Do you know that feeling when you really want to like something but you simply can’t for some reason? I have it with some music that I am supposed to like. With some foods too, like olives, clams, oysters and so on.
Anyway, when the new Lost Spirits Distillery popped up a couple of years ago, in Monterey, where I had just been on holiday I had this too. They are distilling in wooden stills too, which is just so quaint that I immediatly felt sympathy for these people. Just like when a new Dutch distillery pops up. I like the fact that they’re doing it, even without tasting their product.
And then the product hits. I had this with Brouwerij De Molen and their Dutchsky, Us Heit with their Frysk Hynder, and now with Lost Spirits.
Sniff:
It’s very spirity. It’s young and completely unrefined. There’s sulphur in the boiled vegetables variety. Also a lot of peat without being overly smoky. Old moss, smoked cheese too.
Sip:
On the palate it’s a bit more crisp with apples, some acetone and again, the vegetables. Some peat again, but not as much as you’d expect from something called Leviathan.
Swallow:
Smokes cheese, the water you pour off vegetables after boiling them, peat. It lingers too.
While it’s most definetly not the worst whiskey of the year, it’s pretty close. The worst one would be that French horror from a short while ago. Anyway, I very much don’t like this. People stopped distilling in wooden vats, and I guess for a reason. Also, it might get better with a lot more age, but then you’d be tasting cask. Although, I’m not sure the wine casks helped it in this case. Maybe fresh white oak is better?
Lost Spirits Leviathan II, 53%, Semillion cask matured. Available at Master of Malt at £ 72.62
Nice colour on the bottle in your photo – what fascinated me most when I tried it in a Whiskyfair was that none of the bottles, that were supposed to contain the same spirit, was the same colour. It went from palest Caol Ila to a golden brown sugarcoloured blended!!!!! Will try my sample soon!
Pingback: FEW Bourbon, Cask Strength, 61.5% | Malt Fascination
Pingback: Balcones Single Malt, 53% | Malt Fascination
I agree with the assessment here. I have Leviathan III. It’s nasty. I had one glass and now I can barely stand to uncork the bottle—the whiff is immediately repulsive.
I currently have it poured off into a big open decanter in hopes that the nastiness will “blow off” to the point where I can blend it away with some cheap peaty stuff and maybe some cheap sweet stuff.
I even tried mixing it with cola and still couldn’t stomach it. Not sure what they did, but it’s just wrong.
Pingback: Two FEW bourbons. The regular and a single cask. | Malt Fascination
Pingback: Mezcal Festival Day 4: Minero, Del Maguey, 49% | Malt Fascination