More Loch Lomond Chardonnay Wine Yeast

One of my favourite @LochLomondMalts distillations is using Chardonnay Wine Yeast in a straight necked pot still, huge citrus effervescence on the tongue.

The last release was a Whisky Exchange bottling in 2020, this time Royal Mile have got in on the act!

I've talked about Loch Lomond's Chardonnay Wine Yeast release here, most of them coming from a 2007 distillation including the amazing 2012 Open Special Edition, but there's also been some from a 2010 distillation. I'm guessing Loch Lomond do a limited run each year, we're just not seeing many releases, or they just aren't telling us about them!

This one is from a 2011 distillation and was bottled for Roy Duff @aqvavitae_sco's Barfly Facebook group.

The straight neck pot still running with the cooling ring off, a wide collection cut with a collection strength from 90% down to 55% ABV, gives a full bodied fruity spirit. Add the use of Chardonnay Wine Yeast for fermentation adds a citrus effervescence.

Michael Henry at Loch Lomond has been experimenting with different strains of wine yeast since 2004 with varying success, some strains give more flavour impact :

"Wine yeast is used to growing on the nutrients from grapes which are different to the nutrients from malted barley - it isn't able to utilize all the sugars from the malted barley so gives a lower amount of alcohol. The ABV coming off the stills will be the same but the volume of alcohol recovered will be lower i.e. you will get less new make spirit for the same weight of malted barley compared to a fermentation with one of our normal yeasts."

but what you are doing is accepting:

"the trade off for flavour over yield"

Distillery notes:

Distilled on 9th June 2011 using unpeated malted barley in straight necked pot stills, with the cooling ring turned off. Collected at a wide spirit cut / low collection strength between 90-55%.

 

Matured in a 1st fill bourbon barrel #735

250 bottles of 10yo whisky, non chill-filtered at 54.9% on 19th April 2022

Tasting Notes: 

Fresh natural vanilla. Granny Smith apple and lemon peel with clove and black pepper. There is a silky mouthfeel, creamy fudge, and vanilla syrup with apple and pear, some lime juice and a lemon sherbet effervescence. The finish is long with demerara sugar sweetness, mouth-watering grapefruit and warming cinnamon spice. 

My thoughts:

Appearance: Light gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly forming an inverted crown, and fall as slow thin oily legs.

 

Nose: Stewed orchard fruit to start: apples, pears, apricots; citrus zest, almonds and some cinnamon spice. There's a lot of vanilla in this one too, a little caramel and some sour dough notes typical of ex-bourbon. A little time and air turns the fruit more to the tropical side: pineapple and mango with grapefruit adding to the citrus. Time rewards those who explore the dram's complexities before diving in!

 

Palate: Thick syrupy arrival, pineapple, caramel and lemon giving sweetness and a citrus zing. There's a huge effervescent mouthfeel, the liquid seeming to dance on the tongue! The lemon comes through as drizzle cake, meringue and drying bonbons. The almond note from the nose is back as marzipan as is a bite of cinnamon spice. Grapefruit adding a little sour note as the liquid disappears.

Finish: Lingering lemon zest, caramel, dry oak and cinnamon spice. YUMMY! 

Overall: Huge thanks to Roy for picking such a great cask and Loch Lomond for releasing it! There are a few of us out here who are huge fans of Chardonnay Wine Yeast fermentations and the huge lemon effervescent what it gives on the palate. Come on Michael Henry release some more!