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Please read and drink responsibly.
Classification: Straight Bourbon Finished in Nocino Cask
Company: Lost Lantern Spirits
Distillery: Sourced from Watershed Distillery
Release Date: April 2, 2025
Proof: 126.5
Age: 8 Years, 3 Months
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Color: Mahogany
MSRP: $90 / 750mL (2025)
Spiced molasses | Baking spices | Brown sugar | Cinnamon bundt cake | Coffee ice cream | Faint oak | Inviting
Oak | Baking spices | Molasses | Toasted walnut | Cinnamon syrup | Touch of caramel chew
Cinnamon spice | Touch of dry oak | Baking spices | Faint walnut | Dry yellow cake | Lingering mellow spice
With an aroma that is sure to bring a smile to your face, this extra-aged Nocino finished bourbon from Watershed Distillery is a great example of the unique whiskeys that Lost Lantern is seeking out for their releases.
Watershed Distillery has been creating a variety of American whiskeys since their founding in 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. One of their most intriguing whiskeys is their Nocino cask finished bourbon, which, for those unfamiliar, is a bourbon that is finished in a black walnut liqueur barrel. This finished whiskey has an even more interesting backstory, which I got to learn about during my time touring the distillery and talking with co-founder Greg Lehman.
Since its initial release in 2020, the brand has slowly increased the overall age of the bottled product, with the last batch we reviewed from 2022 coming in at 5 years old and their latest Batch 6 being 6 years old. What makes this release so interesting from Lost Lantern is both the age of the bourbon used and the amount of time it spent being finished in the Nocino barrel. Lost Lantern states that it was “aged for 3 years and 8 months in a new oak cask and then finished for 4 years and 7 months in a cask that previously held Watershed’s own nocino Ohio black walnut liqueur.” The resulting barrel produced 200 bottles in total.
This bourbon is a spice-filled flavor bomb from start to finish. A delectable nose reminds me of classic Christmas morning spices, thanks to cinnamon bundt cake, spiced molasses, and brown sugar. Baking spices and molasses carry into the palate and meet additional cinnamon syrup and caramel, which add sweetness but are balanced by oak and toasted walnut. The bourbon ends on lingering mellow spice preceded by a mix of spiced and dry notes. Thanks to a stellar aroma, impressive balance, and flavorful sip, this is quite possibly the best expression yet of Watershed’s Nocino-Finished Bourbon that will linger in the memories of those who get to try it.
