Loch Lomond 18 Year

Nose: Green Apple and Grapefruit. Palate: Dried Fig, Raisin, Apple. FINISH: Dried Tea and Tobacco Leaf.

I saw a three pack of 50 ml samplers for AUD$30. Thought, why not. Original was two nights ago and an acceptable launch point that set up an unceremonious fall last night with the 12. Now the 18 beckons. And I’m still sad from last night and my burnt palate! N: off to a poor start with a weak profile. Some feint honey, dusty/musty oak and a little malty cereal. Drying and with a little acetone this is not the best. P: Still some of the 12s burning inferno but its not nearly as bad, its definitely tempered. Abruptly malty and a little sour. There is a background iodine peat note but without any smokiness. It feels thin and a little watery, which is a shame as they’ve bumped it to 46%. F: Moderate. The heat kicks about, but if you can be bothered to look there is more slightly sour malt to be found. Ever drunk water from a really old water fountain, probably at the back end of a high school corridor? That metallic coppery taste? Yeah, thats come to the party. A good hit of water has lifted the nose and there is some welcome sweetness. The palate cools off and there is a pleasant smoke with an increase in body and fullness (thats odd). Water has killed off the finish leaving heat high and far back on the throat. Ultimately another fail. Better than the 12, sure. Thats easily achieved by most things though, like dirty dishwater, or an oily puddle. I could offer more suggestions but it is making me sad again. For 18 years this is rough, lacks depth, flavour, or a well managed profile. If you need almost as much water in your glass as whisky to make it approachable then somethings very wrong indeed. My own fault I guess, the price of AUD$115 for an 18 year old should of set the alarm bells ringing for the Australian market. Stick with the LL Original at half the price; that at least is interesting (although I still don’t know if I like it). (Kenyanthrops platyops in picture because thats just how I roll). Distiller whisky taste #90

Nice little "budget" 18 year old. Nose - A mix of some funk, oak, and citrus peat bog. Really interesting nose, I'm not sure what is going on here. It has an almost meaty umami thing mixing with apricot fruits and some smoke over wax. Taste - Citrus, tea, smoke, oak, and then this amazing rich smokey and charred oak finish. What a delightful and unexpected whisky given the low prices, I had ZERO expectations here. Really rich, vibrant, and yeah look...this has some competing notes. Is the citrus, smoke and funk all playing nicely? Nah...it's a bit disjointed. The mouth feel is great on the finish but it could be better up front. I can see where you'll get some weird notes, and this will likely not do well after certain food So yeah not a perfect whisky, but it's a dang fun and complex whisky. It's reasonably priced and I think I'd buy it again. 3.0

Interesting!

This was a nice surprise. It reminded me of the Glenmorangie 18. The nose is fruity, with honey, caramel, and citrus notes. The palate surprised me, as I was not expecting peat (it was written on the box, but I don't read the box until I try the whisky), but it's pleasant, as the sweet notes from the ex-bourbon cask mellow the whisky through the finish. There's something medicinal on the back end, but the finish welcomes a spicy touch.

Nose: light peat and smoke, vanilla, green apples, sweet fruit. Palate: very dense, pleasantly peaty with a yellow melon, raisin and honey aftertaste. Medium-long finish where the peat disappears to give way to an enveloping full malt flavor. Good but without peaks of excellence that I had found instead in 21yo. Rating 4.00 ________________________________________________________ Naso: leggera torba e fumo, vaniglia, mele verdi, dolce alla frutta. Palato: molto denso, piacevolmente torbato con un retrogusto al melone giallo, all’uvetta ed al miele. Finale medio lungo dove la torba sparisce per lasciare posto ad un avvolgente sapore di malto pieno. Buono ma senza vette di eccellenza che avevo trovato invece nel 21yo. Voto 4,00

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, or Kilchoman Sanaig so why on earth would you buy this poor sad thing? “Adequate, just barely, but definitely not recommended” : 70/100 (2 stars)