Loch Lomond Reserve

Nose: Fragrant, warm and malty. Peach, apple, orange peel, a little honey and vanilla. There is a mild, soft ashy smoke in the background and a wholesome leathery quality that is very agreeable. The dry-glass aroma is malty vanilla. A little ethanol is apparent but given that this is one of the cheapest blended scotches available it’s a remarkably good nose with an “old-school” profile. It reminds me a little of what Teachers Highland Cream was like in the 1990s. Palate: The arrival is soft, sweet and malty. Cinnamon spice, tannic black tea, cereal and bitter orange emerge in the development together with a hint of the same sooty smoke from the nose. The texture is a little thin and spirity (but no more than most blends) but there is some silkiness from the grain whisky. You can happily drink this neat or with a dash of water as a sipping whisky. Finish: Short. Some sweet tones but the tea flavour from the palate lingers and turns a little bitter, which is the only fault. There is a puff of smoke in the aftertaste. This is a bottom-shelf priced whisky that is way better than it has any right to be and it has become my go-to daily dram for mixing. At the price it is very good value yet after being on the market for about five years it remains largely undiscovered and is a quiet giant-killer. I think it has dropped just a fraction in quality over time, largely in the finish, which is not quite as long now, but it is still a remarkably good budget blend. All other blended scotches (as far as I’m aware) are composed of malt and grain whiskies from many sources and are engineered to achieve a specific profile. Uniquely, Loch Lomond Reserve is produced by just one distillery and its character is a snapshot of the Loch Lomond house style. There is no legal classification for such a blend, other than simply “blended scotch”, however it could justifiably be considered, unofficially, as a “single blend”. Well worth the money and highly recommended, but don’t compare this to your favourite malt or even a premium blend, because it is not trying to compete in that arena. However, against anything else in the AUD$30-50 range it is clearly the winner. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)

Colour is pale orange-brown. The nose is quite satisfying - not very spiritous with a hint of smoke, fruity sweetness with bold grain and wood tones; even some steak meat notes show up sometimes along with smoke-dried salami however the overall aroma might not be called very bright - it’s just neutral. The taste is more prominent. It obtains notes of grass, bread, vanilla, spices and citruses which are the most defining here. Also some flower dust. Some peat and smoked salami. Though, again, the taste is a bit spiritous and bitter. Finish is more about burnt oak and bread with some light sweet notes. LL Reserve is not that simple, though all the terms are not well expressed but decent in general. Well, I rate it fairly high above average relatively to the cheapest blends (such as Tullamore D.E.W or Ballantines). And I even might choose it over some of the single malts as well.

Ok in Australia this is $40 and in that club this is an interesting dram. Nose has butterscotch, butternut biscuits, peat and a touch of ethanol weaved together. Not amazing but certainly enough going on to tell you this is not just another mass produced blend. Sweet toffee/butterscotch and vanilla moving to light tannin and like High Commissioner a touch of charcoal and spice, nicely balanced and very smooth for a blend. Cereal malt mixed with a herbal finish. It is lightly peated like the nose but again nice and refined dram at this price point. 3 stars or 88 points - top result for NAS blend.

A rather average blend, with a moderate touch of peat. A bargain at a fair price. Notes of honey flavor, biscuit, malt, pear?--perhaps. I was curious about this, so spent about $33 for 1.75 to have it shipped in from the west coast. It is pleasant enough at that price point to use as a "jug" scotch for parties, etc. However, for daily availaibility I will probably stay with Grant's Family Reserve, which I don't have to ship in.

A pleasant in-house blend from Loch Lomond. The nose is classic Loch Lomond - a little fruity, a little funky, a little butterscotch. The palate here, though, switches it up - while there are some of the sweet, butterscotch, vanilla, toffee, etc. notes that I expect from there, there is also a BIG savory, herbal quality to this one, too. It's a nice, rather different interpretation of the Loch Lomond personality!

The cheapest blend in the loch lomond range is actually a very drinkable whisky, with easy tasting notes without a hard alcohol note. Bottled at 40%abv, burnished gold color On the nose, honey, vanilla crest, apples. On the palate, honey, cinnamon, ashes. Aftertaste is medium long, a little herbal. Not much to say here, for the price, it is a good offer, not for critics but for drinkers. 65/100.