Tastes

Bottled for The Whisky List for their American Whisky Show virtual tasting event, 2021 Nose: Mint, cinnamon, dill pickle, thyme, sage, dusty oak. Large but a little harsh neat – water adds depth, a pillow-like softness, and much improves the oak notes in the background. Palate: A very sweet arrival with hot cinnamon and peanut brittle. Cherry, peppermint and a lot of black pepper in the development. The texture is good. Water transforms the palate by reigning in the heat, providing desperately needed balance, adding sweet notes and further expanding the density of texture. Finish: Short. Big peppery and spice notes from the palate but they tail out surprisingly fast. An enjoyable enough rye. The nose is the best part, having an enfolding density that promises an interesting palate, particularly once watered. However this promise is unfulfilled in the mouth and the whiskey proves to be merely hot and intense, overly so, and unbalanced when neat. A dash of water is imperative and works miracles by substantially softening and sweetening the palate. There is some development but no length when neat, the intense palate fading quickly and leaving almost no residual taste apart from a peppery tingle. However, once again, water greatly improves the finish. As a neat dram I’d describe this as barely average but once watered it is far more enjoyable and gains at least a whole point in rating, however it is overpriced in our market. Tasted from a 20ml sampler. “Above Average” : 3.25 stars

Bottled for The Whisky List for their American Whisky Show virtual tasting event, 2021 Nose: Earthy, stewed apples, cinnamon sugar, cornbread, a hint of wintergreen and musty oak. Palate: Fruity and spicy arrival. Sweet but with a lot of dry baking spice which amplifies in the development. Overbrewed black tea and a little lemon extract. The texture has weight but is drying to the point of astringency and so seems lighter. Finish: Short. There are toasted oak and burnt marshmallow notes but it’s not what I would call a long finish, just a lingering aftertaste of char and citrus. A nice enough bourbon but less interesting than I had expected. What is there is good but on the whole it seemed two-dimensional, even hollow. A dash of water improved it by softening the presentation and allowing both nose and palate to expand, but it never gained substance and certainly did not seem like a 10 year old whiskey. I’d be happy to taste this again and it’s probably a good mixer but I would not buy a bottle, particularly at the outrageous local price. Tasted from a 20ml sampler. “Good” : 3.5 stars

Re-review Nose: Apples, pears, vanilla, malt, marmalade, sandalwood, and a buttery oak quality. This always has a dependably pleasant nose but it seems a little more restrained than the last time I tried it (2017 review here). Palate: Sweet, light malt and caramel entry. Very appealing. However after the solid start it stalls and there is little happening in the mid-palate. Some weak black tea and notes of anise or liquorice do show up but there is also a harsh, sour flatness that is coming from the grain whisky. The texture is a little weak and hard. Finish: Short. The sour tea character extends into the aftertaste which becomes ever so slightly metallic. On nosing I always get the impression that there is something very accomplished in the background of all Johnnie Walker blends. I think it’s the skilful balance between north-east highland malts contributing waxy and herbal notes, and fatter, sweeter malts from Speyside. What I am noticing in this batch however is a singular lack of Caol Ila. The smoke is quite muted here, in fact it’s barely peat-reek at all and more like chimney soot. For me JW Black Label has been a perennial benchmark for mid-shelf blended scotch, but I’m not finding this bottle as good as the one I had 5 years ago. The profile drift is distinct and although it’s still a more than acceptable mixing or session whisky I’m rating it slightly lower this time. “Acceptable” : 2.25 stars

Nose: Mild grassy, cereal aromas for the most part. A little vanilla and some floral/fruity orchard notes but it’s a bit too laid-back for its own good and you can easily smell the grain whiskey component (especially on the dry glass). Given time in the glass it expands, but not a great deal, and a drop of water helps as well. Palate: Sweet, cereal, malty arrival that is pleasant but one-dimensional. Butterscotch and barley sugar show up in the development but overall the palate is lacklustre and a bit thin. The texture is silky but watery. Finish: Short, fast. The palate quickly dies out into a simple ethanol aftertaste. A generic lower-mid shelf Irish blend that displays all the better profile characteristics of its class and mercifully none of the faults. Boann distillery only ran their first spirit in 2019 so this is a sourced product. They are coy about this aspect of their operations and don’t divulge their sources, but it seems to me very much like a blend of Bushmills malt with grain whiskey (which could have come come from almost anywhere). Although pot-still whiskey is not listed as a component on the label I did get a characteristic aroma of unmalted barley on the nose, but maybe this is coming from the grain whisky. Anyway, this is average and underachieving stuff, but it is admittedly very easy to drink. Adding water makes it even more accessible and also amplifies the sweet notes throughout, bringing out a caramel fudge flavour. This is a perfectly acceptable session whiskey but at the price it is directly competing with Bushmills Black Bush which is a better whiskey in every respect. While I was tasting this I kept thinking how much better it might have been if the malt content had been 35% instead of only 20%. With a bit more presence it would score a whole point higher. “Acceptable” : 2.25 stars

