The Sipping Shed Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

The Sipping Shed Glenshiel 2011 (10 year old) 59.4%

Loch Lomond aged in 1^st Fill Bourbon 800942

Dist: Nov 2011 Btl: 2022/ Tasted: Feb 2022

The nose is quite grainy and nippy to start, which is probably down to the abv. It settles down to show fragrant barley, summer flowers, toasty American oak, butter and hints of apricot.

The palate is quite masked an alcoholic with plenty of Bourbony oak character – sweet corn and rye spice. A touch of barley and nippy/ grainy notes come through on the middle but neat, the oak is definitely in control. Masked, supple rose petal and barley finish.

A drop of water settles the oak down on the nose and brings out more of the barley along with tangerine, apple, unsweetened custard powder, citrus and some pollen-like notes.  The palate also shows less oak and more barley, apple, citrus and subtle spices. Still youthful with a touch of rose peatl but the oak is drier, less sweet and vanilla’d. Quite a Bourbony finish though with edgy toasted caramel corn.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Loch Lomond (Grain) Batch 2 47.8%

Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2017

A nose of young, crisp grain with hints of vanilla and dried fruit. Develops an agreeable lemony freshness.

Soft, sweet grain on the palate with a touch of dried fruit and vanilla. Straightforward but showing a good depth. A finish of  sweet cereal, subtle spice and vanilla. In conclusion: Simple, unpretentious and easy going.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Loch Lomond (Grain) Batch 3 19 year old 49.7%

Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

A fresh and citric nose with hints of white fruit and subtle herbal, botanical notes. Inconspicuous oak underpins.

The palate is fuller and showing more oak character – vanilla and white chocolate. Good depth with sweet cereal and dried fruit coming through on the middle. A little short, but subtly spiced with grippy, slightly bittering oak. In conclusion: Unspectacular but pleasant.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

Scotch Malt Whisky Society G15.1 2008 (9 year old) ‘Lead us to temptation’ 58.6%

Loch Lomond Grain (Rhosdhu) – 2^nd Fill Bourbon

Dist:Jan 2008 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

The nose is full and cereally with hints of herbal honey, sweet rose petal, heather and scrub. Water brings out lemon sherbet and strawberry notes.

Sweet and honeyed on the palate. Very full for its age. Hints of sweet rose petal/ Turkish delight and coffee’d oak. Water makes it a little sugary and simpler. The finish is intense, spicy and peppery with lingering herbal notes. In conclusion: If Auchentoshan made a grain whisky, it would taste like this! [tasted blind]

Scotch Malt Whisky Society G9.3 2000 (16 year old) ‘Fruit, spice and all things nice’  62.6%

Loch Lomond Grain – Second Fill Bourbon Barrel

Dist: Jul 2000 Btl: Apr 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

The nose is very herbal and high toned with hints of dried apricot and marzipan oak. Needs water! Diluted it’s less herbal and a touch of coconut appears.

The palate is surprisingly soft with vanilla coated dried fruit. Gently nutty on the middle with subtle spice notes. Water makes it a little simpler but fuller and fleshier. The finish is intense and subtly spiced with lingering vanilla and dried fruit. In conclusion: A lovely, rich and full bodied grain whisky.

Lady of the Glen Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

Lady of the Glen Rare Cask Loch Lomond (Inchmurrin) 1998 (22 year old) 52.8%

Cask: #1

18 years in ex-Bourbon Hogshead/ 4 year finish in ex- Oloroso Hogshead

Dist: Apr 1998 Btl: Mar 2021/ Tasted: Sept 2021

A funky, herbal, edgy nose of tea leaf and cigar leaf. Gritty sherrywood tannins and a touch of boiled sweet sherry appear, along with dark chocolate and coffee. With time sweet date, raisin, prune and vanilla.

The palate is duty and leafy. There’s a touch of wet paper but it soon gets lost in the sweet raisin, fig and date notes. Hints of peat, earth and tannin on the middle. Good length with an earthy spice, smoke, dried fruit and wood char finish.

Water pushes back the sherry, thus more high toned distillery character is evident along with rose petal, linseed oil, honey, earth and sweet vanilla. The palate is very much like the nose. A lot cleaner now with linseed oil, white pepper and subtle sherry. Long, continuing oily, funky and spicy. It’s definitely entertaining!

