Dried apricot | Lemon meringue | Honey | Orange marmalade | White grape juice | Raisin | Plum | Toasted oak

Honey | Orange marmalade | Apricot | Peach | Lemon | Raisin | Plum | Malt | Sweet

Aged malt | Dry oak | Concentrated white grape | Slightly acidic | Lingering red wine taste

Based on Nantucket Island, Triple Eight Distillery is a pioneer in American single malts. Founded in 2000, they are one of the country’s oldest dedicated single malt whiskey programs. The distillery takes its name from its original water source, well #888, whose clean island aquifer helped inspire these artisanal distillers long before craft spirits became a national movement. What began as a project with the island’s Cisco Brewers and Nantucket Vineyard soon evolved into a working distillery with a grain-to-glass philosophy and island-driven inspiration. The company currently produces vodka, gin, and rum, and due to its early commitment to American single malts, it continually releases some of the oldest American single malts in the country. This release is part of Lost Lantern’s trio of the first Triple Eight single casks ever released.

Many bourbon producers have dabbled with Sauternes cask finishing, but far fewer American single malt producers have. Given Sauternes' light color and dessert-like sweetness, it is a perfect match. Triple Eight Distillery, though, went beyond just finishing their single malt in ex-Sauternes casks; they aged the entirety of the whiskey’s life in the ex-Sauternes casks. As you’d expect, the color is much darker than a typical single malt or even a Sauternes wine, for that matter. The real surprise is how much darker the color actually is. This is also reflected in the whiskey’s taste. The flavor is pushed much further than what you may be used to with a Sauternes finished bourbon, and that’s what makes this whiskey so interesting.

Despite its dark coloring, the single malt begins with light fruit scents of dried apricot, lemon meringue, and orange marmalade. However, like what you’ll find with the palate, this whiskey has another side, with rich notes of raisin and plum contrasting with the lighter fruits. The palate doesn’t stray far, with honey, marmalade, apricot, more lemon, and layers in peach, raisin, plum, and a heavy malt note. The age of the single malt is most noticeable in its finish, with notes of aged malt and aged oak. A hint of dryness is present, accompanied by some light acidity and a lingering wine aftertaste.

Triple Eight Distillery’s single malts often have an elegance to their sip, but thanks to the Sauternes barrel influence, the whiskey is much more direct with its flavors. The sip starts light, but by the time it concludes, the flavors have enveloped your mouth. It drinks less than its 121 proof, but that proof also helps breathe extra life into it. With so many American single malts zeroing in on a 90-100 proof range, the extra proof here makes this whiskey come alive. Although its price may be high, its uniqueness and flavor make it a worthwhile bottle to seek out.

Lost Lantern Triple Eight Sauternes Cask Aged Massachusetts Single Malt 11 Years Old is a 229 bottle release.