Whisky: McCarthy's 3 Year, Lost Lantern 2022 Release

Country/Region: United States/Oregon

ABV: 57.1%

Cask: 2nd Fill Oregon Oak

Age: 3 Years (Bottled 2022)

Nose: Soft charcoal, menthol, tobacco, fruity Otter Pops, linoleum, mineral water, graham cracker crust, malty, a kiss of salt.

Palate: Medium-bodied, tobacco, mesquite charcoal, sandstone, dusty red dirt, menthol, catnip, dried grass, lime and calamansi at the end.

Finish: Long with old bonfire, dried grass, and underlying minerality.

Score: 7+

Mental Image: Running Wild in the Ozarks

Narrative & Notes: The aroma opened up a hole in time; suddenly, I was a child back at the lake— traipsing through the forest with charcoal face paint, sifting through old campfires, eating sugary fruity frozen Otter Pops from the bottom of an ice chest, and catching whiffs of menthol cigarettes and tobacco. After running wild at the lake, it was time for summer fruit pies as hints of strawberry and rhubarb met with a graham cracker crust and a kiss of salt. I found another bounty of nostalgia in the glass as the medium-bodied malt carried waves of tobacco, menthol, and mesquite charcoal. Camping at the lake or hiking on the prairie— we cut across dried grass and scrambled on sandstone and limestone while red dirt caked on boots, shorts, socks, and shirts. Fruitier notions only appeared toward the end as a tart lime and calamansi cut through a slightly acrid charcoal smoke. The finish was long and lingering with a tantalizing minerality, old bonfire, and dried grass.

Superb! Lost Lantern is yet to disappoint. This release, a single cask of McCarthy’s from Clear Creek Distillery in Oregon, checked all the right boxes. The Oregon Oak’s influence ran throughout and perfectly complimented the Scottish peated malt. I love any dram that drives straight to nostalgia town, and this one knew a shortcut to get there. The herbal-earthy profile was well-structured, and each sip was a new adventure. It was a tad acrid at the end, and I do wish more of the fruit appeared throughout the palate, but those are quibbles on what was otherwise a superb malt.

Image Credit: Lost Lantern