Onto the next stop on the 2025 Grand Tour (this is taking longer than I originally planned, I’m so sorry)! Today’s topic is one of England’s most well known whisky distilleries: The Lakes! I’ve tried their gin before as well as their vodka, and I was admittedly not impressed, especially for what is pitched as a “premium” brand; let’s see if their blended whisky is any better!
Bottled at 46.6% ABV, The One is The Lakes distillery’s blended whisky offering, being easily their most affordable bottling if you want to taste how they tackle the age-old grain spirit. The one we’re taking a look at today is their Sherry Cask variant, using a mix of Oloroso and PX casks, two I have quite a fondness for. Supposedly this bottle’s party piece is utilising Spanish oak to bring out more complex and intense flavours, as well as that beautiful colour, but we’ll see if this adds or subtracts from the experience when we taste it.
The aroma is… confusing. It starts really nicely, with notes of juicy fig, mild thyme and sweet cream, which while on odd combo is pleasant enough. Over time I find it becomes oddly astringent, which will, unfortunately, become a pattern. The front is bitter grapefruit and white olives, not terrible on its own, but there is this underlayer of what I can only describe as sweat to the taste which just ruins it.
The body is primarily Nduja, burnt sugar and heather. Easily the simplest section of the palate, and in my opinion is the best part. The finish has an earthy smoke to it, with some spicy bark to compliment it. Fantastic so far, so the addition of rotten coffee was certainly an odd one which, again, serves to make this a lot more unpalatable. I will say there is a nice tingle left on the tip of the tongue after drinking, but there’s nothing else of note sadly.
Diluted the dram’s flavour does indeed evolve, but only in certain ways that, in my eyes, don’t help solve the underlying issues. The aroma becomes more spicy with a lovely sweet edge, while the body becomes a lot earthier, with that smoke found only in the finish being more ever-present. Somehow though, that aforementioned astringent nature still hums throughout the whole experience.
If I were to recommend a way to drink this dram it would be with some mild water dilution. The smell is easily the best part of this whisky, but the taste is just far too sharp to be enjoyed neat in my eyes, which is odd since I usually enjoy intense drams.
Overall I have to say I’m disappointed. I had hoped The One would help make up for some of the past drams I had from The Lakes and prove why they are a premium English Whisky producer, but unfortunately all it did was continue to prove the pattern that this distillery’s output is, at least for now, not all it’s cracked up to be. I have only one last section of their portfolio to try, that being their single malt whisky, which will be happening soon. As of right now though, I shan’t be buying any of the products I’ve tried from them again. I can only hope they improve from now on.
This post’s recommended song is: “Empty Fortune” – Somethin’ Brewin’
