The Whiskymaker’s Editions are exceptional diversions from our sherry-led house style; one-off releases showcasing the sense of adventure of our whiskymaker – Dhavall Gandhi – in cask selection, maturation and blending. Each Edition is an expression of creative freedom; the product of a playground where instinct, experience and inspiration roam free, coming together to realise our intrinsic objective – the creation of outstanding flavours.
Colheita (Col-yate-a) means “harvest”, referring to the exclusive use of grapes from a single crop to create a vintage Tawny Port. In this Edition, the whiskymaker’s cask and maturation expertise brings Colheita Port into the frame, in combination with a small proportion of bourbon barrels.
The Lakes Distillery
Appearance
Orange/gold n colour, with a medium thick swirl line on my Copita glass, that drop thick legs that eventually turn into an all over film.
Nose
First thing is that it noses quite a bit higher than the stated ABV, it really does flood the nostrils and nosed with an open mouth I can taste it on the back of my palate.
It’s coming across as quite spicy, with blood orange marmalade, lots of red berries, red apple skins, and cranberries, even after I’ve been nosing this for 5 minutes the ABV strength just hasn’t dropped, it’s still so full on and in your face.
More time and I’m getting a mixture of tizer and irn bru, a pack of skittle sweets, a slight floral note comes through also, it’s rather sweet and confectionery mainly, though aromatic wood does eventually make an appearance.
Palate
The palate is reasonably thick, certainly not watery, and those spices from the nose surge forward, and it’s definitely more stewed dark fruits territory now. Cloves, figs, dates and chocolate coated raisins, then feisty cinnamon, vanilla, and black pepper.
More time brings strawberry lace sweets, and liquorice torpedo sweets too, bourbon like cherry notes and espresso coffee, and it’s still spicy!
Finish
It’s a long finish and it just continues to remain spicy, plums and red currants now, perhaps some cask char or tannins right at the end.
My thoughts
This is an older Whisky Makers bottling, and due to the fact that i enjoy whisky from the lakes distillery, and that iv’e only recently come to sampling it, i thought i’d do notes and thoughts for it.
Iv’e been lucky enough to taste a few of the Whisky Makers bottlings from the Lakes distillery, and i have to say iv’e enjoyed them all, and this is no different. Dhavall Gandhi is a seasoned professional when it comes to wood and casks, and how they will react to their Lakes distillery spirit.
This particular bottling is another spice driven offering, which i personally think they do so well. Even though the spices last right through the experience, it’s aromas and flavours are quite different from the other spicy offerings they’ve released, and it’s another from them i have enjoyed very much and would have but didn’t buy for my whisky cupboard at the time it was released.
A big thank you to my whisky friend Damian – @newdramrising who sent this to me as part of an English whisky blind zoom tasting that i couldn’t attend, please do give Damian a follow on Twitter using the button below, as well as following us, thank you.
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