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Lost Lantern Triple Eight 11-Year Single Malt Review

Can an American single malt aged in French wine casks rival Scotland's finest? This 11-year Triple Eight Sauternes cask might just change your mind about US whiskey.

OVERALL RATING

8
$180
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Independent bottler Lost Lantern has unveiled its Fall 2025 Collection, a range of American single and vatted malts designed to appeal to Scotch whisky drinkers. The seven-whiskey collection, named The Scotch Lovers’ Collection, will be available from November 12 and features bottlings from distilleries including McCarthy’s, Warfield, and Triple Eight.

The release follows the official recognition of American single malt as a whiskey category by the US federal government earlier this year.

Lost Lantern hand-selected this cask from Triple Eight Distillery on the island of Nantucket. The distillery’s traditional methods, long aging times, and the maritime climate of Nantucket make for exquisitely balanced whiskies that truly rank among the finest single malts in the world. Its flagship single malt, The Notch, is the longest-aged American single malt ever released and a beacon for what American single malt can be.

This release is part of a Lost Lantern trio of the first Triple Eight single casks ever released. This exceptional single malt was fully matured for 11 years in an ex-Sauternes cask. The nose bursts with notes of golden raisins, honey, and candied almonds. The warm, rich palate has hints of dried figs, honey-roasted peanuts, and chocolate sea salt caramels. The finish is bright, long, and warm.

This single malt is not only our first whiskey fully aged in Sauternes casks, it is the oldest whiskey we have ever released.

Proof: 120.9
Age: 11 years
Quantity produced: 229 bottles
Format: 750mL
Details: Cask strength; Non-chill filtered; no color added
Mashbill — 100% Maris Otter Malt from East Anglia, U.K.
Maturation Barrel Info — French oak ex-Sauternes
Appearance:
Dark Sherry with medium slow legs.
Nose:
Sweet wine envelopes the senses before exposing green apples, oak, caramel sugars, and softer ripe fruits like pear or plum. Overall it is a complex tapestry of flavors which grow as the whiskey sits or is swirled in the glass. There are just hints at vanilla and orange citrus.
Palate:
Sweet wine and roasted pecans give way to stronger molasses sugars. There is a mousse like profile integrating some cigar smoke. There is a bready almost sourdough like profile about the mid palate with salt water and something reminiscent of new rubber. Overall the profile is smooth and extremely approachable.
Finish:
The mouthfeel is dry and almost oily, there is a solid medium length finish of cocoa nibs and refired oak.
Comments:
I thought this is a very nice us of finishing cask, it really helped bolster the already complex profile without overwhelming the aging whiskey. The flavors are fun and the Sauternes profile works well here. Felt more of a bourbon influence which is fine by me, as I tend to enjoy sweeter whiskies. Easy to get past the high alcohol content without being overwhelmed, ultimately very approachable and versatile if you add just a touch of water to help cool things down.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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