Nose: Polished floorboards, waxed wardrobes, cigar boxes and cedar chests. An intensely cask-driven nose. Beneath the wood veneer you find a hidden compartment containing dried fruits, walnut liqueur, chocolate toffee and coffee beans. There is a wisp of ethanol from the grain whisky that slices through the heavier aromas. When watered the nose becomes much softer but be careful as it can drown in the blink of an eye. Palate: A semi-sweet but astringent entry with bright citric spice notes. It’s almost like barley sugar sprinkled with orange oil and crystals of citric acid, it’s so sharp. Tannin suddenly emerges in the mid palate accompanied by toffee, brown sugar, hot cinnamon, ginger and white pepper. Fruity oloroso sherry notes come through next and the texture is waxy (but the palate is so forceful you almost don’t notice it). Water softens the palate but the tingle of tannic spice is still present with dilution. Finish: Long. Spicy and lingering with sour apple and bitter marmalade. Tannins prickle the tongue well into the aftertaste, which is drying but just on the good side of bitter. A very big, loud, blended scotch that is a million miles away from the introductory bottlings of Dewers, Johnnie Walker, Ballantine and their ilk. However I would not call this an “old-school” blend. It is far too extroverted and intense and bears no resemblance whatsoever to something like Old Parr, Haig Gold Label or Nevis Dew. The closest blend I can think of is Black Bull, but that has a more rounded profile and is not nearly as tannic. The nose is not unlike that of a malt whisky, the only thing betraying its nature as a blended scotch being raw, thin alcohol from the grain whisky component, but it’s not at all intrusive. The palate is big and bold with an aggressive thread to its character and for all its forceful personality it feels a little young. You can enjoy this whisky neat but I’d recommend ice and a splash of water or club soda. It responds well to dilution, the bright tannic notes preserving its balance at lower strength. It’s not my favourite upper-shelf blend but I’m certainly enjoying it, however I think this bottle will be enough and I probably won’t replace it once it is done. Then again, having written that I’ve just poured another dram. Hmm. “Good” : 3.5 stars

Nose: Green apples, pears, slightly feinty with a hint of acetone and fruit salad that is starting to go off. Sweet and rounded but not very complex. Palate: Warm, sweet arrival, a little yeasty and cardboard-like but pleasant. The fruit notes from the nose are apparent in the mouth as well but there is virtually no development, the arrival just flows into the aftertaste. The texture is creamy in the same way vodka is creamy. Finish: Medium/short. A slightly herbal and very faintly metallic character. There is that old fruit note again, like apricot segments from a tin that has been opened for several days, but it is not unpleasant. Vit Hund is Swedish for “white dog” and that is exactly what this is … sort of. White dog traditionally referred to new-make bourbon or rye spirit but this is malted barley spirit which has traditionally been called clearic or just new-make spirit. However I’m splitting hairs and I don’t think anyone would fail to understand that this is raw, unaged proto-whisky straight off the still with no cask maturation … sort of. It’s actually “tempered” new-make as it has been diluted down from still-strength to 46.1% abv. The nose has a definite familiarity for any whisky drinker but it is also alien. All of the wood contribution aromas are missing and we are so used to smelling those in any whisky it seems weird when they are absent. I’ve seen reviews comparing this to grappa, vodka and other white spirits but what it clearly most resembles is genever, and if you know that spirit you will instantly recognise the similarity. You can’t compare this to whisky as it is so very different so it must be judged against itself or other samples of new-make. Tasting new-make is something I’d encourage every enthusiast to do at least once (and frankly whenever the opportunity arises). It will give you a singular impression of what the distillate is contributing to a whisky and this is a good example of new-make to try. It is pleasant neat or over ice, and it is an excellent mixer. I have tried it in a variety of drinks that are usually based on whisky, bourbon, rye, gin and vodka and it works in every case. Conservative drinkers may sneer at the results but I think most enthusiasts will find them interesting at the very least, and possibly even compelling. For example, I’ve been enjoying this very much as a substitute for gin in a G&T or white rum in a white old fashioned. I enjoyed this and while it won’t become a staple in the bar I would definitely buy it again if I saw it and was in the mood. “Good” : 3.5 stars

