Loch Lomond 12 Year Old

I’m rounding out my little ‘side quest’ through Loch Lomond’s whiskies with arguably their base expression - the 12-year-old from the core range (ie. not Inchmoan or Inchmurrin - confusing, I know). I covered the different ranges in this post a few weeks ago but essentially the core Loch Lomond range has a mixture of sweetness (accentuated in the Inchmurrin range) and just a hint of smoke (which is heavier in the Inchmoan range).

I was very grateful to have received this 20cl bottle as a gift (along with the Loch Lomond engraved glencairn glass) and it seems like a fitting way to round out my foray into some of the Loch Lomond expressions by finishing up where it starts. I’m sure this won’t be my last Loch Lomond whisky!

Bottle

As mentioned, the bottle I have is a 20cl gift bottle. It seems unfair to make any judgement on the full-sized bottle based on this! Basically, if it didn’t have whisky in it would probably be a bottle of Worcestershire sauce. Luckily the 70cl bottle of this expression comes in the same bottle as the 10, 12 and 14-year-old expressions that I’ve tasted recently. Be sure to take a look at these pages for my thoughts on that bottle - spoiler - I think it looks great!!

Colour

A classic middle-of-the-road, burnished colour for this whisky which undoubtedly has colouring added. At least it isn’t chill filtered.

Nose - A delicious vanilla note is the main component here but beyond that, there is a slight sharpness - think about cutting a granny smith apple in half - it’s a little like that. It gives a lovely balance to the sweetness.

Palate - The apple note continues here but it is not as tart as the nose suggests. More like baked apples but without a lot of added sugar. There is a cereal or biscuity note that sits in there too.

Finish - A relatively short to medium finish. Some of the biscuit lingers but it is sweet too. Any smoke is very, very subtle.

Overall

I am just loving these Loch Lomond whiskies. There is a real variety among their selection of expressions and I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. I’m pretty sure if you’re patient you could pick this up for less than £40 and at that price it is great value for money. The bottle design is excellent and these bottles look great lined up on a shelf. The whisky has plenty of character especially if you explore the other lines for more or less smoke.

Loch Lomond may well be pushing its way into being one of my favourite distilleries - I’m daydreaming about a distillery visit and what I could pick up in their shop!

If you do give this a go, let me know what you think about it or any of the other Loch Lomond drams. Slàinte mhath.