The ONE Pedro Ximenéz Cask Finish (40%, OB, 2017)

• Category: Blended British Whisky
• Origin: ?
• Bottling: The Lakes Distillery
• ABV: 40%
• Cost: £39.95

What they say:

The ONE Limited Edition Pedro Ximenéz Cask Finish

This is a very special expression of The ONE, and is a limited edition of only 5,252 bottles.

Ingredients
The finest aged whiskies from around the British Isles, sourced by our Master Distiller.

Process

Whiskies of outstanding character are expertly blended to create a unique combination of flavours that reflect the passion, diversity and craftsmanship inherent across our island nations.  These have then been married together before being put into Pedro Ximenez Sherry hogsheads, carefully crafted in Spain from European oak. These PX hogsheads have then been seasoned with sweet, dark sherry for a period of time, before being used to add a new layer of complexity to our unique whisky, The ONE.

Enjoy
Neat, or add a drop of water to release the subtle flavours and aromas of this outstanding whisky.

Tasting Notes: 

Dried fruits with hints of fresh ginger, toffee, nutmeg and gentle smoke. The palate is smooth and creamy with notes of vanilla, sun-dried raisins, nutmeg and wood smoke.

What I say:

Recently released by The Lakes Distillery is another Limited Edition Cask Finish variant of their popular blended British whisky The ONE which we reviewed here back in 2014. I remember being reasonably impressed with this blend as it incorporated whiskies sourced from all over the British Isles and flavours from each region could be discerned. For this expression they have taken this blend and matured it further in PX seasoned casks.

Appearance:

Dark copper gold with ruby highlights (11/20) medium-large tears, medium legs

Nose:

Musty and nutty, vanilla, smoked almonds, dried fruits; raisin, damson, berries, a little cream and a sprinkling of smoked sea salt complete a simple nose.

Taste:

Light biscuit/cereal grain, sweet honey, oaty flapjacks, nutty; almond, hazelnut, dried fruits, a hint of shellfish; scallop or oyster, smoked, sweet and briny, chewing tobacco or tobacco leaf, ozone and a faint hint of tyre smoke/sulphur/burnt rubber

Finish:

Medium, raspberry ripple ice-cream topped with smoked crushed almonds

Overall:

Slightly disappointing as I had hoped for a much heavier PX influence than I found. Reasonably balanced so that the base blend and PX casks have an equal say perhaps. I ended up feeling this was neither one nor the other. The PX casks have lent a veneer of nutty and dried fruit sweetness but nothing deeper.

Score: 83/100

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