Prominent Tequila notes | Molasses | Honey | Vanilla | Light powdered sugar | Complex & layered

Honey | Vanilla | Tequila | Chili spice | Dry leather | Slightly earthy | Spiced malt | White peppercorn |Salted caramel | Layers of light spice

Touch of honey | Baker’s chocolate | Chili spice | Dry oak | White grape skin | Lingering complexity

Lost Lantern is a non-distiller producer (NDP) that sources their whiskey from various distilleries from around the country. Part of the company’s Summer 2022 Collection, Single Cask #11 is the companion cask to their 2020 Single Cask #8: Balcones Distilling Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a cask that we found to be particularly good. For this year's version Lost Lantern went down the untraditional route, choosing a single malt that spent 5 years in a used tequila cask that previously held Balcones Rumble. Rumble in and of itself is unique, being created from fermented Texas wildflower honey, Mission figs, and turbinado sugar. It is twice distilled in traditional copper pots before aging in oak casks.  

The whiskey opens with a complex nose that surprisingly doesn't convey the high proof nature of the sip. Instead prominent notes of tequila are present, and digging deeper you find the Rumble cask influence with sweet notes that mingle really nicely together. The palate and finish carry over the complexity theme, delivering flavor notes that continue to reveal themselves the longer you sit with this whiskey. The original malt that was entered into the barrel does a fantastic job of pulling out the tequila and Rumble cask influence. It's a surprising result considering how sideways this experiment could have turned out.

Lost Lantern 2022 Single Cask #11 won't be for everyone. It's slightly weird and wonky and unlike any other American whiskey you've probably tasted before. However that's also what makes this so amazing. In a sea of sameness where the same barrel finishes pop up over and over, Balcones produced something so out of left field that it's refreshing and truly fun to drink. If you're looking for something different and ready to challenge your palate, this is a whiskey you'll want to experience.

The cask chosen for this release produced a total of 126 bottles.