Nose: Yeasty bread, uncooked oatmeal. It’s dry and feinty rather than sweet. Apple skins, lemon zest, ginger, cut grass and sawdust. I don’t detect any peat smoke at all, maybe just a hint of barrel char. It’s a rather nervous nose but curiously flat at the same time, at least when neat. Maybe a dash of water helps it? Oh yes, that’s better. The nose relaxes with a teaspoon of water. Palate: Spicy, hot malt with beer-like fermentation notes in the arrival. A sour development follows with astringent orange peel and rolled-oats the dominant flavours. The texture is OK but watery. A teaspoon of water improves the palate, adding balance (and texture, curiously) and smoothing off most of the prominent youthful roughness. A thread of wood smoke comes out in the palate and the heat is mercifully subdued. Finish: Medium/short. Sour, hot and slightly bitter cereals fading out to a sour tannic note that borders on metallic with wet cardboard overtones. With dilution it becomes more acceptable and the harsh notes are tamed, but the aftertaste is the same. Age is not a guaranteed indication of quality. Here is the proof. The nose on this is unusually bright and sharp for an 18 year old single malt and there is a significant lack of positive cask involvement. It does not suggest either maturity or complexity. The palate is similarly young in profile and does not offer a great deal. If you gave me this in a blind tasting and said it was 5 years old I’d believe you. Water improves this malt significantly. Drink it neat at your peril. I can see how this profile would appeal to some but it’s way outside my comfort zone. Add to that the fact that this costs an outrageous AUD$130 in Australia right now and I would certainly not recommend it. To me anyway, it is less impressive than the 12 year old, which in turn was less enticing then the much cheaper Original (malt) and Reserve (blended) offerings from Loch Lomond. Over here, for $130 you can buy Argbeg Uigeadail, Port Charlotte 10, Laphroaig Triple Wood, Kilchoman Sanaig or Springbank 10 (if you can find any). So why on earth would you buy this poor sad thing? “Adequate, just barely, but definitely not recommended” : 1.5 stars

Re-taste. Nose: Leathery malt, orchard fruits, a little vanilla and the beery note I get in almost all Loch Lomond. Pencil shavings and fresh-cut planks. It’s a good nose but a little shy. Palate: Sweet initially but very quickly turning quite hot and developing a sharp, uncontrolled spiciness that is not to my taste. Hot cinnamon and chili spice, apple and some unfortunate sour notes that continue into the finish. The texture is lightly oily. Finish: Medium. Sour IPA beer and apple vinegar. The nose is the best part of this, having a pleasantly fresh malty profile, but sadly the palate fails to live up to expectation. I last tasted this just over 3 years ago when I gave it 3 stars but I don’t think this current edition is as good. It’s raw, harsh and the spicy heat on the palate has become intrusive and is not corrected by dilution (that just dials up the sourness). Loch Lomond is a very large distillery that runs a variety of still types. Each produces a distillate with a different profile and these are mixed in various combinations to produce their array of whiskies. The curious thing is that I much prefer their bottom-shelf blended scotch (Reserve) and the bottom of their range of single malts (Original) to their more expensive age statement expressions. This is generally around AUD$75, which is reasonable for a 12 year old whisky over here, but I don’t think it is particularly good value at that price and I have seen it for as much $100, which is crazy. Their NAS "Original" single malt is only $50 and for me it has better balance and no trace of the sour finish you find on this. It would be interesting to know the proportions of their various distillates in this as opposed to the Original, and whether the difference between the two expressions is due to the spirit or is coming from the casks. Tasted from a 3-pack of 50ml official distillery samples. “Acceptable” : 2 stars

Re-review. Nose: Warm, oily malt extract, over-ripe fruit, rich dark soil. There’s a strong 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, round 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 and a pinch of salt. This has excellent weight … it’s a very full-bodied dram with mouth-coating oiliness. Finish: Medium. Sweet with a touch of balancing earthy sourness. Very satisfying. I reviewed this in December 2018 and my tasting notes from then are close to my current thoughts. This is a big whisky - malty, dense and very west-coast highland in style. Back then I thought it lacked complexity and rated it as “average” but I feel the current batch is sufficiently improved to warrant an extra point. It is still a straightforward, lower-shelf malt but there is authority and almost a kind of maturity to it now. I doubt very much they are using older whiskies but something has changed. This whisky has a notable similarity to Ben Nevis and it makes me suspect more than ever 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 delightful to sip but cheap enough to use as a very flavourful 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. Reviews of the 12 and 18 year coming. “Good” : 3.5 stars