Side by side: Lismore

Lismore is a brand you may not of heard of - it's an indie bottler based at the same address in Speyside as Glenfarclas!

Let's try some!

Possibly named after a small Hebridean island near Mull the Lismore range of Speyside single malts and blends traces it's roots back to 1932 when Robert Lundie and Stanley Morrison created whisky broker Lundie & Morrison. Robert bought out his partner in 1935 and renamed the business R. D. Lundie & Co.

In 1936 the pair were back in business together buying Chivas brothers which they sold to Canada’s Seagram in 1949. Morrison went on to buy Bowmore distillery on Islay in 1963 before selling it to Japanese company Suntory in 1994. The family now own The Clydeside distillery in Glasgow.

R. D. Lundie & Co. was passed down through the Lundie family and in the 1950s a sister company William Lundie & Co. Ltd was formed, initially as a broker, before later turning to blend and bottle the firm’s own blended whisky brands Lismore and Royal Heritage.

J&G Grant, owners of Speyside’s Glenfarclas distillery bought William Lundie & Co.in 2004 and now blends and bottles the Lismore range.

William Lundie & Co. don't say which Speyside distillery(s) their whisky comes from.

Let's try the range:

Dram	8yo Blend Special Reserve	8yo	10yo	12yo
Characteristics	40% ABV	40% ABV	40% ABV	40% ABV
Bottler notes	None	None	None	None
My thoughts:
Appearance	Dark gold, thin line, thick beads, slow thick legs.	Dark gold, thin line, thick beads, slow thick legs.	Dark gold, thin line, thick beads, slow thick legs.	Dark gold, thin line, thick beads, slow thick legs.
Nose	A little closed, orchard fruit, honey,	Orchard fruit: apples, pears, ice cream wafers,	Orchard fruit: apples, pears, nutmeg	Orchard fruit: apples, pears, nutmeg
Palate	Thin sweet arrival, tropical fruit, honey and a little sour citrus. Vanilla, coconut and	Thin sweet arrival, dry orchard fruit: apricot, pear. A little honey and then some dry peppery spice.	Very thin arrival, a little dry spice, a little fruit and some sweet citrus. Some vanilla,	Thin sweet arrival, dry orchard fruit: apricot, pear. A little brown sugar, vanilla and then some dry peppery spice.
Finish	Medium length, citrus and spice.	Short with orchard fruit, citrus and spice.	Short dry and spicy with a little fruit.	Short dry and fruity with a little spice.

Dram	18yo	21yo The Legend
Characteristics	43% ABV	43% ABV
Bottler notes	Lismore 18 year-old has an appearance of polished oak, a sherry nose with hints of cinnamon, Lismore 18 year-old is a real mouth-filling whisky. One little drop envelops your entire mouth. Fruit and toffee are right at the forefront. The finish is butterscotch candy. Nose: Lightly floral at first, followed by thick notes of chocolate and toffee. Palate: Honey-roasted peanuts, old oak and chewy caramels. Finish: Fruity sweetness develops on the finish.	Lismore 21 Year Old is adored for its sherry, cherry, cinnamon and sugar flavour notes, Lismore 21 year-old is a real mouth-filling whisky. One little drop envelops your entire mouth. The finish is Vanilla-y fudge and dried fruit. Nose: Chelsea buns, brown sugar and some light wafts of peppery oak. Palate: Custard, cinnamon and Sherried fruit. Blood orange and sultanas. Finish: Vanilla-y fudge and dried fruit.
My thoughts:
Appearance	Dark gold, very thin line, thin beads, slow thin legs.	Dark gold, very thin line, thin beads, slow thin legs.
Nose	First one that is a little different - some sherry hints, dried fruit and toffee.	Another sherry matured cask, dried fruit, black cherries, toffee and a little spice.
Palate	Thick sweet arrival, juicy fruit, caramel and a bite of ginger spice. Some brown sugar, a little stewed orchard fruit and a little dry citrus.	Thick sweet arrival, juicy fruit, caramel and a bite of cinnamon spice. A little stewed orchard fruit and a little dry citrus.
Finish	Lingering sherried fruit and dry spice.	Lingering sherried fruit and dry spice.

An interesting line up - thanks to @WhiskyResource for sharing but you have to ask yourself what is the market? They are fairly cheap supermarket type drams but you won't find them in UK supermarkets...