Loch Lomond 46yo
Loch Lomond Distillery has just announced the debut of one of the oldest editions in the distillery's history, a 46-year-old single malt whisky.
Loch Lomond 46yo is a beverage that spent its initial 44 years of maturation in bourbon refill barrels, but the last two years were spent in a combination of first-fill oloroso sherry and Pedro Ximénez barrels.
This is the second edition as part of the Remarkable Stills series, which pays tribute to the remarkable straight-necked alembics operating at the distillery and the entire process of distilling whisky at Loch Lomond. The 45th anniversary edition of Loch Lomond was previously released. One more whisky in the series is announced.
Loch Lomond 46yo, 45.3% vol., is a whisky that, according to the producer, offers aromas of toffee, caramelized sugar, rose, peaches, mango and vanilla syrup. On the taste we can expect notes of ripe pears, fresh orange peel, melted brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and raisins.
The edition is limited to 200 individually numbered bottles, each costing £4,500.
The Loch Lomond Distillery was founded in 1965 as a facility that would be able to produce the then sought-after and extremely popular blended whisky without having to exchange distillates with other producers. The plant has been equipped with such a variety of tempering apparatus - both alembics and rectification columns - that it is capable of producing a wide range of different distillates on its own for the purpose of putting together blended whiskies, so-called blends. Loch Lomond is one of the most comprehensive establishments in the industry. If you add to the various types of alembics and columns the possibilities offered by the use of different types of malt and grain, the possibilities for distilleries seem endless.
When the distillery was launched in 1966, production was initially based on only two distinctive straight-necked alembics, to which the Remarkable Stills series just described refers. These necks contained rectification plates with which the character of the distillate produced could be easily influenced and changed as needed. Over time, the number of alembics was increased, rectification columns were installed, as well as alembics of traditional shapes, without rectification plates. Currently, the plant operates a total of 11 tempering apparatuses, giving it a potential maximum capacity of 5 million liters of pure alcohol when it comes to malt whisky, and 20 million liters of grain whisky.
Despite the versatility described above, for many years the distillery did not manage to use the potential it possessed so as to achieve a significant position in the industry and recognition by connoisseurs. The owner of the distillery, it seemed, had set himself the goal of producing blends, and the single malt editions released were not carefully selected, came from mediocre quality casks, or simply did not have time to age long enough in oak barrels. This state of affairs, however, has been changing for several years now that Loch Lomond has been conducting carefully considered marketing tactics, and the production process is no longer limited to making ingredients for blends, either. Loch Lomond's products are now becoming more and more recognized, and as a result, sales are increasing.
Interestingly, Loch Lomond produces as many as 11 different types of whisky, including single malts under the names Inchmurrin, Croftenga, Inchfad, among others - after the names of islands in nearby Lake Loch Lomond, after which the distillery is named. Another interesting fact is that due to its ability to produce both malt and grain whisky, Loch Lomond is able to produce an extremely rare type of whisky, sometimes referred to as "single blended whisky." It is a blended whisky, however, produced entirely at a single distillery. However, the term is quite rarely used, even though you can find several blended whiskies on the market, all of whose ingredients come from a single distillery, from Loch Lomond.
Those interested in learning more about the Loch Lomond distillery's various products are encouraged to visit the House of Whisky Online and check out our current whisky offerings from the distillery.
[10.05.2022 / photo: Loch Lomond]