Loch Lomond Whiskies Christmas Gift Guide 2022

Loch Lomond Whiskies Inchmoan 12 Year Old, 46% ABV, £45

Celebrating the soft smoke and warming spice elements of Loch Lomond’s signature style, Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12-Year-Old is a unique smoky expression with delicious notes of wood and peat smoke, roasted coffee, green apple with clove and aniseed spice on the finish.

This full-bodied expression is created from a combination of whisky from the distillery’s two pot still styles, before maturing in a mix of re-charred American oak and Bourbon American oak casks, giving it that rich warm flavour and making it the perfect expression to enjoy during the cold winter months.

Available at www.lochlomondwhiskies.com and specialist whisky retailers.  

Loch Lomond Whiskies 12 Year Old Perfectly Balanced, 46% ABV, £45

The perfect representation of Loch Lomond Distillery’s signature style, Loch Lomond 12-Year-Old Single Malt is created using the straight neck pot stills, which are unique to the distillery, and more traditional swan neck stills. The delicious result is a timeless spirit with notes of fruit, honey, and soft smoke, that can only be found in Loch Lomond Signature Malt Whisky.

Bottled at 46% and non-chill filtered to keep things as nature intended, this perfectly balanced expression offers delicious notes of peach and pear layered with vanilla sweetness and a gentle hint of smoke. The final finish is one that is medium in length, with a gentle wood smoke and a lingering tang.

Available at www.lochlomondwhiskies.com and specialist whisky retailers.

Loch Lomond Whiskies Inchmurrin 12 Year Old, 46% ABV, £45

Aged in three types of American Oak Casks, Loch Lomond Whiskies Inchmurrin 12-Year-Old reveals the fruit and sweet elements of Loch Lomond Distillery’s signature style, offering notes of peach, apricot, toffee and vanilla on the finish.

This single spirit style is brought together by master blender Michael Henry, created using the distillery’s unique straight-necked pot still, which is perfectly suited to capture the fruity flavour, ensuring that Loch Lomond Whiskies Inchmurrin 12-Year-Old can be enjoyed on its own or as a longer serve with ginger ale.

Available at www.lochlomondwhiskies.com and specialist whisky retailers.

Tasting notes:

Loch Lomond 12 Year Old

Nose: Crisp green apple, ripe pear and refreshing lemon, with background notes of golden cereal.

Taste: Orchard fruits and lemon meringue. The deep fruity character of pear leads into citrus, vanilla and light biscuit.

Finish: Medium in length with gentle wood smoke and a lingering peaty tang

Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12 Year Old

Nose: Dry peat smoke with vanilla syrup and black pepper

Tate: Sweet, medicinal peat and smoked bacon lead into roasted coffee bean with clove and star anise. Warming spiciness combines with green apple and pear

Finish: Long; waxy peat with citrus hope note and gooseberry

Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 12 Year Old

Nose: Distinctively fruity with pear drops and toffee sweetness. Light notes of freshly cut hay

Taste: Seville orange citrus notes build in intensity before mellowing into peach and apricot. The fruitiness then gives way to creamy fudge and vanilla

Finish: Medium length with peppery finish

About Loch Lomond Whiskies

• Loch Lomond Distillery has one of the oldest heritages in the industry. It was founded by American, Duncan Thomas, the owner of the Littlemill distillery which was 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
• The multi award winning Loch Lomond whiskies range includes the Loch Lomond 12-Year-Old which has been awarded the Platinum Award in 2020, one of only 7 single malts to be awarded this honour at the San Francisco World Spirits Challenge 2020. Other expressions in the range are the single malts Loch Lomond Original; Loch Lomond Classic; Loch Lomond 18-Year-Old; Loch Lomond 50-Year-Old; the Loch Lomond Island’s Collection which includes the Inchmurrin and Inchmoan ranges as well as the deluxe blend Loch Lomond Signature and Loch Lomond Single Grain
• Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12-Year-Old has been awarded Best Highland Single Malt 12 Years and Under at the 2018 World Whiskies Awards and a Gold Medal at the 2020 San Francisco 2020 Awards
• Loch Lomond Whiskies was recently also awarded the following medals at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition:
  • Double Gold Medal: Loch Lomond 21 YO and Loch Lomond 30 YO Single Malts
  • Gold Medals: Loch Lomond Signature Blended Scots, Loch Lomond 12 YO, 14 Yo and 18 Yo Single Malts
  • Silver Medals: Loch Lomond Single Grain and Loch Lomond Original Single Malt Whisky
  • Bronze: Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 12 YO Single Malt

GIVE THANKS WITH THE MOST AWARDED AMERICAN SINGLE MALT

There’s no better way to give thanks than over a glass of whisky. For this holiday season only, you can share all four of our most awarded American Single Malt expressions with the Courage & Conviction Signature Malt gift pack. Stock up now!

