English spirits producer The Lakes Distillery has added a Moscatel wine cask-finished whisky to The One series.
The One Moscatel blended whisky was finished in hand-picked Moscatel wine casks from southern Spain.
Moscatel wine is made from grapes grown in the town of Chipiona in the Cádiz province of Andalucía. The grapes are sun-dried before being pressed (a process known as soleo), producing less water and changing the sugar levels, viscosity, flavour and aroma of the juice.
The One Moscatel was blended by Dhavall Gandhi, The Lakes Distillery whisky maker, using Scotch grain and malt whiskies from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay.
Gandhi said: “Using an identical recipe for each expression enables us to showcase the impact oak and cask seasoning has on the whisky’s flavour.
“The floral characteristics of Moscatel, in combination with American oak, have transformed the blend into a fresh and uplifting whisky, which is easy to drink on its own but versatile enough to enjoy in a refreshing Highball or cocktail.”
Tasting notes include jasmine and honeyed fruits on the nose, leading to citrus, vanilla and manuka honey on the palate.
Bottled at 46.6% ABV, The One Moscatel is non-chill-filtered and made without caramel colouring. It will be available online at lakesdistillery.com from 25 February, priced at £48 (US$67) a bottle.
Last year, The Lakes Distillery added two new whiskies to The One collection, the first finished in orange wine casks and the second in Sherry casks.
In September, the Cumbria-based producer released a single malt matured in Port casks as the first expression in its new Whiskymaker’s Editions range.
