
July 20, 2016

Blend, grain and malt by Loch Lomond

Ah Loch Lomond, Captain Haddock's favourite brand! It's a mysterious distillery that’s just been bought by some new owners last year or in 2014. I have to say we’ve always sort of liked their very humble Loch Lomonds, Old Rhosdhus, or any other funny brand/combinations of stills and mashes, such as Inchmoan, Inchfad, Inchmurrin and a few others. Not that they weren’t quite whacky at times, but the prices have always been fair, if not cheap. Now what the new owners seem to have done first was to raise those prices. Question, may you premiumise even bottom-shelf spirits? Let’s see…

"This is enough... thanks!..."

Loch Lomond ‘Signature’ (40%, OB, blend, +/-2015)

I guess if you use the name of a distillery on a blend, all constituents have to come from that very distillery, which suggests that this is a revamped version of Loch Lomond’s ‘Single Blend’ that we tried last year (WF 72). This new one has seen some ‘olorosso’ casks according to the official website. Ha! Colour: gold. Nose: intrinsically spirity, with a little vanilla, overripe apples, toasted oak, and some kind of smoked ale. Very lightly smoked. Some cut grass too. Mouth: malty and sweet at first, then grassier and a little feinty, perhaps. It remains me of some brands that you see quite a lot in Africa, such as Passport. A little dusty and thin. Finish: short, and not very pleasant. Oak dust, beer, and green tea. Bitterish and sourish aftertaste. Comments: not really convinced it’s worth 30€, which is more than the price of Johnnie Black, while the latter sure is better. SGP:351 - 68 points.

Loch Lomond 12 yo 2000/2012 ‘Dà Mhile’ (46%, OB, organic single grain, +/-2016)

We had tried the older version of the same batch last year, a 15 yo (WF 50, whoofff). Colour: white wine. Nose: acetone, varnish, almond glue, apple jelly for kids, vanilla. The last part is not unpleasant. Mouth: hyper-bubblegums and mega-coconuts on a raw spirit. Very thin body, everything is peripheral on your palate. A feeling of oak-doped vodka. Finish: short, oakier, more vanilla-ed. Not the worst part, I have to say. It’s even kind of pleasant, now that you got used to the massive coconut. Strawberry-flavoured candy floss. Comments: no show frog but it seems that I liked this 12 better than the recent 15. SGP:520 - 60 points.

Loch Lomond 18 yo (43%, OB, +/-2015)

Still in the ‘older’ packaging that used to look so very Nicholas II… This is the single malt. Colour: gold. Nose: muesli, cereals, dandelions, honey, toasted brioche, sweet ale, apple crumble, vanilla cake… This is totally not unpleasant this time. I like these whiffs of warm barley in the background, and the absence of any dirty/dusty parts. Mouth: indeed, I find this good! Perhaps not the most coherent malt ever, but I do enjoy these speculoos, the gingerbread, even the bready side (pumpernickel), and the obligatory overripe apples. Tends to become a little caramelly, but that’s fine. Butterscotch. Finish: medium, on sweet ale and more roasted malt and peanuts. Comments: I would say it is a surprise, but it… well, it is a good) surprise. In the style of Cardhu, or perhaps Glenlivet. Better than earlier batches. SGP:441 - 80 points.

Loch Lomond 18 yo 1996/2015 (46%, Murray McDavid, single grain, bourbon, casks #42929, 42970, 42980, 850 bottles)

I remember Murray McDavid had a stunning old Old Rhosdhu around ten years ago (Mission series, it was a 1979, WF 88) but that was a malt, while this is ‘only’ a grain. Caution… Colour: straw. Nose: nada, niente, nichts, nothing, rien. Almost. Raw alcohol, wood smoke, charcoal (working barbecue)… But many grains are not nosing whiskies anyway, so, perhaps, on our palates… Mouth: there’s a little more happening. Cheap bourbon, alcohol, vanillin, a little fudge… Finish: short, still bourbony – I don’t mean first-class bourbon. Comments: very dispensable, I think. Ethanol with a little sweet wood. I have to say I’m surprised, I had really enjoyed MMcD’s recent offerings – I mean, the ones I could try. Even the Dà Mhile 12 was a little more to my liking. SGP:320 - 55 points.

And now, another… I’m joking. But we’ll have some better Inchmurrins soon.

Check the index of all Loch Lomond I've tasted so far