Smoked barley | White peppercorn | Campfire smoke | Hay | Honeyed oats | Butterscotch hard candy | Noticeable tequila influence

Light butterscotch | Honey | White peppercorn spice | Agave syrup | Smoked oak | Slightly thick mouthfeel

Light oak | Smoked hay | Dash of spiced honey | Leather | Green peppercorn spice | Dry

Andalusia Whiskey Co. is located in Blanco, Texas, and takes its name from the Andalusia Ranches, which once stood on the land where the distillery is built. This Texas Hill Country-based distillery was formed by Tommy Erwin and Ty Phelps after they struck up a friendship while working at Real Ale Brewing Company. The company specializes in producing American single malts, and for this release, the whiskey consists of 100% malted barley, 10% of which was peated using Irish peat. Lost Lantern states that the whiskey “was aged for 2.5 years in a cask that previously held Andalusia’s wood-smoked Stryker single malt before finishing for another six months in an ex-Añejo tequila cask.” The result is a barrel that produced 150 bottles for this release.

The barrel choices used to create this American single malt had a clear influence on the resulting whiskey. Smoke and tequila influences are woven throughout the sip, starting with an aroma. Smoke and tequila scents are joined with hay, honeyed oats, and butterscotch hard candy, which creates an intriguing and inviting aroma. The palate carries over butterscotch and white peppercorn while layering in honey and agave syrup, which provides a sweet, pleasing midpoint. The finish pulls in dry, earthy flavors along with a dash of spiced honey to provide sweetness, though overall, it ends on the drier and shorter side.

Tequila cask finishing isn’t new in the world of whiskey, but you don’t see it often utilized for American single malts and remains one of the less common finishing barrels, which makes the 6 months this whiskey spent finishing in a tequila barrel so intriguing. We found the last Andalusia release from Lost Lantern in 2023 intriguing, and this current release follows in that same vein. The tequila and smoke influence combined with the Texas aging elements results in a finished American single malt that is extremely intriguing and produces a surprisingly complex sip for its young age. While the finish holds it back, there is little doubt why Lost Lantern selected this as part of their Spring 2025 Collection, as Andalusia Whiskey Co. is undoubtedly standing out in the growing American single malt space.