Loch Lomond Original

Due to a combination of very fat thumbs, aggressive scrolling, and an apparent inability to differentiate between the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’, I deleted my original taste of this odd liquid from October the 11th. Distiller, it turns out, does not keep server copies of reviews. Once deleted, the notes are but a memory. This bugged me. I’m heading towards one hundred distiller tastes when I will be using my accumulated EXP points to level up to ‘Level 2 whisky amateur’. What I recall of this whisky is that it provided me with a flavour profile in the mid palate that I couldn’t wrap my head around, I think I left it as non-distinct meaty stew. I don’t think I sided on a like or dislike outcome either, just a ‘curious’ distinction. So, determined not to lose a review and get in the way of my special dram saved for number 100 I went out and bought another Loch Lomond 50 ml three pack. I’ll give the 12 and 18 to someone I intensely dislike, or maybe the neighbours rabbit or something, theres some grease on my garage floor that I guess I could clean with these too. But this original; well, I’m going back in for a second round. N: Upfront this feels oily and dusty. There is a very gentle caramel and some nuttiness. There is also some citrus spray. The more whiffs I get the stronger a sweet and generic fruit comes out that also becomes progressively more malty. Its just OK, nothing more, nothing less. P: Initially this fills the palate in a slightly thin but oily manner. This actually becomes fuller and slightly creamy with time held. Early on this leans towards sweetness with toffee and a touch of vanilla over malty biscuits. Some chilli prickle is here but its not aggressive. As sweet fades, savoury is more notable. This is where things get interesting. A deeply savoury and vegetal flavour is middling away. My wife is currently making vegetable stock in the kitchen, and there is a leafy-greens smell in the air. This is the flavour note. It’s dark green salad leaves and umami like meat stock that I am finding here. It’s interesting and layers pretty well with the sweeter elements. This is slightly better than I recall. I think the chilli was more prominent last time around, like in the 12. This is also far more mouth coating and full by the bottom of the pour, it really does seem to develop with constant sipping. F: Medium-long. Toasted malt, drying bitter-coffee and a slightly sour astringency. Possibly some marzipan. All ends on chilli though, high and far back on the palate. OK. This time around, I enjoyed this more than I remember. I wouldn’t buy a bottle even at only $56 though. I am still undecided if I actually like the savoury stew, and I think the nose is generic and the chilli exit is meh to off-putting. I am glad I got a second shot at this liquid, I feel I understand it better now. It’s not bad, for $56 I’d even say its good. But, it doesn’t speak to me and I’m not particularly excited by it. (Neanderthal in picture because thats just how I roll, well how I was rolling on The 11th of October when I first tasted and photographed this, this week I’m all about rocks that look like food stuff) Distiller whisky taste #88

Nose: Warm, oily malt extract, over-ripe fruit, rich dark soil. There’s a background note of orange but I don’t get any peat smoke from this – maybe an ashen or dusty aroma from either the distillate or barrel char, but it is very light and completely overshadowed by the big fruity malt character. Palate: Creamy, oily, sweet malt arrival with background notes of stout or porter. In the development there is toffee, dark fruit, oatmeal biscuits and a hefty, meaty flavour like spinach stewed in beef bouillon. Towards the finish I tasted buttered raisin toast, a pinch of salt and faint smokiness. This has very good weight … it’s a very full-bodied dram with mouth-coating oiliness. Finish: Medium. Sweet with a touch of balancing earthy sourness. Very satisfying. This is a surprisingly big whisky with authority and a mature quality that is unusual to find in an inexpensive NAS. It's malty, dense and very west-coast highland in style. It seems to be better than the last time I tasted it a few years ago. I doubt very much they are using older whiskies in the blend but something has changed. It has a similarity to Ben Nevis and it makes me suspect that Loch Lomond is the undisclosed supplier of malt whisky for the contemporary Nevis Dew blended scotch that is made by Ben Nevis using largely outsourced whiskies. I like this a lot. It has honesty, a down-to-earth quality and is lip-smackingly satisfying. It’s not a delicate, nuanced whisky but rather a big-hearted malt powerhouse that is pleasant to sip but cheap enough to use as a mixer. If you tasted this a few years back and were not impressed I'd recommend giving it another try. Tasted from a 3-pack of 50ml official distillery samples. “Above Average” : 81/100 (3 stars)

lock original berry and sweet. red raisin, 2.25 delicate and red fruity, sweetness and tinge of sourness, low pep 2 only because this is too delicate for me, slight bitterness but more of a grapey taste 2 oaky and boring 1 1.75 SO I AM REALLY EXCITED TO TRY THIS AFTER TRYING A BOTTLE OF SINGLE CASK WHISKY LOCH LOMOND 11 YEARS (LIMITED EDITION), AND THAT , B-L-E-W MY MIND, SO LETS SEE HOW THIS GOES INTERESTING GRAPE BERRY, CHERRY SWEETNESS, THE LACK OF SMOKE AND AND A PLAYFUL CANDY TWANGE TO IT, 3 COTTON CANDY, SODA SWEET DRINK, CORDIAL, DELICATENESS, LIGHT, NOT OILY, A VERY CLEAN FLAVOR SWEETNESS TO IT - SEEMS TO DEVIATE FROM THE COMPLEXITY THAT I HAD WITH THE LOCH LOMOND TSC 11YO CASK, BUT A RELEATIVELY INTERESTING DRINK 2.25 THIN AND LACK DEPTH AND SUSTAIN 2.25 2.5 BUT DOWNGRADE TO 2.25

After being aged in American oak, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the nose is all bourbon: spice and that sweet corn smell. The palate is light to medium bodied. Smooth. It’s sweet-ish and I think I can taste a bit of spice from the oak. But I can’t quite sus out a flavor. It’s like there’s the shadows of the players but I just can’t see them. The finish is a surprise, there’s a bit of smoke that comes through to linger on the first sip and there’s a bit of spicy pepper. The finish is long and pleasant. You know what? I didn’t have high expectations for this dram and I find myself pleasantly surprised. Not bad!

Solid baseline scotch. Nose is typical malt, slight ferment funk, slightly floral. Supposedly peated but I think even if you hate peat you would be hard bent to pick it out. Taste slightly sweet and typical single grain taste. Very middle of the road. Tiny bit of heat on the tongue. There is nothing offensive. What is there is pleasant and easy going but not one to blow your skirt up.

surprisingly sweet, with a bunch of delicate flowers and green peaches, and sharp punch of menthol in the aftertaste. Fumigation is very light, slightly irritating to the palate. cheap and relatively cool, but not Islay, a mid substitute