4 January 2025
Loch Lomond 14 Year Old
As I fall down this rabbit hole of Loch Lomond’s whisky, the next stop for me is the 14-year-old “Spiced Apple and Soft Smoke”. I’ve been so impressed by the last two bottles I’ve tried (Inchmoan 12yr and Loch Lomond 10yr) so I’m really looking forward to this. I’m coming to the realisation that Loch Lomond is a pretty unique distillery. Their selection of expressions is vast and in addition to their pot stills, they also have Coffey and column stills giving them so much variation in the spirit they can produce. Let’s take a closer look at this 14-year-old and see what it brings.
Bottle
The bottle styling here is the same as the aforementioned 10 yr and 12 yr, but I still love it. I’m not a huge fan of the mauve (??, magenta, I'm not sure!) colour on the label and neck foil, but it is certainly distinctive from the orange and blue of the previously observed bottles. The same embossed stag’s head stands proudly on the shoulder of the bottle, which I still love!
Colour
Despite the mention of the use of non-chill filtration on the bottle, there is no attestation of a lack of colouring, so I am assuming that colouring is added in some quantity. It does give the dram a lovely (if probably artificial) muscat or nearly tawny colour.
Nose - The orchard fruits are the first thing I notice here. I would even say stewed apple with a slight caramelly scent. There’s depth too with some woody tones and a little spice.
Palate - The sweetness is really at the front of this dram - toffee and caramelised apples almost like a sweet tarte tatin. Lots of flavours of Christmas here so a hint of cloves and maybe a little sweet ginger. The smoke really is soft here, extremely subtle but a lovely undertone to the dram.
Finish - The smoke remains gentle on the long finish to this dram. There’s warm oak and some clove or aniseed mixed into the last lingering flavours, a beautiful end to a fine sip.
Overall
As I’ve said a few times now, Loch Lomond is really impressing me with its breadth of offerings especially in its core range. This bottle of 14-year-old spirit, priced at a little over £50, is pretty good value for money (even better if you can find it for under £50 on offer). The whisky is delicious and it feels like a bit of a hidden gem to me. The distillery has the ability to experiment so much with its range of stills but the spirit it produces is really great! Could this be my new favourite distillery?
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Fancy another dram?
Glenmorangie 14 Year Old - Quinta Ruban
Glenmorangie is a name even non-drinkers recognise, and the Quinta Ruban is their port-finished Highlander — now 14 years old after extending its time in ruby port pipes to four years. Port finishes can be hit or miss, so does this one earn its benchmark reputation? Expect dark fruits, chocolate-covered cherries and a silky, non-chill-filtered texture, with gentle spice keeping the sweetness honest.
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 (not Inchmoan or Inchmurrin, confusing I know). As I covered a few weeks ago, the core range blends a little sweetness with just a hint of smoke. So how does the entry point hold up?
Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12 Year Old
Loch Lomond makes a bewildering variety of whiskies, and the Inchmoan is their peated strand. The 12 turned out to be a real highlight: a gentle, syrupy nose gives way to a bolder palate of smoked bacon, black pepper and bonfire embers over creamy malt, with a long, warming finish touched by dark chocolate. Smoke and sweetness in fine balance — and keenly priced.