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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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June 8, 2022 |
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A Loch Lomond extravaganza in two parts, Part One |
Until around fifteen or twenty years ago, Loch Lomond's whisky was virtually unknown. Indeed you had that cheap blue official bottling, as well as the famous Old Rhosdhu 5 years old... |
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But other than that, Captain Haddock had done most of the marketing job while we all knew that his whisky had actually nothing to do with the actual Loch Lomond. Then Glen Katrine started to release a few bottlings, the indies did just the same, the variants started to poor in too (Inchmurrin, Inchfad, Croftengea, Inchmoan… well I'm sure I'm missing some of them)… And today there's just plenty, while the reputation has become equivalent to those of just any other good Scottish malts. Long story short, we'll taste many of them, as they've been, well, pouring in within the last months and years. Loch Lomond malts, Loch Lomond grains, Old Rhosdhu, Craiglodge, Inchfad, Inchmoan, Inchmurrin, Croftengea, you name them. And from pot stills, Lomond stills, Coffey stills, and any combinations thereof. Oh and we'll do that at random (more or less, some order always seems to appear at WF Towers, often in a rather Brownian way)… |
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Loch Lomond 10 yo 2010/2020 (57.7%, OB, Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #349, 241 bottles) 
This is well 'unpeated' Loch Lomond. Colour: white wine. Nose: you almost instantly realise that this baby's meant to be nosed with water, as we're rather around medicinal alcohol flavoured with oak chips and kirschwasser at first, before a few gentler touches from the 1st fill barrel would chime in. With water: how right was I? (oh come on…) Custard, coconut cream, guava juice, white chocolate… It's become just another malt, a very nice one. Mouth (neat): artisanal eau-de-vie. We didn't say moonshine! With water: once again water unlocks the fruitiness, gooseberries, oranges, apples, a little blanc-manger... Finish: medium, rather more citrusy, very nice, clean and fruity. Comments: always make sure you have a little bottle of good water on the side – and a pipette or a wee mocha spoon.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Loch Lomond 11 yo 2007/2018 (55.9%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 306 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: crikey, this is a peater! The label wouldn't say… Anyway, smoked lemons and kiwis, wakame, sorrel, working barbecue (with nothing on it yet)… Right, charcoal. With water: the traditional mud, chalk and raw wool. The countryside up there… Mouth (neat): good peat, fermentary, lemony, with rather lovely sour notes, lemony porridge, lemon fudge and salted caramel… Nice clean texture. With water: I had thought it would get thinner, on the contrary. Smoked almonds and punchy fino. Finish: rather long, really super-good. This one easily talks to the Islays of similar ages, on an equal footing. Comments: as I just said. I also believe Cadenhead are often a little restrained with the oak, which is goo in my book.
SGP:466 - 87 points. |
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Loch Lomond 13 yo 2005 (57.5%, Claxton's, hogshead, cask #1962-413, 286 bottles, +/-2019)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: blimey, and voilà, another peater. In the style of the Cadenhead (Croftengea?), just a little fatter, with touches of fresh butter and orange cake, perhaps madeleines. With water: a touch acetic but otherwise indeed, a fatter version of the Cadenhead. Mouth (neat): between a Moine and an Ardbeg, that is to say bigly peaty. Oranges and lemons in the background. With water: After all the Irish sea isn't that far away, is it? Finish: long, ashy, very peaty. Green apples in the aftertaste. Comments: we've always heard stories about distillers trying to make some Islay on the mainland (and now the continents). Well LL got very close. Having said that the Cadenhead was having a higher drinkability index.
SGP:467 - 86 points. |
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Loch Lomond 21 yo 1995/2017 (51.5%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, cask #DL12096, 322 bottles) 
Colour: white wine. Nose: wait, hold on, is this malt whisky? It's very soft, rounded, vanilla-ed, on much cake-iness and acacia honey, a pack of finger biscuits, a light Champagne… With water: candyfloss and a packet of vanilla sugar. Like, Dr. Oetker's. Mouth (neat): isn't this grain? Bonbons, coconut, marshmallows, a little varnish, sweet oak… With water: light, rounded and thin. Not quite my cup of… malt. Finish: short, on hay and fruit drops. Drops of liquorice tea in the aftertaste. Comments: this is already becoming complicated, I was hoping we would taste proper Loch Lomonds and we've already got one LL, two peaters and one grain under our belt, all labelled 'Loch Lomond'.
