Bizarre Loch Lomond whiskies created with witchcraft
Loch Lomond was not the stand of a distillery I would immediately run to when visiting a festival or something like that. The Scotch whisky industry has some ugly ducklings amongst them, and that is perfectly fine, since we can not all be stars like Talisker, Glenfiddich or Tomatin. On top of all that, Loch Lomond is also far removed from being the classic example of an idyllic location. You will find it somewhere in the business area of a town called Alexandria, near the south shores of – you guessed it – Loch Lomond. Releases were also not something to write home about. In short, Loch Lomond Distillery quietly did its thing in the periphery of the industry. They would pop up in quizzes sometimes as the answer to the question which distillery could, instead of just a single malt, actually produce a true single blend Scotch whisky. With grain and malt being produced, indeed Loch Lomond is quite unique.
Things started changing some 10 to 15 years ago. A major overhaul of the core ranges saw the introduction of Island Collections, featuring Inchmurrin and Inchmoan next to the trusted Loch Lomond single malt (and single grain). These two “islanders” are variations made at Loch Lomond, a distillery that utilizes traditional “swan neck” stills as well as a straight neck still. Loch Lomond single malt is made from a combination of spirits from these stills. Inchmurrin comes totally from straight neck distilled spirit, and Inchmoan is a heavily peated expression made from a mixture of the two still types.
Inchmurrin (and Loch Lomond) came on my radar when the WhiskyNerds asked me to help create text for the back labels of a series of three releases they were doing of a bourbon cask, a sherry cask and a combination of the two. This all happened shortly after the first time Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. My mind was there, and I thought it would be nice to dedicate each bottling to one of the branches of US government: Law, Order and Executive. Thus, the Trias Usquebaugh was born. Magical times!
So, what are we going to do today? Well, some buddies of mine found some exquisite single cask bottlings that we will taste below. I was so blown away by the younger one of the two, which my friends let me taste blindly, that we consequently all stocked up. These are the whiskies to hunt for, take it from me. For benchmark reasons, I will throw in one Inchmoan, as the single casks are supposed to be just that: the peater from the Loch Lomond Distillery.
Inchmoan 12 years old, bottled at 46 % abv
First things first: Matured in a combination of re-charred American oak and refill bourbon casks. Bottled in the island collection around 2017. I have read somewhere the peating level is 50 PPM, but I could not confirm this for a fact.
Upon Sipping: Lots of brine, dark wood and smouldering ashes. Fierce to nose, as if it was a cask strength bottling. Underneath the more obvious layers, you can find a fruity note, always wrapped in a blanket of smoke though. It is not without maritime notes, but it leans towards forest aromas. When it mellows in the glass, more classic Highland style notes emerge, with heather and honey at the forefront. One could also mistake this for a Campbeltown cousin actually. In short: complex and not one to pigeonhole. The taste is less complex, and therefor more straightforward in delivering peat mixed with distinct wood notes. The charring of the casks is a trick used in the next two bottlings we are going to taste, and it does give a unique flavour to Inchmoan. With time, the nose keeps on developing, offering wet clay and muddy circumstances. An incredibly complex nose for a core range 12 years old, it must be said. On the palate, the Inchmoan struggles a little, but is still very rewarding. Maybe a tad too bitter? Still, for peat lovers, this is a nice variation on well-known Islay themes. With water, a softer, fruitier side emerges.
Word to the Wise: Quite impressive as a core range offering by Loch Lomond, and by today’s standards certainly not the most commercial single malt. Just how we like it! This LL variant was carried into the new bottle / packaging range that was introduced not so long ago, so Inchmoan seems here to stay. Well deserved, if you ask me.
Score: 84 points.
SMWS 135.58 Bizarre yet bona fide, bottled at 54,9 % abv
First things first: Distilled on 20 June 2007 and bottled at 16 years of age. This Inchmoan, as the in-house SMWS number 135 tells us it is, received a three year finish in an HTMC-cask. This stands for “high toast, medium char” and refers to the cask treatment. 264 bottles were produced.
Upon Sipping: I think it depends on which aroma you are more sensitive when you start nosing, as to what you will pick up. The first things I get originates from the fruit bowl, with a big, fat, juicy passion fruit at the front coupled with mango. In the background, you can sniff up the charring, indeed some charcoal, sizzling meat and smoke. What an incredible combination! Especially when you realise all these elements are fully integrated with each other. Given time, you also get some flowers. The wood gets more pronounced, too, like furniture, and somebody did spill some ashes from his cigarette here. Eventually, we circle back to the tropical fruits. The fruity sweetness attacks the tongue straight away before a light alcohol bite sinks its teeth in you. That is all fine. The bratty side of this whisky is very pleasing. On the finish is where the true delight begins, when it goes down on that slide of passion fruit and overripe mango notes. This is perfection in a glass, and we have not even tried it with water yet.
A few drops in, the nose gives off a little mint, but not much changes beyond that. The taste has become more honeyed and sticky.
There are lots of waxes and some ginger. Inchmoan is a peated whisky, but I have to say it is very modest in this expression. One could almost wonder if it was not a mistake to label this as such. I would much sooner believe this is an Inchmurrin.
But on the other hand, one could argue that the peat and the cask treatment make for a development that can only be described as sorcery. The longer you leave this whisky develop in the glass, the more it turns into your toddler’s fruit shot of the day.
Word to the Wise: Modern whisky, old soul, really not unlike known legends of the Highland 1970s or dare I even say Islay 1960s. The SMWS started realising this notion too, when they released something similar (see below). The fruit is the defining factor for greatness here.
Score: 92 points.
SMWS 135.64 Witchcraft!!! Bottled at 53,2 % abv
First things first: Distilled on 18 March 2005 and bottled at 19 years of age. This Inchmoan, as again the in-house SMWS number 135 tells us it is, also received a three to four year finish in an HTMC-cask. Bottled for the Whisky Wanderers Festivals 2025.
Upon Sipping: Quite a difference with the “Bizarre” one above, in that this has peat-a-plenty! Weirdly enough, this truly feels like a straight line descendant of the Inchmoan 12. Lots of ozone, ashes and some creaminess too. You can already notice a sweet blanket hovering over the liquid, lots of honeyed notes and spareribs with a sweet glace. These honeyed notes continue on the palate, with a sweet hit on the middle of the tongue, before moving on to an ashy exit. I suggest adding some water, to really extract the million nuances that you could find in this glass. The charred pineapple is a favourite among them, but in the end it is a parade of smart impressions, really showcasing what cask treatment can create. With water, a slight maritime character is revealed, but it also leans towards hints of limestone. On which you dropped your jar of honey. It is dripping with juice in this glass, Winnie the Pooh would become an alcoholic if he got word of this bottle existing!
The more and more I drink from this Inchmoan, the more I get the feeling that the “Bizarre” was not an Inchmoan, like I said before. Because this expression really has much more peat in the eye of the storm. You could wonder who truly cares with two of these giants on the table.
Tasting now head-to-head with the Inchmoan 12, this “Witchcraft!!!” expression could serve as a chapter in ‘Maturation for Dummies’, so clearly is this a continuation of that core range expression.
Word to the Wise: SMWS is not shy to compare this to 1960s Islay style whisky, but I think this description is more fitting for the “Bizarre” expression. This one is much more dirty in style, with elements of fruit that refer more to ashy Caol Ila and sherried Ardbegs from the 1970s. Perhaps even a hint of Springbank. In any case, for the humble Inchmoan variant of Loch Lomond, praise could not be higher, could it? My friends and me stocked up, and so should you, might you find some bottles left.
Score: 90 points.