Easily one of the most interesting distilleries in Scotland, Loch Lomond has delighted me with a number of tasty whiskies over the past year or two. The new owners that took over a few years ago have lifted this former ugly duckling out of obscurity.
Like with GlenAllachie, you now start to see more independent bottlings of Loch Lomond whiskies. Still not boat loads, mind you, but more nonetheless. One such example is the 9th Confidential Cask from Kintra. Sounds secretive indeed, yet its contents are no secret at all. This is an Inchmurrin from a first-fill bourbon cask.
Inchmurrin is a brand that’s produced at Loch Lomond, fully distilled in the distillery’s peculiar straight-necked pot stills. The spirit is distilled up to about 85 percent abv—much higher than in regular pot stills, where 69/70 percent is the norm. When done well, Inchmurrin can be a wonderful fruity whisky.
Inchmurrin 2007 10 Years Old (53.5%, Kintra 9th Confidential Cask, 234 bts.)
Nose: Red apple peel and fermented apple juice. There’s a slightly musty, earthy note and whispers of icing sugar, as well as a fair amount of cardboard and a touch of brown sugar. Even a whiff of chalk.
Taste: A very oily mouthfeel, and the apple notes make an encore, accompanied by some puff pastry and licorice. Quite aggressive too, as there’s a good amount of cracked black pepper corns.
Finish: Cardboard again, lingering for a long time. Hint of dried grass too, and a slight amount of white chocolate.
Score: 80
Certainly not your everyday malt. I’ve not had many to compare this one to, but this is what I imagine young Littlemill tastes like. I can’t help but think what this’ll be at 20 or 25 years of age. Probably very excellent.
Photo: Whiskybase