ORDER GIFT PACK

Edradour 2010
12 Year Old Sherry Cask

Spent twelve years maturing in a sherry cask before just 587 bottles were filled at 57% abv

An impressive addition any whisky lover’s collection. This expression was distilled on 25th June 2010 and spent twelve years maturing in a sherry cask before just 587 bottles were filled at 57% abv on 9th August 2022. This sumptuous single malt is bursting with flavours of baking spices and dried fruit. It is free from chill filtration and artificial colouring.

£112.00
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Mortlach 2002 19 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice

From the world-acclaimed Connoisseurs Choice range by G&M is this single cask Mortlach exclusively bottled just for us!

Released by renowned independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail as part of their Connoisseurs Choice series, this single malt Scotch whisky has been bottled exclusively for The Whisky Shop. The expression was originally distilled in 2002 at Mortlach distillery in Speyside. After spending 19 years in a refill bourbon barrel, this rare dram was bottled in May 2022 at 56% abv.

On the nose, there is spiced apple, fragrant vanilla, and dark honey. The palate is full of watermelon, citrus zest, and butterscotch before leading into the medium finish full of tropical fruit and oak.

£195.00
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Dalmore 2008 13 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice

A fruity dram with soft texture and a sweet taste overall, and a surprisingly spicy savoury finish

From the world-acclaimed Connoisseurs Choice range comes this Dalmore single malt whisky, independently bottled by Gordon & MacPhail exclusively for The Whisky Shop. Distilled in 2008, this expression has spent 13 years in a refill bourbon barrel before being bottled in May 2022 at 57.2% abv without chill filtration or added colouring. Highly limited, just 256 bottles have been produced.

“A mellow nosefeel, with light prickle. The initial impression is fruity – fresh apple, pear in syrup, fruit salad, a suggestion of raspberry jam – beneath this is a whisper of shortcrust pastry. A soft texture and a sweet taste overall, with a surprisingly spicy savoury finish. Little change with a splash of water, the finish now slightly tart.” – Whiskeria, Summer 2022

£140.00
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It’s been a few months since we last spoke and lots has been going on – not least the release of the Casks Of Lindores Oloroso Sherry Butt. We disgorged eighteen first-fill sherry butts, then diluted to our bottling strength of 49.4%. It’s a beautiful dram that rounds off the trilogy of the three casks we use at Lindores; if you haven’t yet had a chance to try it I strongly recommend you do.

October in the distillery is a great month and although I tempt fate, it’s possibly the easiest month to make spirit. The water temp and ambient temp are perfect and the process just hums.

Lorena , our blender, has been busy. Her nose and taste are used to give appraisal of private casks, a service that is well received. At the moment she is also evaluating where our core product MCDXCIV is on its journey of maturity. It’s amazing to observe a cask as it gains maturation in its early years – and then how big the subsequent changes. From 3yo to a 4yo is a huge jump. We know that the STR gives early maturation, so we have to make sure that our blend ratio of the three casks is correct to keep our chosen balance, so that a single type of cask does not become too dominant. Everything is calibrated against the highly discriminating measure of Lorena’s nose!

Last but not least in the team Colin and Charles strive to keep the quality of the spirit at the high standard we expect, whilst ensuring the yields of spirit are where we set our targets. All of that against the fact that everything is getting more expensive; it’s the old adage of getting balance between quality / quantity / cost. All three are directly linked, but the ethos at Lindores is that the quality of the spirit MUST always remain. Drew made this promise a few years ago and it’s a promise we will always want to keep.

Next month we should be able to tell you about our next special run of malt; and also some other things we are looking at to keep us progressive while still ensuring that the past informs the future. Until then stay safe, stay well!

Slàinte
Gary Haggart
Distillery Manager

Partnered Promotion

Focus On: Bunnahabhain

Discover the joy of unpeated, sherry-cask Islay whisky this Christmas

The most northerly and arguably the most remote distillery on Islay, follow a snaking road for three miles and, after tracking across moorland and cutting down cliffs, you’ll reach Bunnahabhain Distillery. It’s a journey that’s well worth it. Visitors to the Islay producer don’t just drink in the breathtaking views across the Sound of Jura to the mountains beyond — they’re poised to discover a single malt maker steeped in tradition, yet underpinned by a very modern dedication to sustainability.

