Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 54.9%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon first fill
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Loch Lomond Distillers (Hillouse Capital Group)
Average price: € 85.00
Official website: www.lochlomondwhiskies.com
Vote: 82/100
I return to the Loch Lomond distillery with perhaps one of their most interesting bottlings, a whisky produced from organic cultivation and bottled cask strength.
Making it isn’t exactly easy, since in order to keep faith with the strict protocols that allow the use of the wording “Organic”, the distillery must necessarily use casks that have not previously contained non-organic whisky, so not just first-fill casks but which have themselves contained organic whiskeys.
Quite a bitch then, launched in 2018 to a less than enthusiastic reception, so much so that it doesn’t make part of their portfolio.
At the end of the day, organic or not, it’s the yield of the whisky that counts, and being cask strength at a good age, I give it some credit.
Tasting notes
Gold with copper highlights in the glass.
Pleasant notes of almonds and hazelnuts emerge on the nose, accompanied by banana, Williams pears, vanilla, caramel, honey, malt and freshly cut wood. Expresses a nice warmth, with some citrusy freshness in the background.
A little less graceful on the palate, hints of chilli and ginger sizzle on the tongue mottling the creamy texture of marzipan, pears and vanilla with lots of citrus (orange, tangerines), malt, salted caramel. The salt dominates the length, drying out the flavours and bringing out a certain woody roughness in the background.
Quite long and dry finish of ginger, wood, citrus, salt.
A grumpy whisky, far from easy, with imbalances that on the one hand amuse and on the other leave one somewhat puzzled, in an inconstant and unfinished dram that seems more like an interesting experiment than an achievement.
Other perspectives:
Dave Whisky Review