Loch Lomond 18 (로크 로몬드 18)

(한국어 시음기 밑에 있어요!)

The Loch Lomond 18 is a highland single malt whisky from the Loch Lomond Distillery in Alexandria, a town near Loch Lomond in Scotland. It’s one of their premium main-line whiskies and priced similarly to most other competing 16 and 18 year old single malts. It’s also aged in ex-bourbon casks for its entire life and at least according to everything I have read about it, it never touches the inside of a sherry butt.

Most Scotch whisky distilleries have a century or two of history behind them, with the oldest being Bowmore, established in 1779. Comparatively speaking, the Loch Lomond Distillery is a baby among gods, with its own history only going as far back as 1964. It was one of the few remaining independent distilleries in Scotland until as recently as 2019, when it sadly relinquished its independence after being bought out by the Chinese private equity group, Hillhouse Capital.

Outside of their premium Loch Lomond 18, they also produce a number of other whiskies, including a single grain Scotch, a rarity these days.

Vitals:

ABV: 48%

Colour: Tawny, almost auburn.

Chill-filtered: No.

Nose: There’s a surprising rich medley of prunes, dried apricots, raisins and leather. From this alone, I honestly have trouble believing that this has never touched the inside of a sherry cask, even for a brief second! There’s a little bit of a tobacco smoke and an aromatic woodiness mixed in with those dried fruit notes. On a second nosing, everything feels a lot more honeyed and there’s even a speck of vanilla. 23.5/25

Palate: Initially there is a strongly astringent dry-bitter note from the wood tannins that feels like a black tea where the teabag has been left in for too long. As this fades, some notes of sweet apples, stone fruit and honey come out. The black tea note doesn’t fade completely though and feels like it’s competing with the sweeter notes for dominance. 15/25

Finish: As the whisky draws to it’s finish though, it gets considerably sweeter and those dried fruit and tobacco notes from the nose return giving a sweet, if mildly smoky ending. The finish feels far more balanced than the palate. 21/25

Value*: Priced in a similar range to other 18 year old malts in Korea. 9/25

Conclusion:

A decent 18 year old single malt with a good nose and finish. I probably wouldn’t buy a bottle of it, but it’s something that I might try again at a bar sometime in the future. This is one of those whiskies that you will want to add a little bit of water to. A few drops will open this whisky up and vastly improve the mouthfeel on the palate. Honey and jam notes get drawn to the forefront making it sweeter and considerably less astringent.

Rating: 79.3%

Price Adjusted Rating*: 68.5%

Daily Drinker: Maybe if I had the money, but for now, no.

Possible pairing: Good quality milk chocolate should compliment this really well.

Where to find in Korea: Namdaemun, Jura Shop, Wine and More

TLDR Version:

N: Prunes, dried apricots, raisins, leather, tobacco, oak, honey and vanilla.

P: Bitter at first. Over-soaked black tea, sweet apples, peaches, apricots and honey.

F: Dried fruit and tobacco. Mildly smoky and very well balanced.

C: Good whisky, but better if you add some water.

로크 로몬드 18 (한국어):

N: 건자두, 건살구, 건포도, 가죽, 담배, 오크, 꿀, 바닐라.

P: 첫 맛이 써요. 너무 오래 우려진 홍차맛, 사과, 복숭아, 살구, 꿀

F:말린 과일과 담배. 살짝 스모키한 맛. 매우 균형있는 위스키예요.

C: 좋지만, 물을 추가하는게 더 나아요.

Review by Glasgowhisky

2020/02/13