Lamas Nimbus Caledonia Review

”It’s a Long Way to the Top(If You Want to Rock & Roll)” 

Whisky Review # 887

Country: Brazil
Region: State of Minas Gerais

Brand: Lamas Nimbus Caledonia - Prototype - Limited Edition

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS (My Guess: 3-5 Years)

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Casks with Fortified Brazilian Wine Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: No

Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Average Future Price: US$ 25 (August 2020)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐Okay
Buying Advice: 😕Not interesting enough as a sipping whisky. 

Colour:

Dark Amber with hues of Orange and Brown (Natural Color as stated by producers)

Nose:

Quite Sweet. It's Malty but other than that it smells quite different when compared to your average Scotch Whisky. There's a liqueur-like feeling to it. Some Fresh Oak might have been used for finishing this Lamas. You can sense the Eucalyptus Smoke but it's not very prominent. This is certainly a Young Whisky and it lacks complexity and depth. The Alcohol is noticeable but does not interfere with the Nosing process.

Main Aromas:

Malted Barley, Toast and Margarine, Caramel, Yeast, Ale, Smoldering Embers, Dark Red Fruit like Cranberries and Raspberries, Ginger and Menthol.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Butterscotch, Brown Sugar, Pencil Shavings, Dusty Road, Dried Plums, Orange, Red Grapes, Lemon, Grapefruit, Floral Soap and Varnish.

Palate:

Young, Thin, Medium-Dry, Bitter-Sweet and on the Hot side. The Alcohol is much more noticeable by now and so is the slightly Medicinal Smoke. The lack of sufficient maturation leaves it unbalanced. Not something I would enjoy as a sipping Malt.

Main Flavours:

Malted Barley, Caramel, Toast, Sugar, Smoldering Embers, Red Berries, Plums, Lemon, Bitter Orange, Sour Red Wine, Ginger and Menthol.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Dusty Track, Dusty Charred Oak, Dried Fruit, Nuts and Nutshells, Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, Leather and Varnish.

Finish:

Young, Thin, Short and quite Hot. This Single Malt could certainly use 5 more years or so in the cask. The slightly Medicinal Smoke is even more noticeable at this point. Lots of Menthol after a while. I find Malted Barley, Salted Caramel, Smoke, Iodine, Dusty Oak, Nuts and Nutshells, Red Berries, Plums, slightly Sour Red Wine, Cocoa Powder, Bitter Oranges, Grapefruit, Menthol, stale Espresso and Varnish.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and while it helps to control the Alcohol it doesn't do a whole lot more. A few drops are okay I suppose.

Rating: 73

Nose: 19 - Taste: 18 - Finish: 17.5 - Overall: 18.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Borderline okay

Conclusion:

The Lamas I'm tasting today is actually still a prototype. It will be launched very shortly though. It's a limited edition based on the existing Nimbus. Both editions are made with Malt that is dried with fresh reforestation Eucalyptus wood giving them a slightly smoky character.

It's not easy to make a good Single Malt at a sympathetic price-level. And Whisky production in Brazil is quite a young activity. So I won't be too harsh on this Lamas. It's sufficient to say that it lacks maturation and it's not interesting enough as a sipping Malt. The "Smoky" touch of this Caledonia is certainly worth perfecting in the future as it provides a differential. Like is the case all over the world, new Whisky makers are tempted to launch young whisky to provide much needed cash-flow. I can understand the economic issue but from a consumer point of view I would prefer they would use Gin, Vodka and Liqueurs for that purpose, granting the Single Malt sufficient time in the cask. I would really look forward to taste a fully matured Lamas in the future and I wish this Distillery all the best!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       August 16, 2020