Whisky: Santa Fe Spirits 3 Year, Lost Lantern

Country/Region: United States/New Mexico

ABV: 50.3%

Cask: Refill American Oak

Age: 3 Years (Bottled 2020)

Nose: Citrus, vanilla, dried grass, honey, corn meal, margarine, tweed, underlying herbal and nutty character.

Palate: Medium-bodied with crisp citrus, big menthol, vanilla, camphor, hay, earth, mesquite wood, wispy smoke, and bubble gum.

Finish: Medium-length with subtle herbs, fruits, and earth.

Score: 6 (78)

Mental Image: Dessert Double Mint Doctoral Research

Narrative & Notes: The aroma inspired visions of a tweed-wearing professor chewing an old tobacco pipe and presenting their prized cornbread recipe— though occasional whiffs of chocolate and vanilla brought cookie dough to mind instead. Mesquite wood and straw drifted in with sweet honey, vanilla, and lemon zest. The herbal and nutty character of raw pecans, oregano, and marjoram carried on in the background. Medium-bodied, the flavors on the palate were crisp and inviting, with big lemons and vanilla fronting honey-whipped butter, mesquite wood, old newspaper, and a bushel of mint. Mint and menthol carried on with camphor and dried grass to hay bales, earth, and the wispy smoke from a distant fire pit. Mint continued throughout, meeting up with a hint of bubble gum and leaving me craving Double Mint gum. The finish was medium-length, with subtle herbs, fruits, and earth.

Wow, what a fun and unusual whisky. According to the fine folks at Lost Lantern, bottlers of an incredible assortment of interesting American Single Malts and other whiskies, Santa Fe Spirits smokes their single malt with Mesquite wood to give a Southwest twist on the more familiar practice of peat smoking barley at the end of the malting process. I reviewed an early release of their mesquite-smoked single malt in 2023 and found some similar notes, though everything was better defined and integrated on this single cask— clearly, their whisky is just getting better.

Overall, a fascinating and distinctive American Single Malt.

Image Credit: Lost Lantern Whisky