From the Loch Lomond distillery, this peated 14yo (cask #1100) was aged in Refill Bourbon and then finished in first-fill sherry casks. With an outrun of 274 bottles.
Appearance: A lovely autumnal amber. A beaded swirl mark and corrugated viscous film of medium trails quickly form and cling to the glass. The beading soon becomes long teardrops.
Nose: A decent level of ethanol, but not overpowering and quite sympathetic given the ABV. Immediate sweet ashy campfire smoke, grilled pineapple and caramelised meat. The sweetness is quite intense and almost overpowers the smoke element, which is unusual, but not unpleasurable. Blackberry jam, blackcurrant, some orchard fruits and strawberry next, really fruity and sweet! There are subtle spices lingering on the nose too, complimentary of the sweeter notes, mostly nutmeg, light paprika and a touch of ginger maybe.
Palate: The ABV, again, is evident and obvious, but not an obstruction to the flavours. A lovely oily mouthfeel and a wonderfully pleasing balance of sweet and tingling spice initially. Vanilla, silver top milk cream, black pepper, mild chilli and those sweeter notes all swirl around on the palate from the first sip. The second sip reveals more of those orchard fruits, apple and pear, honey and heaps of dark fruit: blackberry, blackcurrant, plum etc.
Finish: Medium to long. Full of fruit and tingling pepper. The flavours don’t evolve any further from the palate, they simply continue until disappearing eventually.
Overall: A lovely dram. Wonderfully fruity, with a little spice to balance and a decent helping of ABV to remind you it’s a big whisky. Love it.