Bunnahabhain’s spectacular waterfront location, with its new Biomass Energy Centre sitting on the hillside behind the distillery buildings.

Committed to creating a fruity, unpeated whisky with big flavours enhanced by sherry cask maturation, master distiller Brendan McCarron, master blender Julieann Fernandez and the Bunnahabhain team nurture the distillery’s spirit from grain to glass. Custodians of a whisky known as a special favourite of whisky makers and connoisseurs alike, the team’s commitment to excellence is matched by a razor-sharp focus on consistency. The result is a spectacular range of single malt Scotch whiskies primed for festive sipping and gift-giving.

Bunnahabhain master blender Julieann Fernandez

Take Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old, for example. First blended and released over 40 years ago, it’s a classic expression that’s stood the test of time. Bottled at 46.3% ABV, non-chill filtered for rich, bold depth of flavour and a creamy mouthfeel, and with only its natural, cask-derived colour, Bunnahabhain’s bold, unpeated distillery character is paired with a high proportion of sherry casks to create a luxurious dram bursting with dried fruits and opulent nuttiness. It’s a treat when sipped neat or enjoyed in a cocktail, such as an Old Fashioned.

Inside the traditional dunnage warehousing at Bunnahabhain

Discover more about this remarkable distillery, the people who make it and Bunnahabhain’s flagship dram by clicking the link below, or purchase a bottle for yourself here.

The Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old

Tasting Notes by Christopher Coates,
Whisky Magazine Editor-at-Large

Bunnahabhain
12 Years Old
Distell International
ABV: 46.3%
Style: Single malt
Country: Scotland
Region: Islay
Price per 70cl bottle: £40
Bottling: Distillery
Availability: Good retailers and at Bunnahabhain.com

Nose: Poached pears, baked green apples and rich heather honey. Juicy raisins and sultanas with prunes in syrup and liquorice. Dark chocolate with candied ginger, cinnamon stick, grated nutmeg and aromatic cedar wood. Zesty orange and lemon peels, with sticky toffee, too.

Palate: Mouthcoating and full-bodied, with more baked pear and apple notes, with a dusting of muscovado sugar. Sweet vanilla and chewy caramels are balanced by distinctive citrus, especially Jaffa orange, and fat Medjool dates stuffed with almond butter.

Finish: Milk chocolate and almond play out with toffee and orchard fruits for a long finish.

Comments: Big flavours will keep whisky lovers coming back for more.

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Kentucky Owl Batch #12 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $349.99 View

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Last chance to shop October Malts of The Month!

Specially curated by our team, showcasing autumnal flavours. Perfect for sipping slowly, cosied up by the fire.

Use code MOMOCT at the checkout to get £5/€5 off your order. Offer ends Monday 31st of October at midnight. Applies to online orders only.

Use the links below to access the shop relevant to you.

UK OCTOBER MALT OF THE MONTH: CHERRY BAKEWELL TART

This is the Cherry Bakewell Tart, which is a 22 year old Glen Keith single malt matured in sherry butt. Expect a malt with a tart like fruitiness, a mild peppery spice and soft vanilla notes. Sweet red berry with ripe cherry and raspberry cordial. Fluffy sponge cake and brioche. The palate is spicy with a mild pepperiness.

SHOP UK MALT OF THE MONTH

EU MALT OF THE MONTH: PATCHOULI & SANDALWOOD

This 31 year old Glenrothes matured in sherry butt has developed the complex and deep flavours of cherry, currants and ginger cake. Earthy and antique aromas develop over several minutes in the glass like a patchouli and sandalwood oil.

There are layers of complex flavours that shift, develop and evolve with every new taste. Orange oil, stewed red berry fruits, sweetened rye bread, caraway, heather and rich wood influences.

SHOP EU MALT OF THE MONTH

Ben Nevis 1991 Platinum Old and Rare
62.1% abv Scotch Whisky Single Malt Highland

£1,200.00

From Hunter Laing’s Old & Rare series of single casks comes this Ben Nevis. Distilled in 1991 and aged for 31 years in an Oloroso sherry butt, this rare dram is limited to 540 bottles at a cask strength of 62.1% abv, free from chill filtration.