Steel Bonnets is a blend of malt whiskies from England and Scotland, with the single malt from The Lakes Distillery at its heart. The Scotch part of the contents remains anonymous.
Now The Lakes has been known for bringing out expensive, marketing-driven projects so let’s see what the quality is like.
Steel Bonnets
(46,6%, The Lakes Distillery 2018)
Nose: not a bad start. Malty notes, porridge, vague fruits (pear drops maybe) and a bit of a metallic edge. Some sawdust, mixed nuts and faint smoke. Plenty of vanilla cake too.
Mouth: sweet malty notes with a dollop of honey and a sharper side of white pepper and grapefruit bitterness. Nutmeg. Yeast. A raw, alcoholic undertone. Something phenolic but more plastics than peat. More disturbing than the nose.
Finish: short, harsh, lacking depth and flavour.
In 2019 you rarely find flaws in whisky, even among the most boring expressions. So you’d better avoid this one, especially given the fairly high price point, check Loch Fyne Whiskies or Master of Malt for instance.
Score: 68/100