The Lakes, Apex Velocity, Single Malt Whisky, England (50.2%)

Due to limited quantities, this spirit has been limited to 1 bottle per customer.

It’s oftentimes tricky to know what to do or how to act when in the presence of greatness. In this instance, upon first tasting Apex Velocity, it felt appropriate to either awe, quietly, at the majesty of it all or whoop, triumphantly at the audacious magnificence.

The single malt spirit here is, of course, impeccably made, but the pre-eminence on show here is due to the maturation talents of Dhavall Gandhi and Sarah Burgess, former and current whisky makers, respectively. By turns rigorous scientists and alchemical sorcerers, this pair of barrel-wrangling geniuses have created, raised and elevated a jewel of staggering beauty.

With a characteristically alluring hue in the glass, this whisky seems to flood the senses; gooey sandalwood and unctuous cherries thickly fill the nose to the point of semi-riotous headiness. I have no idea how the palate expands upon such olfactory gluttony, but, to my gleeful delight, swathes of honey and candied peels appear alongside macerated berries and stone fruits. The cacophony subsides a little to a welcome, magisterial finish, showing immaculate, cushioned wood and subtly spiced syrup, enticing but well-mannered at the last.

Bravo Dhavall! Bravo Sarah! Quite simply, it is the most scrumptious English whisky yet bottled, and a pivotal piece in any serious collection. One day, future whisky lovers will marvel enviously at the stories of those who drank this.

Rob Whitehead, Spirits Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (April 2024)