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!

As we start 2025, the first bottle I’m opening is another first for me - a special edition. All of the bottles that I have tried so far on this journey have been from core ranges from readily available distilleries. However, as I’ve gone down this rabbit hole with Loch Lomond today’s whisky is their 2024 Cooper’s Collection expression, the annual release from Master Blender Michael Henry.

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 12 yr and Loch Lomond 10 yr) 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 produce. Let’s take a closer look.

Loch Lomond is surely the Scottish distillery producing the widest variety of whiskies. Their whiskies fall into one of three ranges each with its own subtlely different brand. So Loch Lomond’s core range comes in a few options. There are three 12-year-olds and today we’re diving into arguably the most beloved - the peated Inchmoan 12-year-old.

I was recently gifted this vivid orange bottle of Loch Lomond 10-year-old. I went to do a little research online and was surprised, and a little confused, to find that it is not available in any of the usual specialist whisky retailers (in the UK at least). It is, however, available through all the major supermarkets (Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsburys, etc). I think this is the first time I’ve ever come across, what I would consider to be, a core range product that is only available through high street retailers. I am intrigued! And is it any good?

From one of my favourite distilleries to visit, comes this 15-year-old expression. It’s the big brother to the quirky (and previously reviewed) Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold and is a much more straightforward whisky. Where Winter’s Gold has its unusual marketing gimmick of being served ice cold, straight from the freezer (read about my experience with this here), today’s whisky is a regular age statement, run-of-the-mill whisky. But is that a good thing? Let’s find out.

This may well be the strangest bottle of whisky I’ve come across so far on my journey. The Singleton brand is owned by Diageo and is actually made up of whiskies from three different distilleries: Glen Ord, Glendullan and Dufftown - confusing already! We’re tasting the Dufftown version here which is extremely widely available in the UK but confusingly, Diageo’s own website (Malts.com) says it only exists at 43% - I can’t find it available at anything other than 40%. Not a straightforward start - let’s take a look at the whisky though.

Aberlour is one of my favourite distilleries. It was where it all started for me; I fell in love with whisky following a tour of the quaint old distillery whilst on a road trip of Scotland many, many years ago. I love the bottle designs, the flavours, the distillery buildings themselves - I’m a fanboy. The most contemporary addition to the Aberlour core range is the Aberlour 14 which was added to the 12, 16 and 18 back in early 2021. I’m eager to find out how much I love it(!) and how it completes the family…

The last month of 2023 saw the release of this new, no-age-statement whisky from Glen Moray. The distillery is famed for its good value whisky available at very reasonable prices and this is no different - available (if you can find it) for around £30. The unique selling point of this expression is the ‘unusual’ way it is matured. The ‘Phoenix Rising’, a reference to the mythical bird that rises from the ashes, is a nod to the fact that the whisky is finished in new, heavily-charred oak barrels with the intention of adding spice to the classic Glen Moray whisky; let’s find out if it delivers…

A few months ago I visited the Cotswolds Distillery and heard all about owner Dan Szor’s passion for whisky and locally-sourced barley. As with many other new English distilleries when they started distilling in 2014 they needed to produce gin alongside their whisky in order to have something to sell while the whisky lay dormant, maturing. Their gin was what first propelled them into the mainstream, winning multiple awards and is arguably what they are best known for, but whisky is truly at the heart of this distillery. Let’s find out if it’s any good…

A few months ago I tasted and reviewed Talisker Skye, one of the three entry whiskies from the distillery. Today we are tasting one of the other two - the 10 year old bottling. Despite there now being three entry whiskies from Talisker, the 10 year old expression is their flagship bottling and has been for decades. Maybe tasting this will help explain why Talisker has chosen to put the Skye, Storm and 10 year old all at the same price point.