The first British Isle Blend

I had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Currie, MD of The Lakes Distillery (if you missed it, click here).  This is a distillery with some big plans and definitely a name to watch.  Stewart and I reviewed The One and these are our thoughts.

They say:

The ONE is a unique blend of exceptional whiskies from the British Isles, each with its own distinctive characteristics, resulting in a whisky of intriguing complexity.

There are now distilleries producing whisky across the British Isles, and this has led us to create an entirely new concept in blended whiskies – a British Isles Blend. To create ‘The ONE’, we have searched far and wide to bring together a range of very special whiskies from the British Isles. These have been blended with great care and passion to create a perfectly balanced whisky.  You can buy it from a number of retailers including The Whisky Exchange for £29.95 here.

We Say:

Kirsty (@kirstyclarke29)

Nose:

Young and sweet, slightly overripe green apples (think new make), then imagine a lovely layer of hot sticky caramel, seeping over a buttery biscuit base, with fresh vanilla seeds.  There’s a hint of ginger and cloves, and a blend of walnuts, pecans and toasted pine nuts.  There’s a malted cereal note, somewhere between tea dunked digestives, and a bedtime Horlicks in winter.  Gentle pears cooked on a griddle pan and drizzled in honey with a hint of rosewater and purple grape.

Palate:

Lemon pith, the sweetness of the vanilla is still there, but it has changed to fructose with an undercurrent of baking soda and pink grapefruit.  The spices are far more subtle, gentle cloves and cinnamon with a touch of black pepper.  The walnuts are still there, and there are herbal notes, fresh pine and a touch of cedar.

Finish:

Drying with the dank oakiness of the cask and fresh nuttiness.  Citrus sweet notes linger on the palate, before the tannins take over.

Overall thoughts:

This would really benefit from coming up on the ABV, and you certainly would not want to add any water to this, there’s almost a quality that someone has already added water in for you.  It’s a light dram and perfect for summer or for introducing someone to whisky for the first time.  I would imagine it would pair well with most things.  Unassuming and almost effervescent, the honey takes on manuka qualities and as it opens up in the glass, there is more to be found on the palate.  Personally I’d like to see the price slightly lower and a higher ABV, but overall a good solid, unique blend, and a good start to any whisky journey.

I’m really looking forward to the single malt releases, if the quality of the blend is anything to go by!

Stewart (@stewartcraigon)

Nose:

White wine spritzer, lemon drops, cream soda, basmati rice and a slight touch of wet oak.

Palate:

Lemon juice, fresh orange marmalade on hot toast with a sprinkle of honey.  Fresh sea air on an autumn day with soft dry leaves underfoot.

Finish:

Citrusy, smooth quite refreshing and very easy drinking.

Overall thoughts:

A good edition to the current blended whisky available in the country, and a far higher class than your usual supermarket blends.  Perfectly balanced and an enjoyable dram, would love to see it £5 cheaper.