Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Reserve No 6

Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Reserve No 6

Official bottling 
Single malt - Cumbria
Dark amber 
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, dates, raisins, cinder toffee, strawberry jam, cloves, orange juice. With water, orange peel, dates, golden syrup, fried eggs. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, tingly, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange peel, orange juice, black tea, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla sponge, vanilla custard, hints of fried eggs. With water, orange peel, raisins, golden syrup, fried eggs. 
Finish: Long. Vanilla custard, black tea, orange peel, cloves, dates. 

Comments: 

Sweetly sherried stuff, a bit more fried egg character, a bit more vanilla, than previous releases. But it’s quite straightforward, you always know what you get with these Lakes WhiskyMaker’s releases.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Reserve No 5

Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Reserve No 5

Official bottling
Single malt - Cumbria
Amber red
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, raisins, strawberry jam, cloves, marshmallows, honey, hints of black tea. With water, honey, black tea, strawberry jam, sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Strawberry jam, fresh baked bread, black tea, malted grains, honey, black pepper. With water, honey, raisins, black tea, strawberry jam. 
Finish: Medium. Malted grains, fresh baked bread, black tea, hints of apricot jam. 

Comments: 

Classic sherried Lakes whisky, lots of jammy notes with a heap of black pepper. It’s spicy yet sweet. Well constructed and delicious.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Edition Infinity

Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Editions Infinity

Official bottling 
Single malt - Cumbria
Amber red
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, strawberry jam, liquorice, orange peel, molasses, black tea, watermelons. With water, orange peel, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, astringent, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, raisins, strawberry jam, liquorice, malted grains, molasses, cinnamon. With water, malted grains, raisins, strawberry jam, cinnamon. 
Finish: Short. Black tea, watermelons, molasses, liquorice. 

Comments: 

Sweet and liquoricey, quite a bit of fruit. Well constructed stuff from Lakes, but I think the cask finishes are all playing from the same set of notes, if you get my meaning. Would love to try a 20 year old bourbon aged Lakes whisky, hopefully only another 12 or so years to go!

Verdict:

I like this.

Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Reserve No 4

Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Reserve No 4

Official bottling 
Single malt - Cumbria
Amber
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, cloves, cinnamon, orange peel, raisins, black tea. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, astringent, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Fresh baked bread, butter, cloves, orange peel, black tea, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, red grapes, butter, cloves. 

Comments: 

Well-sherried whisky from the Lakes distillery. It’s a little bit more cereally than previous editions, and I think the distillate really marries well with the sherried sweet notes. Highly enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Editions Liberty

Lakes WhiskyMaker’s Editions Liberty

Official bottling 
Single malt - Cumbria
Pale gold
56% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dark chocolate, orange peel, lemon zest, cola nuts, fresh baked bread, hints of bay leaf. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, airy, expands.  
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, bay leaf, lemon zest, fresh baked bread, black tea, black pepper, hints of dark chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, dark chocolate, fresh baked bread, hints of black pepper, hints of green pepper. 

Comments: 

Sweet and herbaceous, with a citrus undertone. It wasn’t perfect tasting conditions when I had this, but I did manage to have it at the Lakes distillery. A beautiful place that is well worth a visit. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Lakes Whisky Maker’s Edition Colheita

Lakes Whisky Maker’s Edition Colheita

Official bottling 
Single malt - Cumbria
Amber rose
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, strawberries, red grapes, grape soda, cocoa nibs, hints of fresh baked bread.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, mouth coating, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Strawberries, shortbread, cocoa nibs, vanilla sponge, sea salt, toast, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Medium. Damson jam, strawberries, toast, hints of marmalade.  

Comments: 

No water for this, there’s plenty of delicious sweet fruit here. And the Colheita finish adds strawberries and cocoa. I really enjoyed this, a masterful finish from a great whisky maker. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

 

Lakes Whisky Maker’s Reserve No 3

Lakes Whisky Maker’s Reserve No 3

Official bottling
Single malt - Cumbria
Amber
54% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, cucumber, raisins, sultanas, black tea, shortcrust pastry. With water, raisins, cucumber, marmalade, hints of sulphur.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Fresh baked bread, shortcrust pastry, sultanas, damson jam, orange peel. With water, chocolate, damson jam, marmalade, fresh baked bread.  
Finish: Short. Black tea, marmalade, vanilla sponge, raisins.  

Comments: 

Clearly a sibling of the No 2, lots of the same marmalade, pastry and damson jam notes. But this one is more vegetal, and so a little more refreshing. There’s also a bit of tannins on the finish, and it’s more subtle at the lower ABV than the No 2. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Lakes Whisky Maker’s Reserve No 2

Lakes Whisky Maker’s Reserve No 2

Official bottling
Single malt - Cumbria 
Copper brown
60.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butter, croissants, shortcrust pastry, vanilla, sea salt, blackberry jam, marmalade, hints of mint. With water, marmalade, red grapes, vanilla, fresh baked bread.  
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, tingly, astringent.  
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Blackberries, blackcurrant cordial, red grapes, damson jam, croissants. With water, marmalade, raisins, red grapes. 
Finish: Short. Blackcurrant cordial, damson jam, marmalade, hints of mint. 

Comments: 

Like eating a croissant stuffed with a mince pie. It’s a masterpiece of sherry aging and finishing, heaps of fruit, especially Ribena with mint on top. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Lakes Cask Sample 2

Lakes Cask Sample 2 (possibly Lakes Quatrefoil Hope)

Official bottling
Single malt - Cumbria
Dark gold 
59% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pear drops, damson jam. With water, marmalade, grape soda, cloves. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, astringent, expands slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Pear drops, damson jam, nutmeg, grape soda, cinnamon, fresh baked bread, cocoa nibs, hints of roast chicken. With water, grape soda, sea salt, marmalade, roast chicken.
Finish: Medium. Damson jam, nutmeg, cocoa nibs, raisins, hints of roast chicken. 

Comments: 

Another unknown sample, which I think might just possibly be the Quatrefoil Hope. This has a deeper, more savoury flavour than its sibling, same sherry monster fruit notes, but with sea salt and a meatiness thrown in. Good with a touch of water (and I don’t say that about many whiskies). 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Lakes Cask Sample 1

Lakes Cask Sample 1 (possibly Lakes Quatrefoil Collection Faith)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Cumbria
Amber
56.5% ABV?
Dram

Nose: Cinnamon, leather, vanilla ice cream, raisins, dried apricots, marmalade. With water, orange peel, brown sugar, pears.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, drying, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cinnamon, leather, Scottish tablet, shortbread, raisins, vanilla sponge, marmalade, hints of white chocolate. With water, slightly bitter, pears, black tea, hints of cucumber. 
Finish: Long. Shortbread, raisins, crumpets, butter, vanilla sponge. 

Comments: 

I wasn’t told what this was, but in terms of the official bottlings that the Lakes distillery has released, the cask aging and ABV seems closest to the Quatrefoil Faith. Anyway, it’s masterful sherry aging, lots of delicious fruit notes, but also more than a hint of cereal. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot.