Reviews

A Trio of Loch Lomond Whiskies


This past September, the Loch Lomond Group brought a large part of its whisky portfolio to the United States market.  Today, we’re looking at two Loch Lomond blended whiskies alongside a single grain bottling.  

The Loch Lomond Group currently owns two distilleries: Loch Lomond in the Highlands and Glen Scotia in Campbeltown.  Something interesting about the Loch Lomond is it’s setup of stills.  It has a pair of standard pot stills.  Then, it has three pairs of pot stills with rectifiying heads as well as a continuous still.  The distillery only uses that column still to distill malted barley, which is what Loch Lomond Single Grain is made of.  It’s not a single malt, because single malts can only be distilled in pot stills.

Let’s talk about the three whiskies this post is featuring.  We’ll start with the cheapest – Loch Lomond Reserve.  At $19, Loch Lomond Reserve is a standard blend of malt and grain whiskies, married in re-charred oak casks.  It’s bottled at 40%, and tastes like a standard blend.  The nose has hints of light toffee, some floral and grain notes, and a touch of vanilla.  The entry is soft, and follows the nose closely: some grain, caramel, heather and vanilla.  The finish is short and soft, leaving behind a semi-sweet toasted grain note.  There’s not much going on with this one.  It’s not a bad blend.  Rather, it’s an easy-going blended whisky that’s probably meant for people wanting to get into whisky for cheap. 6/10

Up next is Loch Lomond Signature, which is priced $2 higher than Loch Lomond Reserve for $21.  If you’re looking for a decent blended whisky to start your whisky journey, I’d bypass the Reserve completely and reach for Signature as it tastes a bit more expensive than it actually is.  This blend is married in a 100 cask solera system, combining recharged Oloroso Sherry casks and American oak casks.  The still-soft nose is fruiter thanks to those sherry casks, featuring stewed fruit, raisins, some vanilla cream and buttered toast.  Loch Lomond Signature is also bottled at 40% abv.  The palate is still soft, but not as subtle as the cheaper Reserve.  Vanilla cream, berries, raisins, and light brown sugar make up the majority of flavors.  There is also a touch of young grain and spice.  The short finish features a touch of spice and stewed fruit.  7/10

Lastly is Loch Lomond Single Grain, bottled at 46% and priced at $29.  I appreciate the higher abv.  Like I mentioned before, this single grain release is made with 100% malted barley distilled in a column still instead of a pot still.  That is the only thing keeping this from being called a single malt.  On the nose, I get fresh cereal grains, ground cinnamon, and a touch of vanilla.  Taste-wise, there’s pineapple upside-down cake, vanilla, granny smith apples, lemon zest, and a bit of vanilla ice cream.  The finish features some spice along with orchard fruits and vanilla cream. 7/10

These releases are pretty standard.  I’d skip Loch Lomond Reserve and stick to Loch Lomond’s Signature and Single Grain releases.  Both are a lot more interesting in their own way, and are very affordable.
Thanks to Loch Lomond for the samples.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Barrell Bourbon Batch 009 & Batch 010 Review


The folks at Barrell Craft Spirits have been on helluva hot streak lately.  I might even argue it’s some of the best bourbon I’ve tasted this year.  Since the release of batch 005, every new batch of bourbon has managed to maintain an extremely high level of quality.  Each batch is different, whether it be age, source or where in the rickhouse it matured, but all delicious in their own way.  Company founder Joe Beatrice has a refined palate when it comes to sourcing his whiskey, and  a knack for picking interesting barrels.  The two latest batches should be on shelves now.

The oldest bourbon released from Barrell Craft Spirits, Barrell Bourbon batch 009 matured for 13 years.  Like the last few previously released batches, batch 009 was distilled in Tennessee and aged in Tennessee and Kentucky.  It’s bottled at cask strength, coming in at a surprisingly lower proof than expected for such an older bourbon – 112.1 proof.  The mashbill is a bit different this time:  75% corn, 18% rye and 7% malted barley.

Batch 010, on the other hand, has been all over the place.  It was distilled in Indiana.  I’ll give you three guesses as to which distillery in Indiana produced this, but you’ll only need one.  The whiskey was then aged in Michigan, ending its journey in Kentucky, where it was crafted and bottled at a healthy 122 proof.  Batch 010 is 8 years old and is made from a slightly different mashbill than batch 009: 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley.

How do they taste?

Batch 009 is starting to show its age.  The nose features toasted oak, coconut macaroons, and burnt caramel, with some vanilla bean and anise on the backend.  Flavor-wise, it’s a nice example of a mellow, rounded bourbon with notes of caramel-drizzled vanilla cream, toasted grain, dried basil and some spice.  Oak is also a big player on the palate, but I won’t call this one overoaked.  Batch 009 has a rich creamy mouthfeel.  The finish carries some sweet notes with some baking spices.  8.5/10

Where Batch 009 was a bit laid back, the younger Batch 010 comes across as robust.  There’s cinnamon, rubbing alcohol, stewed fruits, some dill (I only seem to get a dill note in MGP whiskies), lime zest, and brown sugar on the nose.  The palate is full of candied fruits, freshly squeezed lime, caramel chews, dark chocolate and pecan cookies.  There’s that slight bit of nuttiness.  The second time I tasted this one the lime played a more prominent note, and I don’t remember ever tasting lime in bourbon before.  The finish is not as long as I’d like, but has sweet citrus and spice notes.  8.5/10

So, how would I compare them?  Batch 009 is a refined, classic, well-aged bourbon.  But… Batch 010 is the more exciting one.  It’s got more interesting flavors.  Not that one is better than the other.  They are just two completely different, well-crafted whiskies, and you really can’t go wrong with either.

http://www.barrellbourbon.com

Thanks to Barrell Bourbon for the samples.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon 2016 Review

Photo courtesy of Angel’s Envy


Angel’s Envy is an American whiskey brand that hit the market a couple of years back with its port cask-finished bourbon and rum cask-finished rye whiskey.  Those two products make up their standard portfolio.  Every fall, they release a cask strength version of their port cask-finished bourbon.  It inevitably varies year to year, with some years seeing a bigger influence from those wine barrels.  

This year’s release comes bottled at 124.6 proof, and runs about $180 a bottle.  Last year’s bottling was nice, but I felt it could have used a touch more flavor from those port casks.  How does this year’s stack up?

From the nose it’s evident the secondary maturation in port casks hold a stronger influence than the 2015 release.  Dark berries, brown sugar and vanilla aromas are the most prominent notes, with a hint of dried orange zest.  Taste-wise, those fruity plum and berry port wine flavors complement traditional bourbon notes of vanilla and caramel.  I also pick up some ginger, sweet corn and some dark amber maple syrup.  The finish is long and bittersweet with a slight touch of heat.

The new Angel’s Envy Cask Strength is great, and corrects what I thought was wrong with last year’s batch.  It is exactly what I think a cask strength, port barrel-finished bourbon should be.  9/10

Thanks to Angel’s Envy for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.