The Whiskymaker's Reserve No. 5 is the fifth chapter in the flagship series that has come to define the Lakes Distillery's stylistic ambition under Dhavall Gandhi. Like the Reserves before it, this bottling is the product of the Elevage approach — the deliberate, winemaker-inspired marrying and re-racking of whisky across a curated selection of sherry and red wine casks until the composition feels complete.
At 52%, non-chill-filtered and natural colour, Reserve No. 5 pours a rich russet-mahogany. The nose leans into darker fruits than some earlier releases — black cherry, prune, and a toasted pecan warmth — with demerara sugar and a whiff of leather-bound book lending a library-quiet elegance.
The palate is the whisky's triumph. Sticky toffee pudding (a fitting nod for a Cumbrian distillery) unfurls alongside bitter orange, clove, and the deep nutty rumble of oloroso. There is real texture here, a viscous mouthfeel that coats and lingers, and the red wine casks contribute a subtle vinous brightness that keeps things balanced.
The finish is long and spiced, drifting away on dried figs, cocoa nib, and a balsamic edge. The Lakes Distillery has only been making spirit since 2014, but with each Reserve release the house vocabulary grows richer and more assured. Reserve No. 5 is unmistakably part of a family — yet it has its own particular darkness and gravity.
