One of the more surprising whiskies I’ve tried in recent months. I’m not sure what I expected from the Loch Lomond 25 Years, but it wasn’t this. Released in the first half of 2024, this iteration combines two distinct spirit styles produced at Loch Lomond Distillery.
Most importantly, the Loch Lomond 25 Years was made entirely in the distillery’s straight-necked pot stills. If you haven’t heard of these stills, they have traditional base but are outfitted with straight necks with rectifying plates. They were originally designed by Duncan Thomas for Littlemill distillery, but also installed at Loch Lomond in 1966.
A second set of straight-necked pot stills was installed in the early 1990s. From that point on Loch Lomond started to look at new flavour styles by changing the cut points and also by using different levels of peat in its malted barley. I’ll let Michael Henry, the distillery’s master blender, explain further.

“We started to use not only unpeated, but medium peated and heavily peated malted barley. And we started to run the heavily peated malt through the still at a high collection strength. So, it was only from 1993 onwards that we had the heavily peated malt going through the still with the most selective distillation style, with really high cut points from 90 to 80%.”
With a view to recognising that change in approach, the distillery launched the Loch Lomond 25 Years. In terms of spirit composition, it is made from 60% unpeated malted barley distilled in the straight-necked pot still and collected at 90 to 80% strength. The other 40% is heavily peated malt at 50 ppm. Also distilled in the straight-necked pot still and collected at 90 to 80% strength.

“Both use the same distillation style, but different levels of peat in the malted barley. Putting heavily peated malt through our straight-necked pot still at the high collection strength, that gives us the most unique peat character that Loch Lomond has.”
“The straight-necked pot still controls the phenols that pass from the body of the still through the neck and into the new make spirit. Because we’re working with a very selective style of distillation, it holds back the big aggressive phenols, the medicinal and TCP phenol character. It allows some smoke through and it concentrates […] the spicy peat character, the cloves, aniseed, and vanilla type flavours that we get from the peat.”
Both the heavily peated and unpeated spirit then matured separately in 100% refill bourbon casks. After vatting the two spirit styles together, they were left to marry in refill bourbon again.

Loch Lomond 25 Years (46%, OB, 2024)
Nose: Touches of cloves, some mint and a small amount of vanilla custard, but also stewed pears, barley sugar and candied fruits. The soft smoke weaves in and out. There’s a hint of coconut too, then just a sliver of wet pebbles and a few wildflowers.
Taste: A rather oily mouthfeel. Big tick! Aniseed and other fresh herbs, accompanied by a sliver of gorse, quinces and waxes. Also gentle tropical notes here. Come to think of it, there is something not unlike Bowmore to this Loch Lomond, which is just so unexpected.
Finish: Medium length. Hints of wood smoke. Somewhat dry at times. But also sweet fruits.
Sample provided by Loch Lomond