fondant, some red fruit. On the palate, lots of cinnamon, ginger, baked apples and woody caramel, fir resin, Oolong tea, minty and peppery notes. Quite a long finish, not too strong, well measured, earthy, forest berries, damp bark, cola, coffee beans, vegetal moss, slightly fermented pineapple at the very end.
In Short,
It's an excellent whisky for its age, oscillating between velvety citrus fruit and the markers of a deep, well-made Sherry. I'm impressed by such mastery, it's a shame you can't find it outside the distillery, except on a very few websites, but in any case it seems to be sold out. The price was apparently a bit high, but frankly, it's a curiosity worth discovering.
Score : 89
To Be Listened While Sipping :
she's green - Graze
