The Story

When we met Joe Lordon a few years back, we knew he produced incredible distillate.

At the time, he was the Master Distiller of Two James Spirits out of Detroit. They quickly ended up on our radar after we tried a couple bottles of theirs that we really enjoyed, and so we decided that we wanted to do a tour to learn more about them. On the tour, we learned about the incredible array of varied spirits they produced (and in surprising volume for the size of operation), and what’s more is that we were huge fans of everything we tried. From the rye whiskey to the Absinthe, every sample brought intrigue and delight.

A few months later, we got in contact with TJS to do a video profile of the brand. I said to the brand manager, Ben, that we should have some clips of the master distiller talking about what he does best: creating incredible tasting experiences. Of course Ben quickly agreed, and a few days later we were setting up cameras in the bar and doing our interviews. When we were ready for the master distiller interview, Ben walked into the distillery part of the building to fetch the man behind the bottle experience.

What we were half-anticipating to walk through the door was a middle-aged, storied distiller who would speak in flowery diction about the philosophy of their flavors – perhaps inspired by their peat excavation experience to Scotland. Instead, what we got was Joe; an unassuming guy who walked in wearing a camo baseball cap and a Detroit Red Wings t-shirt.

“Hey, I’m Joe – nice to meet you” he said, as he extended his hand with a warm smile.

What proceeded next was the most down-to-earth, enjoyable interview you could imagine. He spoke candidly and clearly about his work – his inspirations and how that plays into the spirits he produced, the day-to-day and even his favorite flavors.

“My favorite is Catcher’s Rye”, he began with a grin. “My favorite season is Fall, and my favorite spirit is whiskey. The flavor profile of Catcher’s Rye is just perfect for a nice October Michigan evening outside, around a fire. It just hits the spot.”

Within minutes of chatting, I felt like I knew him. Personally, he just reminded me of the people I grew up with; those who enjoy a bit of whiskey by the fire, chatting with friends or family and having a great time creating experiences. Professionally, he reminded me of the hard-working, blue collar folks that are the rule here in the Detroit area, too – the true spirit of Detroit.

And now, with Joe Lordon as the creator and master distiller of Lone Light Spirits, we get to look forward to that passion and experience in his own venture. When we heard that Joe had released these bottles, we ran to the liquor store to grab them. So here we are, bottle in hand, curious to see what his flagship bottles have to offer. This particular review is for the Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Orange Blossom and Buckwheat Mead Casks. I reached out to Joe to ask about specifics – is there a set time for how long the bottle sits in the casks? He replied “finishing casks are monitored and tasted daily to track flavor progression, and ultimately it’s more about when the flavor meets our expectations rather than a set amount of time.” So there you have it; it’s not a matter of time per se, but instead when it meets the standards of what he looks to produce. Which was the best answer we could’ve hoped for!

So let’s pop this one and see what it offers.

Nose

The nose gives aromas of cinnamon, red apple and light brown sugar – like a dutch apple pie.

Palate

The palate is pleasantly sweet starting off with that honey note shining through and a touch of pepper spice accompanied by citrus notes, then transitioning to some barrel funk on the mid palate.

Finish

Honey makes a triumphant return on the finish after being muted only temporarily by some of the mid-palate notes.  The honey sweetness fades slowly, flanked with vanilla and brown sugar which leaves a lasting brightness on the tongue.

Verdict

Full disclosure: we know Joe (the founder/distiller at Lone Light Spirits) from a few years back when we interviewed him at Two James Spirits. After seeing the range of his distillate, his creativity and attention to detail, we knew we had to try out Joe’s solo work– unimpeded and left to his own devices.

That said, we’re always going to give it to you straight. There’s no relationship or fanboy behavior that’s going to make us say anything different than what we truly believe about a spirit. I’m glad to say that our excitement wasn’t misplaced; this is a great finished whiskey. We love when a bottle can stand as a quality sipper but also can be used in cocktails – versatility gets great marks from us. Trying this bottle in a Gold Rush cocktail was incredible. It amped up the honey note and reinforced the citrus to elevate a great cocktail to an exceptional one, and we are confident it would play nicely in other honey-based cocktails as well.

We’re not going to belabor the point. This one gets a well-deserved  7.9/10.

Cheers friends!