Lost Spirits Distillery Leviathan I Single Malt Whiskey 750ml

Bryan Davis used to be the distiller for a small Spanish operation known mostly for their Obsello absinthe. Since 2009, he's been living outside of Salinas where he's build a custom, steam-powered still by hand alongside a hand-built smoker. By taking organic California barley and importing peat from Canada, he's managed to craft a small collection of smoky, locally-produced single malt whisky with ppm levels that compete with Ardbeg and Octomore. Aged entirely in California wine casks, these whiskies are completely unique and undeniably geeky. The Leviathan is the heavier of the two in both weight and smoke flavor. The aromas are very beery, like a wash tun, but the big, bright peat eliminates that flavor from the palate. The flavors are spicy, medicinal, and bold. It's bottled at cask strength, but entirely drinkable from the bottle. Unchillfiltered, reasonably priced, and smoked to an incredible 110 ppm. While it's definitely not Laphroaig, it's not trying to be. Bryan is creating an entirely different genre of single malt and I think five years from now we'll all be kicking ourselves we didn't buy more of the early collectables. Easily one of the most fascintating whiskies of the past few years and a giant signal that California is slowly carving out its own single malt niche. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)