The Lakes Mosaic
Whiskymaker’s Editions 2022 Release | 46.6% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
From the school of Macallan comes a wonderful whisky from the land of Old Blighty, and by Jove, it works!
In the beginning, there was Scotch. And Scotch ruled the world.
In the country where it’s made, it doesn’t exist. There, it is simply whisky.
However the word ‘Scotch’ has somehow become synonymous with whisky, probably very much annoying the Irish, among others, in the process. But that was basically just how it played out. If you ordered Scotch anywhere in the world, the bartender would simply reach for their bottle of whisky, even if that meant Jameson, Bushmills or whatever else they had behind the bar.
Yes, the Americans had bourbon, and if you wanted a rye whisky, you’d probably get something Canadian, but for ages it would be a fairly simple equation: Whisky = Scotch = whisky.
Despite the best efforts from the Irish (something down the lines of, “Let’s add in an extra ‘e’ so people will know we’re not the same as them” – I would have loved to be at that meeting), throughout the the 20th century, there was no one out there who could challenge the Scottish whisky throne.
And, truth be told, if you were to try some of the earliest endeavours in world whisky you’d have to be a very good liar to give it anything more than a half-sincere nod of approval. At best, it would taste marginally better than a supermarket vodka or gin, at worst, it would likely convince you to join the local temperance movement.
An ‘A’ for effort and a hard-scraped ‘D’ for quality seems to sum up the story for some world whisky at the turn of the 21st century. While it might be difficult to pinpoint exactly where and how things started to change, they changed indeed. Very much so. And for the better.
It was around the same time that Japanese whisky started to take the whisky stage by storm, perhaps inspiring others to go the extra mile and give the Scots a run for their money. It’s hard to say for sure, but there must have been something in the global tap water in the early years of the 21st century. Shy and crafty at first, but soon with increasing conviction and self-esteem about their quality, endeavouring spirits everywhere were upping their game. And to show that they meant business, they brought in people with decades of experience in the world of Scotch whisky. Enablers such as Jim Swan – to name the obvious example - have been of vital importance for the widespread success of whisky outside of Scotland.
While the Irish have perhaps been the most visible in rebuilding their whiskey heritage over the last couple of decades, all of a sudden, and seemingly out of nowhere, countries with no whisky heritage or tradition started knocking on the doors of the great hall of single malt. Politely at first, but increasingly louder and restive, impudently disturbing the slumbering Scottish king in his complacent nap are India, France, USA, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Taiwan, Germany, Scandinavia, Belgium, among many others. However, leading the pack in this posse of impertinence, it seems, is England.
It started with St George’s Distillery in 2006. As a family-run business they brought back whisky making to England for the first time in over 100 years. These days, English whisky is thriving with 40 active distilleries and the English whisky industry has gone from baby steps to seven-league boots.
Illustrative of their current success, many have already made a name for themselves within whisky’s wider community. These include Cotswolds, Bimber, Spirit of Yorkshire, White Peak, The English (St-George’s) and The Lakes have become flag bearers and, intentionally or not, ambassadors for English whisky.
“A £4.25m investment from Comhar Capital made it possible to install another eight washbacks in November 2020 thereby trebling the production capacity to more than one million bottles per year. The inaugural bottling, The Lakes Malt Genesis, was released on 29th June 2018. A widely available core expression has yet to emerge.”
Review
The Lakes Whiskymaker’s Editions Mosaic 2022, 46.6% ABV
£80 - generally available in the UK/Europe, 2,500 bottles. Non-chill filtered and natural colour
The Lakes Distillery is located in the stunningly beautiful Lakes National Park in North west England. With its hills, forests and lakes it may arguably be the most ‘Scottish’ of the English distilleries, at least in terms of aesthetics. But the connections don’t end with the landscape. In fact, the tale of The Lakes Distillery is a story of going full circle. It was Englishman Paul Currie who saw the potential in a derelict dairy farm and turned it into the blossoming distillery it is today. Paul had already earned his stripes when he co-founded the Lochranza Distillery on Arran in the mid 90’s, alongside his father. Harold Currie had, in turn, enjoyed a lifelong career as a successful master distiller and managing director for both Seagram’s and Chivas Brothers, before passing away in 2016 at the age of 91.
Established in 2011, The Lakes started making gin and vodka, but in 2014 whisky production followed. Two years later, they recruited a new master blender in Dhavall Gandhi, who had recently started his career at Macallan. Visiting The Lakes’ website, prepare to be immersed in stories, pictures and state of the art video clips that are reminiscent of what you’d expect from a brand such as Macallan. It’s not difficult to imagine from where The Lakes may have taken their inspiration.
So, it can talk the talk, but can this sherry forward whisky walk the walk?
Nose
Lush! Almonds going into soft marzipan, red apples, tarte tatin, sweet oranges and marmalade. More fruit from strawberries. Full-on vanilla sticks/oil adding depth rather than sweetness and underneath there’s a very subtle wood note, bringing in a very gentle oaky bitterness to balance things out. Absolutely wonderful.
Palate
Fruity and full with apples and oranges and a soft salinity and hints of wood. Raisins, milk chocolate and soft ginger adds some spice to the taste. All of this comes with a velvety, full and slightly sticky mouthfeel without every becoming overwhelmingly oily or syrupy, before going into a mellow and warm, drying finish on soft wood and gentle spices and pepper.
The Dregs
This ticks all the boxes of sherry cask maturation done right, but don’t expect a sherry bomb. This is rich yet elegant. It’s pleasant, balanced and incredibly moreish.
The branding might be a bit posh, but the quality of the whisky is there to match that presentation. I think you can tell where Gandhi got his education; their philosophy, branding & marketing, production methods and ethos - all the way down to establishing a signature flavour and house style – focusing on sherry-cask matured whisky for which they rely on tailor-made sherry casks.
Despite Gandhi stepping down as an employee earlier this year to found the Dhavall Gandhi Whisky company, his influence is still very much present, as The Lakes Distillery is one of his first clients. So a goodbye that is not really a goodbye, then, and that is likely not a bad thing, as changing style overnight is not something that comes easy in a business where patience and time are key.
While some of the stories and branding are verging on being a bit blasé or even cringy, and as much as I love the artwork and the presentation of this release, the link with the Silk Road trade route that inspired it is, while perhaps not ridiculous, at least a bit far fetched. However, as long as The Lakes manage to release good quality, available and affordable (which isn’t the same as cheap) whiskies, I am very happy to give them the benefit of the doubt.
This is very good stuff, even verging towards excellent.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. EA
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