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KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 6: Loch Lomond Original

Posted on December 9, 2021

by Evan

RECAP TASTING REMINDER: If you are interested in joining us via Zoom for our 5-day recap tasting, the next one happens on December 10th @ 7 PM Calgary time.  If you have not already done so, you can sign up to be emailed the Zoom link for these tastings here. You will also be able to find these tastings on Facebook Live and recorded for posterity there as well.

We have done unpeated whisky. We have done peated whisky. We have done Bourbon. So, what will day and door number six in the 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar give us? Crack open that door and pull out the Loch Lomond Original!

There are a few of what I like to think of as unofficial traditions that have survived multiple years of the KWM Whisky Calendar. For one: there is usually at least one of our own KWM single casks hiding behind one of the doors. Another is we almost always have a bottle from Kilchoman in there.

Two more recent traditions have cropped up over the past three years. The first is finally getting Andrew to let me inflict Bourbon upon the Calendar and those that consume it. The second is something I can’t take any credit for but nevertheless am very happy about: having Loch Lomond Distillery highlighted within.

Founded in 1965, Loch Lomond is a bizarre operation that is capable of making multiple different styles of spirit all under one roof.  The distillery can produce Single Malt, Single Grain, and Blended Whisky entirely at one site. It can and does this, and it also makes Single Malt in a wide variety of styles, including both peated and unpeated types.

There are a total of thirteen stills within the Loch Lomond Distillery, however, they are definitely not all the same. Included in this number are your typical swan-neck style pot stills: the type you see at most Scottish distilleries that make single malt whisky. Beyond that though, things get weird. There are also three pairs of straight-neck pot stills, which are sometimes called Lomond stills. One of these pairs has a water cooling system installed on the top of the still that the heated vapour hits before going through the narrowing neck/pipe for collection. This results in much more reflux and leads to a lighter, softer, fruitier spirit being produced.

Last but not least, there is a six-story Coffey/column still that is split in two to accommodate the three-story building it resides in. This still is used to distill malted barley, but due to SWA regulations, it is still classified as a Single Grain spirit. The whisky made with this still is used in their blends, but you can occasionally find it bottled as Rhosdhu by indie bottlers.

With this unusual combination, Loch Lomond Distillery can produce its own blended whisky entirely on-site without sourcing whisky from other distilleries. It is one of the very few (possibly only) active distilleries in Scotland and even the world to be able to do this.

Photo from Loch Lomond Distillery website

Above: A picture cribbed from Loch Lomond Distillery's website showing a distiller peering into the spirit safe and trying to remember exactly which style of spirit they were producing that day.

Loch Lomond as a brand currently has three product lines for the different styles the distillery is capable of producing. Inchmurrin is the unpeated, lighter and fruity side of Single Malt Scotch. Inchmoan represents the meatier, heavily peated end of the spectrum. Loch Lomond itself covers the space in between, focusing on a moderately peated style that still showcases plenty of fruity notes. Other names have been used on bottles in the past or on indie bottles as well - such as Croftengea which is another of Loch Lomond's peated styles.

The Loch Lomond Distillery Group also operates Glen Scotia Distillery in Campbeltown and produces the High Commissioner Blended Scotch Whisky brand.

Back to the Loch Lomond Original. Given what I have said, this should have light to moderate peat and given it's likely young some nice malt and barley notes as well. Let's try it and find out!

Loch Lomond Original – 40%

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Soft and fruity with just a touch of peat and iodine. Pear skins, Golden Delicious Apples, Fabreeze (no, really), and chamomile tea with milk stirred in. 

Palate: Shortbread and gingerbread cookies, a dash of salt and pepper, saltwater taffy, pineapple, and creme brulee. 

Finish: Canned Pineapple rings with a creamy ash note and a sprinkle of salt.

Comment: This is a solid entry point into the current Loch Lomond lineup, giving you an idea of what you are in for if you move into the burlier and higher ABV (and superb) Loch Lomond 12 Year and 18 Year Old.

There you have it! In my opinion, this is a great bottle for somebody that is just getting into peated malt. What are your thoughts? Feel free to reach out via social media, email, or our 5-day recap tasting sessions on Zoom to let me know!

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

This entry was posted in Whisky, Tastings, Whisky Calendars, KWM Whisky Calendar 2021

 

 

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