Lombard Lochside Tasting Notes

Dist: 1981 Btl: Aug 2005

Cask 612

Tasted: July 2016

The nose is a little closed but showing some gristy barley, apple, lime, fragrant vanilla oak and a subtle herbaceousness. Water brings out a touch of luscious orange.

The palate is deeper than the nose suggests with more malt, but less citric. Hints of oak and barley appear but it needs water. Diluted the citrus notes make an appearance. Neat the finish is masked by the alcohol. Water lengthens and brings out some barley and subtle spice. In conclusion: Neat it’s tighter than a pair of old budgie smugglers! With water it’s straightforward but pleasant

Gordon & MacPhail’s Lochside Tasting Notes

Gordon & MacPhails ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ Lochside 1991 (17 year old) 43% %

Refill Bourbon/ Dist: 1991 Btl: 2008/ Tasted: April 2012

A hard, grainy and brittle nose. Slightly industrial, no make that rather industrial. There is some crunchy sugar coated crystalised orange and a rather odd note of fish oils. 

The palate is quite hard work. It’s altogether slightly murky although some sweet honey lurks in the background. The oak really begins to grip adding old, bitter, coffee-tannins. Hard, grainy, violety marc like finish. Very bitter.

 

Signatory Lochside Tasting Notes

Signatory Vintage ‘Cask Strength Collection’ Lochside 1966 (40 year old) 54.4%

Sherry Cask 7536/ Dist: 1966 Btl: 2007/ Tasted: Sept 2007

Lovely soft sherry fruit nose, sprinkled with spice, light manure and coastal notes. Luxurious, dripping in mature honey with time brining out herbal and heathery notes. Water makes more of the herbal notes and brings out a bark like note.

The palate is clean, soft, delightfully smooth fruit. Not especially complex but nice and mellow with quiet a bit of wood tannin. Water however saves the day, bringing out a drop of peat and the obvious coastal character. Intense and alcoholic finish which definitely needs some water to bring out the late peat and coal smoke. A nice, subtle sherry cask, but not exceptional. The alcohol although not amazingly high dominates the palate. You certainly would not have thought it was 40 though!

Murray McDavid Lochside Tasting Notes

Murray McDavid Lochside 1981 (19 year old) 46%

Refill Sherry Cask MM9637/ Dist: May 1981 Btl: Mar 2001/ Tasted July 2003

A superb nose. Full and complex. Fruity with lanolin, wax polish, sherry, smoke, vanilla and exotic, musky spices along with a lovely butterscotch edge. Soft, smooth and enticing on the palate with plenty of creamy, rich, white chocolate coated fruits. Very pure with tongue coating spices. A slighty oily/ waxy mouth feel with a slightly floral finish.

Douglas Laing Lochside Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Lochside 1991 (18 year old) 50%

Bourbon Hogshead DL6303/ Dist: Oct 1991 Btl: July 2010/ Tasted: Nov 2010

Quite a botanical and grassy nose. In fact it could almost be a grain (which it can’t be as the grain stills were removed in the mid 1970’s). There’s some hard citrus with brittle honey and a touch of earthiness. The palate is hard, crisp and botanical with hints of straw and hay. It’s a bit evanescent and destroyed by the alcohol. Hot, burning finish. Trying to see through the alcohol there might be some soft sweetness but who knows. 

With water a very, slight, subtle orange note appears, whilst on the palate there is more oak and that sweetness does come through but it hasn’t changed the hard, grainy character, thus making it very hard going.

Dewar Rattray Lochside Tasting Notes

Dewar Rattray Lochside 1987 (21 year old) 59.8%

Refill Hogshead – Cask 20621/ Dist: Oct 1987 Btl: Nov 2008/ Tasted: Nov 2008

The oak arrives like a speeding train, all big and toffee’d followed by mature honey, beeswax, gentle tangerine and satsuma fruit. There’s even a slightly medicinal peat note. Oily in the mouth, but quiet light in texture and dry with plenty of wood tannins and spice. Some orange fruit and barley comes through but it’s a bit short and alcohol dominated.

Water emphasises the oak and the peat note disappears. It softens the palate, bringing out a candied sweetness along with a suggestion of coconut. The finish is still a tad dried out and is interspersed with hints of dried fruit. Nothing wrong with the quality there’s just a bit too much oak for my liking.