Orange Wine Finished whisky by The Lakes

New whisky launched by The Lakes Distillery

The Lakes Distillery has launched two new whiskies as part of their “The One” collection. The first is an orange wine cask finished whisky (yes, you read that right, orange wine cask finish!) and the second is a sherry cask finished whisky. 

The One is Lakes Distillery's entry level collection; find out more about Lakes whisky collections here. These whiskies are blends. At their core, they have single malt distilled at The Lakes, to which select Scotch grain and malt whiskies from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay have been added. This collection is the work of Dhavall Gandhi, and with each release he seeks to showcase the different flavours that can be derived from careful combinations of liquid and cask maturation.

The whole range is non-chill filtered and bottled at the natural colour, and these two releases have been bottled at 46.6% ABV.

THE ONE ORANGE WINE CASK FINISHED WHISKY

Rather than opting for traditional orange drinking wine casks, The One whisky has been finished in first-fill American oak casks, seasoned with exceptionally rare ‘Vino de Naranja’.

Made solely in Huelva, Andalusia, on the southern coast of Spain, this is an aromatised wine produced in small quantities, usually for personal consumption. Seville orange peel is macerated into a grape-based spirit and gently aged in oak casks, creating a very elegant ‘Naranja Wine’ with texture, flavour, and nuances of orange peel.

Limited to only 2,994 bottles, the resulting whisky has notes of fresh lychee, marmalade and hints of tobacco on the nose, with flavours of gentle peat, tropical fruits and candied orange peel leading to a clean and smooth finish.

THE ONE SHERRY CASK FINISHED WHISKY

The One Sherry has been finished in PX and Oloroso casks and is heavily influenced by Spanish oak characters. It enjoys a deep, rich and more intense flavour.

With 4,512 bottles in the UK, the nose has notes of Medjool dates, sun-dried raisins, sultanas and polished wood leading to Macadamia nuts, dark chocolate and gentle smoke on the palate, with a long, warming and rich finish.

Whisky making at the Lakes Distillery

Dhavall said: “To appreciate the art of whisky making you must first understand that flavour is created throughout the whisky making process. For The Lakes Whisky, it is the art of blending and the interaction between the spirit, air and oak which creates the layers of complexity and character.

“The oak type and the liquid used to season that oak add their personalities as they integrate with the whisky. Working in combination they produce a myriad of flavour combinations, which is precisely what The One collection seeks to reveal.”

Earlier releases in The One collection include The One Port Cask Finished Whisky, finished in first-fill Tawny Port Casks from Portugal, and The One Fine Blend, which blends complementary and contrasting flavours from an array of The Lakes’ bespoke oak casks to create a whisky with depth, roundness and harmony.

You can find both The One Orange Wine Cask Finished Whisky and The One Sherry Cask Finished Whisky on TopWhiskies, and you can find out more about The Lakes Distillery here.