Loch Lomond 18 Year

Sweet and confectionary. Sweet vanilla, caramel, wet wood, yet fresh and forward. Feels basic, for an 18 year old, but quite all right!

Wow, this smells so much richer and better than Loch Lomond Original. The nose has a bit of that socks richness with a hint of smoke and some apples. It smells kind of interesting, but a tad unbalanced. There's a fair amount of grass on the nose and also some malt. The flavor has a lot more peat (and some smoke) than expected. There's also a tartness and some real waxiness like Clynelish. The discordant nature doesn't really suggest an 18 year old spirit, but it's still interesting and tasty. The mouthfeel is unfortunately a bit watery though and that watery presence pervades. It's hotter than it should be too. For a 12, it's quite good, but I expect more from an 18. The richness is good though and I do get some hints of complexity out of it in the malt and grass. The richness really works here even though the flavor isn't tremendously full. Distiller is right about this being a dusty scotch, though they are wrong about it being fruity. Well, they say that raisins are key Tonite fruitiness, but they also say it isn't very fruity and I guess I do agree with both. Actually, a little bit of orange peel comes out too - just a tad. The finish is nicer than I expected, with some waxy Clynelish flavor. I think this is about on par with Clynelish 14, but apparently I currently have Clynelish 14 rated at 19 and I don't think that that is correct - it's more like a 16 or so. This is pretty similar in quality. It's interesting and decently complex, but there's no great flavor and a couple are questionable. Definitely drinkable, but not amazing. The heat is also a bit much for this age, though the proof does validate it a bit. At the finish, there is some nice floral and vanilla character. It works out alright.