Review by: Raygun
McCarthy’s is credited as the first American single malt, a category which has grown massively since McCarthy’s was first released in 1996. Lost Lantern is–as far as I know–the first independent bottler to focus entirely on American whiskey. And to add another first to those, we have here the oldest McCarthy’s release, the first to reach 10 years. As always with McCarthy’s, it’s made with heavily peated malt. Unlike most American malts, it was aged in refill wood, a fourth-fill Garryana oak cask. Initially sampled blind, with additions after the reveal in italics. Rested about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Clear Creek
Bottler: Lost Lantern
Region/style: American single malt whiskey
ABV: 59.3%. Cask strength.
Age: 10 years old. Released in 2025.
Cask type: Fourth-fill Garryana oak barrel #20, 250 bottles
Color: 1.5 auburn. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Smells pretty strong. I’m getting some malt behind the alcohol and possibly some peat as well. Clove, incense, and beeswax. Some dried fruit, but somehow doesn’t seem like a sherry cask. I’m surprised I’m not getting more obvious peat, but the malt is clear.
Palate: Still strong, and it’s got the clove and incense thing going on, but now comes across like a sherry cask. A pretty spicy one at that, like it’s European oak maybe. Some berries and chocolate. High 50s, maybe even 60%+. I’m leaning peaty, but not heavily so. Does well with water. It has the richness and chocolate of sherry casks, but the incense note is quite distinct.
Finish: Clove and incense once again. Coriander and cinnamon. Some prune and berries. Doesn’t seem quite as strong here. The unusual spice flavors are very evident. The peat is still mild to my taste, compared to other McCarthy’s especially. Quite long.
Guess: Malt, that much I’m pretty sure of. I’m trying to think of what is so spicy like this. A sherried Glentauchers was somewhat similar. Glenturret. Could be a lot of things, really. 12-15 years and high 50s ABV. It also could be an oddball American malt, and then it’s surely younger.
Post-reveal thoughts: Oddball American malt it is! No wonder I couldn’t decide if it was a sherry cask or not. I might have had a Westland Garryana, but it’s not a wood type I’m familiar with. It would have been a tough one to guess.
Conclusion: Not so strongly peated as the other McCarthy’s I’ve tried, which makes sense when it’s a good deal older. The oldest McCarthy’s release so far, in fact. And a very good one. Better than the rum cask in my opinion. I’d love to see more American malt aged longer in refill wood so it’s not so oaky. The heavy use of virgin oak doesn’t work so well with malt to my taste. The spice flavors are fun. My favorite American single malt so far.
Score: 86
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Stagg Jr batch 12)
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (new))
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Pikesville Rye)
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Wild Turkey 101)
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Maker’s Mark)
- 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Grandad 114)
- 0-49: Blech. (High West Yippee-ki-yay)
