#MiniTasting - Loch North

An interesting combination in our latest #MiniTasting, a pair of drams which may owe a lot of their heritage to Loch Lomond Group! Drams from @ScotchB78 & @WhiskynStuff for @jwbassman_ and myself to try!

Dram		North Star Campbeltown 4yo	Loch Lomond Faustino Gran Reserva Finish
Characteristics		57% ABV, NCF, 726 bottles	51.5% ABV, NCF, 342 bottles
Distillery info		D: Apr '14, B: May '18 Refill Bourbon Hogsheads Nose: lemon citrus and cut grass. Oddfellows aromatic sweaties. Palate:Gingerbread & a leafy clementine. Finish: Super summer fruit with a touch of sea salt.	D: Sep'07, Cask 18/189-5, B: Aug '18 Faustino Gran Reserva Wine Cask Nose: Red fruit, spices, pepper and barley. Taste: Cinnamon, complex fruity aromas, red fruit, oak and pepper. Finish: Medium long and rich.
Appearance		Photo @JWBassman_
		Pale gold in the glass, swirls bead up slowly and fall as slow thin legs - the ABV showing itself here!	A lovely mid-gold colour in the glass, gravity defying swirls fall as slow thin legs, initial nose fruity!
Nose	Brian	It's very fresh - hints of new make spirit, raw meat, fresh cut grass. There's a citrus note too and maybe some icing sugar?	It's very fresh on the nose - fruity - spiced stewed apples in a bowl of custard! There's some cereal and spicy notes too.
	John	Youthful as you might expect, got a touch of new-make about it, very bright and fresh yet creamy and citrus at the same time...	Well I wasn't expecting that... initial nose, it smells like peach melba too! Fruity and soft, soft stone fruits but also that characteristic sour note too and a bit malty 😊
	Paul	A whisky I have been impatiently waiting to try for a while,  colour is almost clear! Malty, green fruits, icing sugar, slight savory herbs in there. Little bit of cinnamon. More complex than I had expected.	Creamy, oak, there undercooked pastry  in there, porridge. Not getting much of the wine, smells like a good ex-bourbon cask to me...at the moment.
	Scott	Campbeltown on the nose, buttery, sweet, barley sugar honey lemon cough sweets, bit of menthol. Slight hint of engine oil.	This is fruity, very fruity but with a dank, dusty background. Wooden floor of a school gym hall if that makes sense. Anyone getting like a creamy rice pudding?? Reminds me of the Malbec one we had last week - that charred oak note.
Palate	Brian	Thick syrupy arrival, as you say very sweet. There's some honey and a seaweed note. Getting the icing sugar from the nose and a big kick of spice - the 57% ABV showing itself here!	Oily arrival, loads of fruit and spice. More stewed apples, some pears and dry apricots - there's also a hint of strawberries (from the wine cask?) It's 10 years old but feels a lot older in the mouth. There's a lovely spice kick all the way through. Yummy!
	John	It's raw power is very evident on the palate, but in a really good way. Thick, oily, mouth-coating. Icing sugar sweetness, quite drying but also a sour note. The distillery character is very evident here, really liking this 😋 #biased With water (only a few drops) it's sweeter, more green and industrial too though. Maybe slightly creamier on the palate and the power is dialled back a bit but I think I prefer the finish without water...	It's a soft arrival for me, full but not really winey... the wood spice kicks in a bit later, right in the middle of my tongue. No inclination to put any water with this even at the reasonably high ABV - I tend to find that red wine finishes reduce the mouth-feel and make it a bit thin... that's not happening here. In fact the wine cask seems to be working really well with the spirit - more genius from @LLBlender. Red fruits and that sour note but not winey, which for me is a good thing.
	Paul	Without water, harsh, meaty new make, spicy. With water, Icing sugar, malty, still getting lots of the savory herbs, pepper. I think I preferred it without the water actually, it would be a slow sipper though! Water brings out a sweetness and dials back the POWER. Think i preferred the savory meaty power!	Very creamy, chilli white chocolate (nice), wood spices, some savory herb, quite fruity. I'm not getting much of the wine influence, maybe a bit of sweet fruitiness.
	Scott	Oooft, all upfront sweet, honey, citrus develops into barley sugar  and a sour note. Sweet and sour. Then it's gone. A short sharp shock.	I'm definitely getting that full bodied red wine feel on the initial arrival. Love it, thick, coating mouthfeel. Rich red wine tannins, dark fruits, no alcohol burn whatsoever. Wow @WhiskynStuff this is a belter. With water, slightly creamier, not as rich or deep a flavour though. It's still a stunner but prefer without
Finish	Brian	Spice lead but with a salty citrus note and that icing sugar again. A lovely dram - you'd never guess it was only 4 years old!	long and warming, dominated by the cinnamon but retaining them characteristic @LochLomondMalts fruit notes. Yummy dram!
	John	Some heat in the finish as you might expect but alcohol burn at all - I suppose in the name of science I should try this with a few drops of water...	A bit of heat in the finish but no burn, maybe slightly drying too
	Paul	Quite long, Very oily this stuff. Savory herbs, bit of sweetness, creamy. Very pleased to of tried this one, I like it. Thanks @ScotchB78 for the sample. Definitely very different!	Fruity, wood spice, cinnamon, bit of citrus. Oily, quite long. Good finish.
	Scott	Not a lot, this ain't a good swimmer in my opinion!	I get that cinnamon too!
Overall	Brian	A lovely dram - you'd never guess it was only 4 years old! The Campbeltown seaside notes shine through!	Another of the limited edition Wine Cask finishes and this one hits the spot too - classic LL fruity spirit mixes well with the wine cask.
	John	An amazing dram especially considering the age - would happily buy a bottle of this, love the power and the texture and the finish more without water.	Overall another really top class dram. @LochLomondMalts are putting out some seriously good stuff at the moment, long may it continue! Thanks to @WhiskynStuff for sharing this lovely dram with us 👍
	Paul	I agree, would also buy a bottle of that, lovely stuff! I have just sniffed my empty glass...It smells like marshmallows! They should put that on the box 👍	The empty Loch Lomond glass smell fruity, red wine fruity. So it's in there, I'm just not getting much of it. Interesting....
	Scott	One of the few whiskies I prefer with water. Sweeter, less of the sour note, though quite bitter on the finish.	Loved this one.  Thick, oily, fruity. Would love a bottle of this. This has a lot going on, like most LL malts I have tried.