Loch Lomond 2025 Open Golf Releases

Loch Lomond release a pair of bottles (and usually some special editions) for each Open Golf Tournament.

This years to celebrate the 153rd at Royal Portrush have just been released!

The pair of bottles are the reasonably priced Open Special Edition (OSE), a NAS at 46% for around the £48 mark and the more expensive Open Course Collection (OCC) usually a 19+ year old age statemented higher ABV release for anywhere from £160 upwards. This years OCC is a 22yo at £250 so I won't be buying one of them anytime soon!

Just let me clear up that I am a huge Loch Lomond Fanboy, I buy most, if not all, of their releases. I buy them myself, they don't send me any samples to review. Most of you will also know that I have a top limit of £100 a bottle so haven't bought any of the OCC bottles when they are released but have picked up a few for less that £100 when they have been on offer.

I've reviewed previous Open Golf releases here and last year's here. This review is concentrating on the 2025 OSE release which was finished in Chianti red wine. but for completeness here's a little info on the OCC release first.

Distillery info:

2002 22yo 153rd Royal Portrush

"Created to celebrate the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush, with only 3500 bottles available worldwide and perfectly showcases the Loch Lomond distillery’s adeptness and ingenuity in whisky making. A worthy tribute to the people, players and courses throughout the history of The Open.

Distilled in our remarkable Straight neck stills stills, at a range of collection strengths, then matured in casks that have been expertly crafted by our own traditional cooperage, creating a complex whisky that showcases our capability in distilling and our unrivalled ability in flavour creation.

This 22 year old whisky celebrates every Open championship from the 1st ever at Prestwick back in 1860, through to the 152rd Open this year at Royal Portrush. The Open Course Collection Single Malt Whisky has been crafted by Michael Henry our Master Blender, starting its maturation journey in  American Oak casks for over 21 years and then is finished for six months in the finest Virgin Spanish oak, specifically toasted by our own cooperage team. This Spanish oak finish adds a layer of complexity to our signature style, creating a whisky that has notes of toffee, cinnamon and toasted oak. Bottled at 46.7%, non-chill filtered with natural colour to keep things just as nature intended."

So on to the 2025 Open Special Edition, this year it's described as "aged in American Oak casks and finished in Chianti red wine casks, creating a vibrant single malt with red berries, sweet honey, peach and pear, with gentle smoke on the finish".

Distillery info:

"The Open Special Edition 2025 is crafted in the shadow of Ben Lomond, to celebrate the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Michael Henry, our Master Blender, has crafted this expression with Colin Montgomerie as a worthy tribute to the people, players and courses throughout the history of The Open.

The Open Special edition single malt exclusively uses whiskies only from our unique straight-neck stills, aged in American Oak casks, creating our signature fruit, honey, and soft smoke style.

A range of hand-selected casks are then finished in first-fill Chianti casks, adding layers of rich, ripe flavours to our signature distillery style.

Non chill-filtered & bottled at 46%."

Let's see what it's like!

My thoughts:

Appearance: coloured☹️to a dark gold, swirls cling as a thin line, take a little time to bead up and fall as slow thin oily legs.

Nose: typical straight neck pot still orchard fruit notes, honey, hedgerow berries and a hint of smoke.

Palate: thick sweet arrival with honey, caramel & poached pears. Loads of berry notes: strawberry, raspberry and blueberry. A little smoke, peach & citrus with a bite of dry spice. A few sips in and the wine tannins start to dry the mouth - you need to try a little more!

Finish: lingering spice, peach, berries and gentle smoke.

Overall: An unusual cask finish, I can't remember trying a Chianti finished whisky before and my spreadsheet confirmed it, a little googling turned up an Arran bottling from 2007 but not much more! Like all of the OSE releases this one hits a sub £50 price point delivering a very tasty drinkable dram. I'm still suggesting 2020's CWY is the best, 2023's Rioja 2nd, and I think this one fits in a close 3rd.

