Lost Lantern American Vatted Malt No. 1 Review

Corrected November 24, 2020

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B-

In one respect, 2020 is the year I’ve been waiting for, because it was the year that the American craft whiskey sector was finally deep enough to allow for the return of the whiskey negociant. The Scotch whisky industry emerged from the trying times of the first half of the 20th Century intact, and as such its small, independent companies of blenders and bottlers continued into the modern era. In the US, these entities enjoyed a poor reputation to begin with (look up the term “whiskey rectifier” and you’ll see what I mean), and Prohibition wiped them out.

That began to change with the first Four Kings release six years ago, but Four Kings wasn’t really an independently bottled and blended product. Although it drew on four distilleries, each with their own identity, Four Kings was a joint collaborative project rather than an independently sourced and blended product. Moreover, each distillery contributed an equal share, so blending as a skill or art had no part in it. The first proper example of the negociant‘s work in modern America was Barrell American Vatted Malt Batch 001, released last year.

This year saw two more companies join this nascent category, with Lost Lantern making the third entry in it’s American Vatted Malt No. 1. Drawing on six distilleries ranging coast to coast — Balcones, Copperworks, Santa Fe Spirits, Triple Eight, Westward and Virginia Distilling — and concocted by a former Whisky Advocate writer and a former sales manager at Astor Wine & Spirits, it’s another flagstone laid along the path in bringing this country’s whiskey industry back to where it would have been had we never suffered Prohibition.

The Whiskey
The production run for this vatted malt came to some 3,000 bottles at 105 proof. Knowing five of the six distilleries as I do, I also know at least some of the malt was aged in used barrels rather than new oak, so it was a surprise to see the whiskey come out with a clear light amber coloring, instead of a more golden look.

I found the nose carried Demerara sugar, green applies and fresh cut, green hay. The liquid was light, but creamy on the tongue, and tasted of malty honey, caramel and modest notes of oak and peach. The finish was a subtle one, and fully developed on me only after my shot pour was almost gone, but came out as light touches of oak, dry pepper and smoke.

The Price
Lost Lantern American Vatted Malt No. 1 is available for $120 per bottle.

Editor’s Note: we incorrectly said this was sold out, but at the time of correction, it is very much in stock.