SGP: 530- 78 points. |
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Loch Lomond 21 yo 1996/2018 (51.5%, Cadenhead, Small Batch, bourbon hogshead, 450 bottles) 
From two BB hoggies, but peat or no peat? Well Cadenhead could well have blended a peater with a regular LL… (no?) Colour: straw. Nose: no peat that I can detect this time, rather cakes aplenty and orchard fruits in abundance, apples, plums, pears, yellow peaches… Some fresh almonds too (which is always lovable). With water: hang on, perhaps a little smoke? A little brine for sure. Mouth (neat): good fun, first nougat and milk chocolate, then sardines and bits of pickled anchovies. I told you, good fun, but we need to know about the former content of these casks. Each of them. With water: even more brine! Really bizarre, and certainly not unpleasant. One of the lightly peated variants after all, perhaps? Finish: rather long, salty. Comments: something a little uncertain in this one, after all… But it's extremely good at times.
SGP:452 - 84 points. |
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Loch Lomond 21 yo 1997/2018 (52.5%, Cadenhead, Small Batch, bourbon barrel, 378 bottles)
Barrels instead of hogsheads, this time. Colour: light gold. Nose: some wood smoke, some chalk, a lot of weissbeer, then plenty of fruits, citrus, popcorn… Yet another variant that wouldn't tell you its name? With water: a very bizarre feeling of craft whisky. Was some re-racking in fresh oak done here? Mouth (neat): a tiny wee bit thin but with awesome bourbon-led flavours. It's actually very close to the 1996, just less salty. With water: just very good. Linden tea, pistachio nougat (another sin), more sweeter weissbeer… Finish: medium, very pleasant. Oakier signature (dust, chips). Comments: a curious feeling of a whisky being both lighter and deeper. Does that make any sense? Too bad the oak was a little loud in the finish. PS: very good drop.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
Good, I think we found out that any variants could be labelled as 'Loch Lomond' (same at Springbank, Bunnahabhain, or there, Tobermory by the way), and that consequently, we could just go on with any name… Be my guest! |
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Croftengea 10 yo 2006/2016 (46%, Cooper's Choice, refill butt, cask #5024, 725 bottles)
Always a joy to try some whiskies by The Cooper's Choice or parent firm Vintage Malt Whisky Company. Ooh those Lagavulins… ;-). Colour: almost as white as some white tequila. Nose: brand new garden hose, paraffin, new Nikes, then bitter almonds, with a good few drops of lapsang souchong. Much, much nicer than it sounds, but the sherry's almost unnoticeable, or was it a fino butt? Mouth: excellent. Salty almonds and citrons, seaweed, ashes, lime and pickled fruits. Wonderful waxy structure. Finish: medium, very salty. Seaweed and seashells. Comments: drink with oysters! Like, twenty-four of them! Fan of this very salty young baby.
SGP:366 - 87 points. |
Let's try an even younger Croftengea (probably just fuel, I'm sure…) |
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Croftengea 7 yo 2010/2017 (57%, Golden Cask, 325 bottles)
This one by the House oof Macduff should almost classify as new make. And 100° proof, at that. Colour: as white as the whitest white tequilas. No, really. Nose: it's cool to find fermentary notes that would tend to go away with aging, such as cheeses, fresh breads, gym socks and baby puke (a tiny toddler, a tiny drop). All that in infinitesimal quantities, we're totally fine here. Cherry juice too. With water: linoleum and paraffin. Mouth (neat): eau-de-vie, mainly from stone fruits (apricot, apricotine) and williams pear. Eau-de-vie de barley, just smoked and salted. With water: very good, this is all salted and smoked williams pear spirit, plus almonds. I promise I'll try to make that one day – will report back. Finish: long, very kirschy. Frankly, it's kirschwasser, aged in stoneware. Comments: you're talking to Mother Nature when you drink this.