Geeky Stuff:

Here's a list of all of the OSE & OCC releases:

Year	Open Special Edition	Open Course Collection
2025 White Box	NAS 46% Ex-bourbon Chianti red wine finish	153rd Royal Portrush 2002 22yo 46.7% Virgin Spanish oak finish
2024 Blue Box	NAS 46% Ex-bourbon Chardonnay wine finish	152nd Royal Troon 2000 24yo 47.1% Manzanilla finish
2023 Black Box	NAS 46% Ex-bourbon Rioja wine finish	151st Royal Liverpool 2000 22yo 48.2% Organic Barley / Organic American Oak
2022 Blue box	NAS 46% American Oak, Claret Finish	150th St Andrews 22yo 48.2% Haut-Medoc Claret Barriques finish
2021 Red box	NAS 46% Ex-bourbon 3 types American oak casks, Virgin Oak finish	149th Royal St Georges (Darren Clarke) 20yo 50.2% English Virgin Oak finish
2020 Grey tube	12yo 46% American refill oak. Chardonnay Wine Yeast fermentation	None
2019 Green box	NAS 46% 3 types of American Oak	148th Royal Portrush (Darren Clarke) 19yo 50.3% Claret finish
2018 Blue box	NAS 46% Ex-bourbon. 30% Chardonnay Wine Yeast	147th Carnoustie 1999 19yo 47.2% refill American Oak

List of all the Golf releases:

Year	Name	ABV	Age	Cask
2025	The Open Special Edition 2025	46%	NAS	Chianti red wine finish
	The Open Course Collection 153th Royal Portrush	46.7%	22	Virgin Spanish Oak finish
2024	The Open Special Edition 2024	46%	NAS	Chardonnay Wine Cask finish
	The Open Course Collection 152nd Royal Troon	47.1%	24	Manzanilla  finish
	1995 29yo Single Cask	47.8%	29	French Sauternes cask finish
	Lee Westwood 3rd Edition 1997 24yo Single Cask	51.6%	24	Refill American bourbon
	AIG Women’s Open	58.9%	8	Rivesaltes Hogsheads finish
2023	The Open Special Edition 2023	46%	NAS	Spanish Rioja Alta Reserva casks
	The Open Course Collection 151st  Royal Liverpool	48.2%	22	Organic Barley / Organic American Oak
	1998 25yo Single Cask	43.2%	25	Oloroso finish
2022	The Open Special Edition 2022	46%	NAS	Claret Red Wine finish
	The Open Course Collection 150th St. Andrew's	48.2%	22	Haut-Medoc Claret Barriques finish
	Exclusive Cask Limited Edition (150th St Andrews)	52.8%	29	Japanese Mizunara Finish
	Lee Westwood 2nd Edition 1995 26yo Single Cask	52.8%	26	Refill American oak
	Louis Oosthuizen 12yo	46%	12	Ex-bourbon
	Royal Troon Edition	46%	10	Ex-bourbon
	Carnoustie Edition	46%	10	Ex-bourbon
	Royal Birkdale Edition	46%	10	Ex-bourbon
	Royal Liverpool Edition	46%	10	Ex-bourbon
	Royal St George's Edition	46%	10	Ex-bourbon
	Royal Lytham Edition	46%	10	Ex-bourbon
2021	The Open Special Edition 2021	46%	NAS	Partial American Virgin Oak finish
	The Open Course Collection 149th Royal St Georges (Darren Clarke)	50.2%	20	English Virgin Oak finish
	Lee Westwood 1st Edition 1996 25yo Single Cask	55.3%	25	Refill American oak
2020	(No Open held this year)
	The Open Special Edition 2020 (12yo CWY)	46%	12	Ex-bourbon
	European Tour - Wales Open & Celtic Classic (2006)	52.3%	13	HP Ex-oloroso finish
	European Tour - UK Championship (2006)	53.4%	13	HP Tawny Port finish
	European Tour - English Championship (2006)	55.2%	13	Rum finish
	European Tour - The Hero Open Forest of Arden (2006)	54.7%	13	Sauternes finish
	European Tour - British Masters (2006)	55.1%	13	Limousin finish
2019	The Open Special Edition 2019	46%	NAS	Ex-bourbon
	The Open Course Collection 148th Royal Portrush (Darren Clarke)	50.3%	19	Claret finish
	Three Wood Matured (Colin Montgomerie)	46.3%	25	Limousin & ex-oloroso finish
	2002 Vintage (Cristie Kerr)	48.14%	17	Pinot Noir finish
	Inchmurrin 2008 (TR)	55.8%	10	Ex-bourbon
2018	The Open Special Edition 2018 (30% CWY)	46%	NAS	Ex-bourbon
	The Open Course Collection 147th Carnoustie	47.2%	19	Ex-bourbon
	1999 Vintage Autograph Edition	50.8%	19	Ex-bourbon
	Single Cask #1912 (Colin Montgomerie)	51.2%	14	Ex-bourbon
	Single Cask #7 (TR)	57.7%	10	Ex-bourbon

Key:

TR : Travel Retail

HP : Heavily Peated

CWY : Chardonnay Wine Yeast (Yummy!)