Loch Lomond 12 Year

Surprisingly flavorful for price

I first rolled the LL12 out at a tasting with friends. After 20+ years of tastings, this one shocked us all. If one were blindfolded and knew nothing about it, one would think that this is an exceptional $100 bottle of whisky. I won't go through the tasting details here, just know this: my friends rushed out and cleaned out the local supply the next day. Weeks later, we did a head-to-head between the LL12 and the LL15. Don't waste the extra money on the 15, as it is good, but the 12 is better. I would score it a 4 for nose, taste, finish, etc., but for value it bumps up to a 4.5. It is the BEST value in the market at present, with nary a close second.

Not sure there is a better value for a lightly peated single malt. Fruity, and the peat shows up as a slight smoke. For a blended scotch, the Great King Street Glasgow Blend is the same price here, but I prefer the Loch Lomond.

OK, I have a confession. I think my rating here is going the opposite direction of some of my other reviews, whereas I score drams lower when they don’t meet high expectations but this time, I went in with low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised by the nice balance and integration of the malt, cask and subtle smoke. One might wonder whether going in with a lower expectation set the bar such that it was easy to make a good impression. In all fairness, that’s possible. What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander? Let the vfm debate rage on. Let’s dive in to the actual experience shall we. The nose is balanced, oscillating between orchard fruits, caramel and vanilla goodness. The palate continues the balance of bourbon-like flavors. Comes across a bit creamy. A surprising appearance of VERY subtle peat-like smoke makes an ever so fleeting appearance mid-palate and finish. As mentioned, for a lesser-known 12Yr old highlander, I was expecting a so-so experience. Not helped by the fact that I picked up a liter-sized bottle from Heathrow dufry about 4 years ago (you all know my PoV about 1-liter dufry whiskeys...check Nikka from Barrel review). Don’t remember the exact amount I paid but it was less than £40. So as I’m tasting this, I’m thinking my mind (ummm, more like my tongue) is playing tricks on me and I’m not tasting what I’m tasting. I keep waiting for a gotcha moment like any minute now, it’ll all come crashing down but every time I go back for a pour or sip, it stands up to the test. It feels like I’m tasting 4 star dram but the specs suggest otherwise. This definitely punched above its weight class. Only knock is the shorter than normal finish and average complexity. Still, a dram I didn’t have a lot to complain about and will gladly go back to. I know I’ll get skewered for this but I gotta let my taste guide me here. This is an easy 3.5 - 3.75star, possibly 4star dram. If you disagree, come at me bro. Jk jk. Cheers friends!

Nose: salted, smoked apricots with malt and a hint of must Palate: creamy entry, malty, orchard fruits, sweet and sour with a hint of vanilla and toffee Finish: medium length, smokey, warming and a bit spicy

Sweet confectionary. Sweet vanilla, caramel, wet wood, yet fresh and forward. Feels basic but quite all right! Also tasted the 15 year old that was no fun and not better than the 12 year old. The 12 year old is the sweet spot when it comes to value.

The smoke slightly overpowers the rest of the flavors for me. Still a good bang for the buck however.