SGP:455 - 85 points. |
Please an older Croftengea, perhaps for Asia… |
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Croftengea 14 yo 2007/2021 (54.9%, Oxhead Whisky, refill hogshead, cask #52, 259 bottles)
Colour: light gold. Nose: this one's a little more acetic and acidic at first, perhaps, certainly more on lemon juice, but it would then rush towards caramel and fudegdom, with some butterscotch and some utterly wonderful notes of mirabelle jam. Mirabelle jam big time! With water: yes, ripe mirabelles, quinces, all that. Mouth (neat): ooh this one's good, it seems that someone smart has decided to age mirabelle eau-de-vie in some ex-amontillado wood (nothing to do with reality, of course). With water: whoops, careful with water, some molecules playing dirty tricks on you. Like, pulling off old cardboard. As long as you add only two drops, you'll go on with nice fruity notes. Finish: medium, excellent, oh just don't add any waterz. Comments: water works in mysterious ways. Otherwise, superb Croftengea, not a peat monster by the way..
SGP:554 - 86 points. |
Time to have a last one but we'll go on in the coming days, maybe even tomorrow… |
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Croftengea 15 yo 2006/2021 (52.6%, The Whisky Exchange Single Casks, hogshead, cask #341, 280 bottles)
Colour: gold-plated (S., what the… ?) Seriously, that would be light gold. Nose: this one's gone towards camphor, eucalyptus and shoe polish, which is another territory already. With water: adios, back on breads and beers. Mouth (neat): massive varnish and acetone, even glue and bacon. Are we sure?... A whacky sherry hogshead? With water: good fun with almonds, pecans, peanuts and sesame. A maverick of a whisky, for sure. Finish: long, with Croftengea's signature saltiness. Comments: an uncontrollable dram, I'm sure it'll be totally different next time we'll try it. A good dozen different whiskies in a single bottle, how cool is that?
SGP:466 - 86 points (for the record). |
I agree ten is bit cheap, let's have one for the road… |
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Croftengea 13 yo 2007/2020 (58.2%, Dramful!, bourbon hogshead, cask #255, 76 bottle)
Another micro-bottling for, I suppose, huge feelings and sensations. Colour: very white white wine. In truth, no white wine's ever been as white as this. Nose: this one's integrally on smoked almonds, proper almonds, old almonds, fresh almonds, kirschwasser and marzipan. As long as water's not been added. With water: there, fresh breads, doughs, oats, then grist and a little carbon dust. A touch of yoghurt in the background. Mouth (neat): sublime fresh new-makey earthy and almondy make. No prisoners, but thirteen-years-old already, really? With water: rather perfect, fermentary, almondy, doughy, salty, smoky… Finish: very long, with petroly flavours on top of the bready ones. Tar in the aftertaste – ah, tar, finally! Comments: only the body is not 'that' big, or it would crush all, and I mean all Islayers fair and square.
SGP:467 - 87 points. |
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Inchmurrin 28 yo 1993/2022 (50.7%, WhiskySponge, refill hogshead, 178 bottles) 
Colour: light gold. Nose: this one's really all on teas, including smoked ones. I would believe that's the subtlest possible influence of oak. Mint tea, linden, lemon grass, drops of thyme tea, then rather dried tropical fruits (papayas and guavas are rather obvious), then more meaty tones, perhaps lamb with English mint sauce (I know) plus some liquorice and aniseed. With water: old books, parchments, earth, dried mint leaves… Very singular indeed. Mouth (neat): a very curious (yet excellent) arrival on sage, tarragon and some lemony peatiness, then vegetal earth, blond tobacco, hay and green pepper. Notes of pinewood. With water: a saltiness coming through – not the first time- and a drop of fish oil. Which makes it pretty coastal indeed, in a singular way. Also clams or cockles stewed in white wine, butter and garlic? Finish: medium, with ideas of old embrocations, camphor, fir honey… Comments: great fun with the cask and a rather brilliant, unusual drop. Hard to classify though.
SGP:562 - 89 points. |
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