House of Macduff Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

House of Macduff Golden Cask Croftengea 2010 (7 year old) 57%%

Bourbon Cask CN238/ Dist: 2010 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2020

The nose is forceful and phenolic with earthy, herbal peat. Some ‘toshan-esque strawberry notes appear along with sugar coated barley. Usual interesting, Loch Lomond nose!

The palate is full and oily, opening with more vanilla oak and honey. Lightly phenolic and peaty with a touch of strawberry and building earth and alcohol. Long, sooty, earthy and spicy with lingering bitter oak and mouth-watering citrus. Slightly gritty coffee’d after-taste. Wow! Sensory overload!

Water emphasises the granulated sugar and barley on the nose. Less peat but still phenolic and herbal. The palate is also less peaty and weird. Showing more oily barley, earth and honey. Vibrant spicy/ woody finish with lingering sooty peat and castor sugar. Weird but fun!

House of Macduff ‘Golden Cask – Reserve’ Croftenga 2010 (11 year old) 57.1%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Ref: CM274/ Dist: May 2010 Btl: May 2021/Tasted: Mar 2022

A lovely peppery and peaty nose. Classic Lomond still, high toned Turkish delight appears with plenty of raw, earthy peat. Hints of barley and honey add a balancing sweetness.

The palate is intense, earthy, ashy and peaty with hints of barley, strawberry Turkish delight, vanilla and honey. Masked finish with sweet barley and buttery vanilla oak.

House of Macduff ‘Golden Cask – Reserve’ Croftengea 2007 (15 year old) 58.9%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Ref: CM293/ Dist: Mar 2007 Btl: 2022/ Tasted: Sept 2022

Aromas of slightly astringent citrus, barley, green pepper, asparagus and sweet/ herbal peat. The peat becomes very ashy in character with a touch of manure for good measure! Late sweet barley, white fruit appear as the manurey/ loamy peat note intensifies.

The palate is earthy and ashy with hints of barley, apricot and white fruit. A touch of green pepper and citrus on the middle. Alcohol masks the finish but shows some astringency.

Water makes the nose fuller and weightier. The peat has become quite distant and it emphasises the sweet barley and lemon. Less manurey too with late sweet heather notes. The palate is also fuller and softer. Less peat and astringency with lemon, apricot and barley. long, earthy barley finish with a herbal/ heathery aftertaste. Lovely complexity and not too weird and wonderful!

Heroes & Heretics Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

Heroes & Heretics ‘Smoke & Glory’ Croftengea 2007 (14 year) old 54%

Bourbon Hogshead 197/ Dist: 2007 Btl: 2021/ Tasted: May 2022

The nose kicks off with some astringent, slightly sulphurous spirit, followed by peat, pepper and rose petal. Its raw and unruly with late tobacco and manure.

The palate opens with lemon and barley. Subtler on the suphur, peat and manure with green fruit and ash on the middle. After such a promising start the astringency and rawness builds into a hot, spicy, peppery finish with hints of tar, diesel oil and bitter spice. In conclusion: It really could have done with some balancing oak character and some sweetness.

Douglas Laing Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Old Particular Loch Lomond Grain 1996 (19 year old) 51.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLD0320/ DL11184

Dist: Dec 1996 Btl: May 2016/ Tasted: June 2016

A charming, soft, citric and grainy nose with toasted toffee and plenty of grassy notes. With time the subtle dried fruit and cereal notes appear.

The palate is quite oaky but pleasantly citric with toffee, coconut and light dried fruit. Again, quite grainy with cereal and refreshing lemony notes. Medium length, remaining citric with the light toffee and dried fruit lingering.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Loch Lomond Grain 1995 (21 year old) 55.3%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLD0477/ DL12097

Dist: Nov 1995 Btl: Oct 2017/ Tasted: Jun 2018

Aromas of edgy Cognac-esque dried fruit and subtle floral dried fruit notes. Hints of cereal, oak, earth, wood smoke and lightly peppery spice appear, along with a touch of honey, baked peaches, violets and finally some rummy notes.

