This time we are reviewing two drams from @LochLomondMalts distillery, two 11yo single cask, cask strength bottlings.
I tried these as part of a #MiniTasting with John @jwbassman_ Paul @WhiskynStuff and Scott @ScotchB78 so I've added their opinions too!
| Dram | Cask #40 - Ex-bourbon | Cask #18/189-3 Phebus Malbec Reserva Wine Cask |
|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | 53.1% ABV, Natural colour, NCF, Single Cask, Cask Strength, D: Mar '06, Cask #40, B: Apr '17, 11yo | 57.5% ABV, Natural colour, NCF, Single Cask, Cask Strength, D: Sep '07, Cask #18/189-3, B: Aug '18, 11yo |
| Distillery info | Limited Edition Single Cask #40 giving 282 bottles. Plenty of fiery peat then the sweetness ramps up with some exotic fruit salad and barley sugar and an outburst of spicy ginger and cinnamon notes at the end. | Single Cask #9179 giving 342 bottles. De Monnik Dranken 100th Anniversary Bottling. Fruity & sweet with warming oak spice. Beautiful silky mouthfeel, blackberry and redcurrant with some vanilla and red apple before waves of cinnamon and ginger spice on the finish. |
| Our thoughts: | ||
| Appearance |  Very pale gold, gravity defying swirls which bead up to look like an upside down crown. Initial nose: bonfire on a beach! |  There is a red tinge to the dram, swirls stick to the glass with slow fat legs as they fall back into the glass |
| Nose | Brian: once you get past the bonfire smoke there's a big pile of wet seaweed waiting for you. Hints of orchard fruit and some porridge with honey. John: this has a real vegetal nose to it, damp, earthy but with an underlying dry sweetness - icing sugar? Paul: initial nose doesn't suggest much peat in there.... Vegital, malty?, sugar but not sweet, tea, herbal, grassy. There something in there that reminds me of uncooked pastry? Scott: pretty spirity, earthy, icing sugar, Hobnobs, Nice biscuits or rolled out puff pastry! Something farmyard like there as well! Smokey bacon crisps - Bacon Frazzles. | Brian: the wine cask has left a load of red fruit notes on the whisky there's strawberries and raspberries jumping out of the glass. There's a hint of sherry on the nose too - a little strawberry jam - not quite sherry bomb dunnage warehouse territory but not far off! With water the nose seem more fruity - getting apples and pears now alongside the red berries. I'm sure there's a hint of smoke in there too. John: the nose is familiar enough to be reassuring but totally different to the previous dram - smells thinner if that makes any sense... and there is a winey top note there too. Paul: red berries, apple, pear, its like an orchard. Slight wood, little bit of sweetness. |
| Palate | Brian: oily arrival suggests fruit - pineapple & mango but within a split second the peat brushes it aside giving you a mouth full of fire ash. As that disappears down your throat you're left with a spicy ginger note to curl your tongue around. John: the peat is much more evident here but it's still a real earthy, meaty experience - Apples and pears - green fruits, almost unripe, hard pears... Paul: sweetness at 1st!, then you get to the earthy, almost seaside notes, salted chocolate, i then get a roll of smoke covering the flavours. Scott: very silky sweet and smooth arrival, bit of smoke then chocolate ginger biscuits. | Brian: this one has an almost burnt oak smokiness to it on the palate. Loads of wine fruit notes and some vanilla. Getting a load of spice on the tongue after a few more sips - cinnamon comes to find, there's also a drying effect - a little icing sugar - yummy! With water the palate offers up vanilla ice cream, there's still the fruit and spice - just tamed. John: it's something I've found with most red wine cask whiskies that I've tried - the mouthfeel is noticeably thinner and doesn't coat the palate as much... I think it's a scientific thing 🤔 more of kick to this. Water brings out more earthy notes, straw and grassy Paul: sweet, wine sweet, fruity and strawberries and cream! Love it. Little bit of fruity wood spice. Strawberries and cream though, doesn't get much better than that! |
| Finish | Brian: as the liquid disappears down your throat you're left with a chimney effect as the smoke comes back up - still a lot of sweetness there - it's just brilliant! John: it's quite drying on the finish too with a bit of a spicy kick just at the end. Paul: the smoke goes to leave wood spices, cinnamon, ginger, bitter chocolate. Im not sure im converted to peat but im enjoying this.....be interested to know the ppm? Nice long finish Scott: tiny bit drying on the finish, spicy, ginger, bit of smoke but not a great deal | Brian: fruit and spice with just a hint of smoke. John: some real heat in the finish. Paul: lightly burnt oak, wood spice, quite drying, slight sourness. The mouthfeel is good. Similar with its abv, hides it, but gives a warmth. Id say a reasonably long finish. Lovely stuff, will continue to enjoy it! |
Many thanks to Paul @WhiskynStuff for the Phebus sample swap! We actually tried three drams on the evening but I'm saving the review of the missing one for a future Side-by-side
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