Lark Classic Cask Strength

Nose: Dried apricots and figs, orange oil, vanilla, butterscotch, cinnamon. Palate: The arrival is big and assertive but not brash. It bursts with malt, preserved fruits and soft oak tannin. As it developed I got chocolate, butterscotch, vanilla, honey sweetness and some warming spice. Although the maturation is partly in ex-port barrels I did not detect a winey note, instead the casks appear to give extra sweetness and density to the palate. The texture is creamy and rich. Palate: Medium/Long. Sweet malt and preserved fruits soaked in honey. Like the Classic Cask there is a little smoke in the finish. The nose and palate of this whisky are very similar to those of Lark Classic Cask but everything is dialed up by several notches in this expression. The increased strength takes this whisky to a different level but not just because it is more intense, there is also an increase in depth and variety of aroma and flavor. That said, it is still a relatively straightforward whisky that does not display the sort of complexity you find in comparatively priced Scottish single malts. That is not to say it is inferior, but it is a different style of whisky. When Lark was still owned by Bill Lark they produced a cask-strength whisky that was simply called Lark Cask Strength. It was also 58% abv and this new version (created at the Pontville distillery by the new owners) is clearly similar and based on the earlier product … but it’s not quite the same thing. The old cask strength had a little more nuance and, in my opinion, a smokier palate. It is aged for 5-8 years in small 100 litre (26 gallon) casks which pushes the oak interaction, particularly from the ex-port casks. In character this single malt, like the lower proof Classic Cask, reminds me of soft Speyside single malts. This is a very enjoyable single malt and the only issues I have are the cost and those annoying 500ml bottles. 700ml of this would be worth AUD$360 and for that I can buy many Scottish single malts that I would prefer to drink. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)