50 YEARS OF A UNIQUE SPIRIT: INTRODUCING LOCH LOMOND 50 YEAR OLD  

Loch Lomond Distillery is to release its oldest and rarest single malt whisky.

Limited to 60 decanters worldwide, the Loch Lomond 50 Year Old celebrates generations of dedication and craftsmanship and marks the pinnacle of the Loch Lomond Whiskies collection.

Borne of a place of rare beauty where the Scottish Highlands meet the Lowlands, this expertly crafted single malt was distilled in 1967 in the distillery’s remarkable straight neck stills, drawn from a single cask and bottled at 46.2% abv.

It has been quietly maturing, first in American oak hogshead and then in European oak hogshead for half a century at Loch Lomond Distillery in Alexandria, to create a whisky brimming with rich oak spice and tropical fruit, naturally deep amber in colour with beautiful clarity.

The distinctive nature of the Loch Lomond 50 Year Old is testament to the innovative distillation techniques, explains John Peterson, Production Director at Loch Lomond Distillery: “Our straight neck pot stills were unique in 1966 when they were first installed, and they are still unique to this day, providing us with greater control over the quality and flavour profile of the spirit.”

Crafting the Loch Lomond 50 Year Old single malt has been the work of Loch Lomond Master Blender, Michael Henry. He said: “The expectations are high when you are working with a whisky as special and scarce as this and it came with great responsibility, but selecting and perfecting this single malt was a true honour.  Our stills are synonymous with the fruity notes they give to the whisky. The Loch Lomond 50 Year Old has been granted the time to truly concentrate that character, resulting in a rich, tropical fruit flavour.”

Each hand-blown crystal decanter encasing the Loch Lomond 50 Year Old is presented in a bespoke chest created by ‘architects of objects’, Method Studio in Scotland.  The husband and wife team, Callum Robinson and Marisa Giannasi drew inspiration from the drama, romance and kinetic energy of Loch Lomond itself to create ‘The Tempest Chest.’

Hand-shaped in solid oak, leather lined and indigo-dyed until almost black in colour, the tactile, sculpted surface of each individually numbered chest is suggestive of water at twilight, with only a solid brass key visible from the exterior, mysteriously emerging from the surface to build intrigue. Inside, the bottle of Loch Lomond 50 Year Old rests carefully upon sculpted oak waves, alongside not an ordinary whisky miniature, but a solid turned brass vial, lined in glass and reminiscent of the straight neck pot still.

Callum Robinson, Creative Director at Method Studio, said: “There are few distilleries named after a body of water as opposed to a place, and we drew great inspiration from Scotland’s most romantic, dramatic and historic loch. The Loch Lomond 50 Year Old is borne out of a truly mystical place of wood, fire, water and metal and our aim was to harness this energetic, elemental group of ingredients to create something unique, and worthy of its heritage.

“Each chest is designed to capture, in a three dimensional object, the mood and movement of moonlight dancing on tempestuous water. This is mirrored in the language of the hand-blown decanter and its beautifully faceted hand-cut base, perfectly binding the two together. It was a privilege to create a vessel to house something so precious.”

Loch Lomond is a very special part of the world and Loch Lomond Whiskies take their influence from the physical beauty of their unique location.

Colin Matthews, CEO of Loch Lomond Group, said: “For 50 years the Loch Lomond Distillery has been one of Scotland’s best kept secrets.  With the launch of the 50 Year Old single malt, we are putting Loch Lomond firmly on the Scotch whisky map and we are proud to become one of a very select few distilleries in the world which have released a 50 year old whisky.”

The Loch Lomond 50 Year Old limited edition is priced at £12,000 and will be available to buy in the UK at the most prestigious independent specialists including The Whisky Shop, The Whisky Exchange, Royal Mile Whiskies and Master of Malt from December 2017.  It will also be on offer in global markets, including Singapore, Taiwan, China, Japan and Travel Retail. It can be pre-ordered by contacting fifty@lochlomondgroup.com

For further information visit www.lochlomondwhiskies.com

LOCH LOMOND 50 YEAR OLD TASTING NOTES

NOSE – Heady oak spice of clove and cinnamon with sweeter notes of sultanas and raisins with creamy vanilla fudge.

TASTE – Silky mouthfeel rolls over the tongue. Intense vibrant tropical fruit, fresh pineapple and ripe banana with a honey sweetness.

FINISH – Warming stem ginger, bursts of gooseberry and elderflower and waves of tangy grapefruit citrus.

About the Loch Lomond Group:

• Loch Lomond Group is an independent distiller based in Alexandria and is home to several award-winning spirit brands that are sold in more than 100 countries worldwide.
• Loch Lomond distillery has been producing the finest single malt whisky since 1814.
• Images and interviews with key staff from the Group are available upon request.
• www.lochlomondgroup.com

About the brands:

Loch Lomond Whiskies:

• Loch Lomond Distillery is linked to one of the oldest heritages in the industry. It was founded by American, Duncan Thomas, the owner of the Littlemill distillery licensed in 1772.  In the 1930s Duncan Thomas was at the forefront of innovation within the Scotch whisky industry and his innovative philosophy is ingrained into everything that is done at Loch Lomond to this day.
• Lomond 12 Year Old has been awarded Gold Medal status at 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
• Other expressions in this collection are Loch Lomond Original; Loch Lomond 18 Year Old; Loch Lomond Classic; Loch Lomond Signature and Loch Lomond Single Grain.
• Official social media accounts are Twitter: @LochLomondMalts Instagram: @lochlomondmalts

Loch Lomond Inchmurrin:

• Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 12 Year Old has been awarded Gold Medal status at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition; 2016 International Wine & Spirit Competition and 2016 World Whisky Awards
• Other expressions in this collection are Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 18 Year Old, Loch Lomond and Inchmurrin Madeira Wood Finish

Loch Lomond Inchmoan:

• There is a Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12 Year Old and Loch Lomond Inchmoan 1992 Vintage.

Other brands from the Loch Lomond Group:

• Glen Scotia Single Malt Scotch whisky (www.glenscotia.com Twitter: @GlenScotiaMalts)
• Littlemill Single Malt Scotch whisky (Twitter: @LittlemillMalt)
• Glengarry Single Malt Scotch whisky
• High Commissioner Blended Scotch whisky

·         Glen’s Vodka / Glen’s Platinum Vodka