The palate opens with the rummy dried fruit and a touch more oak – coconut, vanilla. Hints of baked fruit, straw, earth and wood spices follow. Lovely intensity with the dried fruit really powering through on the middle. Long with a tongue tingling spiciness and a mouth-watering finish.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Loch Lomond Grain 1995 (22 year old) 51.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLD0654/ DL12799

Dist: Nov 1995 Btl: Sept 2018/ Tasted: Dec 2018

Very grainy and neutral on the nose with a touch of toasty oak. Sweet and oily vanilla and building wood spices and smoke. With time a touch of heather.

The palate opens with sweet grains and sweet/ toasty oak. The graininess of the spirit balances the wood sweetness and a touch of wood spice comes through on the middle. Long and continuing oaky with oily spices and grippy tannins.

Claxton’s Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Loch Lomond (Heavily Peated) 2005 (13 year old) 57.5%

Bourbon Hogshead 1962-413

Dist: Feb 2005 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Mar 2019

Youthful aromas of strawberry mousse, elderflower, barley and gritty, ashy peat, manure, earth and tea leaves.

The palate is maltier and darker than the nose with gritty, earthy peat, dark chocolate and a subtle strawberry mousse note. Hints of rose petal, dried fruit, wood spice and mature-ish barley makes the palate seem a bit schizophrenic. Long with a touch of sulphur and lingering strawberry mousse.

A drop of water makes the nose less funky and peated with more emphasis on the barley. The palate is cleaner and leaner with again less peat and more barley. A touch of toasty oak can now be discerned and the middle is simpler and oilier. Still quite long with a touch of pper joining the strawberry mousse notes on the finish.

Brave New Spirits Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

Cask Noir Old Rhosdhu 28 year old ‘Bonnie Banks & The Call of the Past’ 48.6%

Bourbon

Tasted: Dec 2022

Lovely, mature, sawdusty oak aromas with hints of barley, citrus, white fruit and subtle but nippy spice. With time gooseberry, greengage and kiwi along with a subtle, perfumed rose petal and vanilla note. Elegant and poised.

The palate opens with the mature, sawdusty oak, barley and soft but grippy wood spice. Hints of lime, gooseberry and apricot appear. Lovely maturity, elegance and mouthfeel. Long, nippy, almost grainy finish with lingering minerals, coffee, vanilla and white chocolate.

Cask Noir Inchfad (Loch Lomond) 17 year old ‘Secrets of Bonnie Banks’ 48.1%

First Fill Merlot Barrique

Tasted: Dec 2022

Earthy, edgy, funky, astringent herbal peat, manure, red fruit, rose petals and sheep poo! With time pepper, red fruit jam and vanilla. Classic Lomond!

The palate opens with sweet black fruit and earth, The herbal peat notes are subtler and it’s not as manurey. A little tannic on the middle with malt and plenty of peppery spices. Long, spicy, nippy, tannic, tongue tingling finish.

Edition Spirits Loch Lomond Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Inchmurrin 1984 (32 year old) 46.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0213/ HL13363

Dist: Jun 1984 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is relatively fresh with lanolin, mature, decaying  rose-petal marc, green citrus fruit and a touch of vanilla. It’s edgy with an almost metallic freshness and late malt and herbal rye-like notes.

The palate is edgy and malty with again old marc-like notes, heavy oils, toast and mature rose petals. Subtle, mature dusty eat, apricot, leather, tobacco and rye-like herbs follow. Edgy and oily finish with a touch of sweet raspberry and dusty spice. From the marc-like/ highly rectified character I would assume that a fair proportion was distilled using the Lomond stills.

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Inchfad 2005 (14 year old) 56.3%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/Code: EDI0477/ HL16785

Dist: Mar 2005 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Jun 2019

An intense and slightly metallic nose with boiled cabbage and rose Turkish delight. Oh and a good dollop of gritty peat. Yes, it’s good old, weird Loch Lomond! With time a touch of granulated sugar appear along with barely and subtle oak.

The palate is a little feinty with hints of cabbage water, earthy peat, rose Turkish delight and lots of pepper, which becomes a tad bitter on the middle. Slightly masked finish with lingering barley, rose water, pepper, granulated sugar and earthy peat.

Water , thankfully makes the nose cleaner! Now the funk has been removed it displays more lemon, barley and vanilla oak notes, although it is somewhat simpler. The palate is very much the same as the nose and although less left field it’s less interesting too! Longer now with the finish the same as it was neat.