Special Release 2021 Special, today Lochnagar


October 1, 2021

Special Releases Special, today Royal Lochnagar

It's not just the Distillery that's closest to the Royal playground, Balmoral Castle, it's also Diageo's 'school distillery'. A fascinating visit, oh I so fondly remember the lovely time we had there with the brilliant Donald Renwick, the former Manager (also Lagavulin and several other distilleries). The malt itself is not easy to come by, beyond the official 'blue' one and very few limited releases here and there. Oh and beyond old bottles of John Begg 'Blue Cap', Lochnagar's own blend that you could sometimes find at auctions.

Royal Lochnagar 12 yo 'Game Of Thrones House Baratheon' (40%, OB, +/-2019)

I think we're about to be done with those GOT bottlings. Mind you, we needed two whole years to tackle them. As for the 'houses', I still don't know who were the good guys and who were the villains, I'm afraid I'm lacking entire pieces of modern culture. How bad is it, doctor? Colour: straw. Nose: I'm finding this wee musty and mashy side that's not uncommon in the regular 12 as I remember it (which I haven't got on the tasting desk, sadly), also a little damp cardboard, newspapers of the day, ale, cider and a little coal smoke from an old stove. A little old-school, I would say. Also whiffs of plasticine. Mouth: starts well, with good body and quite some ripe apples and pears, as well as plums, but the dry mustiness tends to take over, with more cardboard again, grey pepper perhaps, a little leather, bitter oranges, some drying ashes… The 40% vol. make for an obvious handicap here, this old-school style may need a slightly higher voltage. Finish: rather short and dry, grassier, it's not gaining any points here. An unexpected saltiness in the aftertaste. Comments: pretty good juice in fact, with even some aspects that remind me a bit of some leathery Mortlachs. Would love to try one with more power… Which is about to happen. Isn't it amazing how life works out?
SGP:361 - 80 points.

Royal Lochnagar 16 yo 'The Spring Stallion' (57.5%, OB, Special Release 2021, Untold Legends)

This brand new one stems from American oak and European oak refill casks. Classic 'cask bill', quite probably our favourite combination. Colour: straw. Nose: oh, thank you, this is almost exactly what we had just requested, the style of the 12 GOT with more oomph. Same mashes, beers, ink, papers, cardboard, old books, grass, these whiffs of coal smoke (not peat), but then also fresh fruits this time, rather around our beloved greengages, cider apples, gooseberries and even sloe. With water: some gentler vanilla, apple pie, elderflowers, honeysuckle… It's quite spectacular to notice to which extent water rounded it off. Mouth: excellent! Very vertical, tart, ultra-lemony, you would swear someone's distilled chenin blanc - and bottled the end result right away. No, actually, the result would be much sweeter than this. With water: very good, salty yet again, with more bready tones, perhaps even a little rye bread, with touches of fennel and anise seeds in the background. It's really an 'own style' that you wouldn't quite find anywhere else. Reminds me of those excellent crystallised fruits that good makers would often sprinkle with a few salt grains. Finish: medium, very good, dry but with good 'sooty' fruits, limes and grapefruits. Tart aftertaste, that's good. Comments: I believe Lochnagar should have its say within the comity of characterful malt whiskies, but remember it's a rather small distillery; a lovely one!
SGP:362 - 87 points.

Hope we'll manage to try some new Lochnagars before the end of this decade ;-).

Check the index of all Royal Lochnagar we've tasted so far