Loch Lomond Distillery
Anyone visiting the actual Loch Lomond would be forgiven for not realising just a stones throw from the shores lies the very industrial Loch Lomond Distillery.. The distillery certainly isn’t the most picturesque or the oldest or most traditional but they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!
Founded in 1965 this distillery is rather unique, with both malt and grain whisky being produced on site the uniqueness does not stop there ! The distillery also incorporates typical pot stills with the swan neck and also a hybrid style with the traditional rounded bottom and a straight neck ( the typical column still style used to produce grain whisky ) they also have three column stills, one on the malt side which is made from copper with an output of 300 litres per hour and stands around 10m high.
There are then the two column stills on the grain side, one produces up to 2000 litres alcohol per hour the other 1000, both are made from stainless steel with sacrificial copper and are about 30m high.
This diversity gives the Distillery endless (ok not quite endless ) possibilities, but the emphasis is still not predominantly quantity but the production of spirit with an emphasis on quality.
Its not until you actually get to visit the distillery that you really begin to understand the exact commitment to producing the liquid, this is when you actually begin to appreciate what you are drinking to the full extent.
Incorporating a cooperage, lab, malt and grain production and of course a few warehouses you can imagine the scale and when you then add the fact there is a capacity to produce 23 million litres of spirit ( malt – 5 million litres and 18 million litres of Grain ) You really start to appreciate the work and commitment behind the operation..
Production is a little bit of a mine field when first explained, blend expressions must be quite normal when they start to explain all the possibilities.. There is probably the option to produce as many as 15 different styles here and even more if you want to start playing with yeast and barley strains ( let’s not go there right now though ) so like I said it’s an endless possibility..
Loch Lomond cask #40
This single cask is in no way new to the market but rather it’s me who is a little slow in bringing this to your attention. Distilled in March 2006 from the straight neck or hybrid style still, the spirit was taken at the lower strength ( 65%) from Malted barley that had been peated to 50ppm.
Distillery.. Loch Lomond
Region.. Highland
Age.. 11 years
Abv.. 53.1%
Distilled.. March 2006
Bottled.. April 2017
Cask.. Medium charred refill hogshead
Nose.. This dram greets you with a gentle earthy aroma and a little fruit. Smoke gently wraps itself around freshly picked apples, pears and a hint of pineapple, toffee and caramel offer up some sweeter notes.
Palate.. The peat is a lot more pronounced and brings a dominating smokey feel, eventually the fruits start to battle through but there is always an underlying earthy feel. A little cinder toffee and caramel give some sweetness with peach and toffee apples also lurking.
Finish.. Spices fade into a smokey encore..
Thoughts..
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