Creating a new whisky necessitates a framework being in place, but there has to be room within it to play, to follow gut feeling and instinct.
Fuelled more by a desire to make sense of things than the need to follow a well-trodden path, our whiskymaker Dhavall Gandhi began his career as far away from casks, flavour and creation as you can imagine.
The third expression in The Lakes Distillery’s Whiskymaker’s Reserve series has been unveiled as a new and aromatic single malt whisky, matured in the finest, meticulously sourced PX, Oloroso, Cream Sherry, and red wine casks.
Exploring the influence of location on whisky maturation, our very own guided online tasting brings Dhavall Gandhi together in conversation with master blenders from around the globe.
An appreciation of the importance of location and the need for creativity are the foundations on which any whisky sits but the real question for a blossoming distillery is, what kind of whisky will you make?
Last week Dhavall tasted and judged almost 600 whiskys to discover the IWSC’s ‘Best Whisky in 2019’. With master-blenders coming together from The Lakes, Johnnie Walker, Dalmore, Kavalan, and more, it got us wondering whether whiskymakers are born or made?