Whisky: Lost Lantern Blended American Malt Edition No. 1

Country/Region: United States/Blend Malt

ABV: 52.3%

Cask: Various (see Lost Lantern info sheet)

Nose: Sweet cereals, dried berries, leather, stained oak, dried pressed florals, hints of smoke; acrylic paint, incense and tobacco with time.

Palate: Medium-bodied, dried berries, semi-sweet chocolate, honey, oat cakes, tobacco; herbal and earthy toward the end with vanilla, rose hip, dried ginger, turmeric, and kava.

Finish: Medium-length with hints of berries among herbs and chocolate.

Score: 5

Mental Image: Country Cabin Weekend

Narrative & Notes: The aroma opened like a bag of homemade trail mix— sweet grains and granola, chocolate candies, and dried berries. After hiking through dried brush and over sandstone, it was back to the cabin as notes of leather, stained oak, wispy smoke, and dried florals sweetened the air. With time tobacco and incense emerged and lent the impression of a relaxing evening on a porch hammock with friends or maybe painting vistas from the day with acrylics. Medium-bodied with a lovely oily weight on the center of the palate, the flavor profile was initially sweet with honey, dried berries, oak cakes, and semi-sweet chocolate. As the sugars faded, an herbal and earthy undercurrent rose to the top with a pouch of dried tobacco, pine needles, and hints of vanilla, rose hops, dried ginger, turmeric, and kava. The finish was medium-length with hints of berries between herbal-earthy notes and dark chocolate.

An American blended malt! Blended malts have returned to glory among enthusiasts with the excellent work Compass Box has put into the category in Scotland. This American blended malt combined twelve casks, two from each distillery: Balcones Distilling, Copperworks Distilling, Santa Fe Spirits, Triple Eight Distillery, Virginia Distillery, and Westward Whisky. Various casks were vatted together, from New American Oak, oloroso, refill bourbon, and re-toasted wine. On their website, the excellent folks at Lost Lantern provide a detailed breakdown of the casks, barley types, and ages of the whisky put into the blend.

As much as I wanted to love this, I found the profile a tad simple and a bit muddled. It was as if some of the malts stepped on each other. According to Lost Lantern, the blend was constructed over “a single marathon day,” and I could not help but wonder if there were too many cooks in the kitchen. Perhaps a bit more finesse could have balanced the blend to a greater extent. I have been involved in several crash course “sprint” projects, and while great ideas can come in the first day or two of work, there is often a lot more that needs to be done afterward to refine and organize thoughts and text.

Not every release has to be a home run— I love what Lost Lantern has done, and I will be in line for a second edition of the vatted malt when it happens! From conversations with friends, I think I am on the lower end of scores and reactions; as always, your mileage may vary.

Image Credit: Seelbach’s