Inchmurrin 1973 Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength 37 yo c. 3380

 

 

 

44,3° 

Distillery : Loch Lomond - Highlands 

Refill Bourbon Barrel 

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2010 

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

Having opened in 1966, the Loch Lomond distillery was only seven years old when it distilled this whisky, but it already had the straight-necked stills used to produce Inchmurrin, one of Loch Lomond’s many brands. The result of this distillation was then aged for 37 years and 5 months in a Refill Bourbon Barrel, and when the cask was emptied, there was only enough left to make 149 bottles. It is worth noting that there is a Sister Cask, distilled and bottled on almost the same day, Cask 3381. Both were presented at Whisky Live Paris in 2010, for priority sale in France. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A full-bodied and fresh nose, slightly vinegary, balsamic, wood and warm chestnuts, damp bark, dried dates, liquorice, warm earth, cooked mushrooms, followed by evanescent vanilla, a few fruits, a hint of iodine, herbaceous notes, reeds, tall grasses. On the palate, chestnut cream, prunes, there is a lovely character, fermented blackberries, not overly strong spices, black pepper. A long, powerful, explosive and deep finish, earthy roots, cola, dried sage, peppermint leaf, aniseed, heather. 

 

In Short, 

A lot of people say that Inchmurrin is herbal, and it is, but I find it’s mainly forest-like, and I quite like that. Amidst the mushrooms and bark, you can sense the freshness of a clearing, the fruit notes are there but very subtle. There’s a character I hadn’t noticed in the few Inchmurrins I’ve tasted, and a lovely spring-like freshness. It really is an interesting and original bottling, though it’s completely impossible to find at the moment. 

Score : 89 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                              To Be Listened While Sipping : 

                                               Vraell - Guitar Meditation VII

Loch Lomond 2016 Distillery Edition 6 8 yo

 

 

 

56,9°

Distillery : Loch Lomond - Highlands

Ex-Bourbon American Oak Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Blended Grain

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

In addition to their plethora of editions, the gentlemen of Loch Lomond produce bottlings only available at or near the distillery, aptly named Distillery Editions. This one is the 6th, a blend of two types of whisky, one an 8-year-old Single Malt, distilled in Straight Neck stills, the other a 14-year-old Single Grain, distilled in Cooper Column stills. Both are made from 100% malted barley, so if I've understood correctly, it's the distillation method that means it's not considered as a single malt. Maturation enhances the distillate, and exactly 400 bottles are produced.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :  

It's very well-balanced, with notes of woody wax, lemon zest, creamy vanilla, with a lovely airy fullness, quince jam, medlars and greengages, toasted cereals, hay. A hint of milk chocolate. It's delicately floral. On the palate, it's well-crafted, with oily honey, citrus fruit, grapefruit, peaches, soft bananas, muesli and lively spices. The finish is quite long and deep, with chocolate turning dark, drier fruits, figs, dates, wood varnish, one or two coffee beans. Malted cereals, candied ginger.

 

In Short, 

It's very interesting, the influence of the grain is discreet but very present, and there's a lot of fruit. It's really not expensive, but you have to travel all the way to Scotland to find it, that's the problem. Otherwise, everyone would have flocked to it, because the value for money is incredible.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Lettuce - Rising to the Top

Croftengea 2017 Hidden Spirits A Year Long Celebration 6 yo

 

 

 

50,4°

Distillery : Loch Lomond - Highlands

Bourbon Cask 

Independent Bottling 

By Hidden Spirits  

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated from 40 to 55 ppm 

I'd forgotten there was a fourth bottling in the A Year Long Celebration series, in honour of 11 years of Hidden Spirits, an Italian bottler founded in 2013 by Andrea Ferrari. I'm going to try and list all the brands to come out of the Loch Lomond distillery. There are the unpeated ones: Loch Lomond, Old Rhosdhu, Inchmurrin, and the peated: Inchmoam, Inchfad and Croftengea. Each whisky is produced differently. Croftengea is the most heavily peated, double distilled in straight-neck stills, in the same way as Inchmurrin, except that Inchmurrin is not peated. This Croftengea doesn't seem to be one of the most peaty, it must be around 40/45 ppm, and it was aged in a single Bourbon cask for only 6 years. I don't know how many bottles were produced.

Let's Taste It : 

Very mineral nose, with limestone and quartz, gypsum, slate. Peat and grit, earthy smoke. Lemon notes in the background, vanilla ointment, coconut, white chocolate. Fresh iodine, some sea spray. On the palate, it's oily, a thick layer of peat, charcoal balls, roots, but also almond milk, very ripe pears, cloves and grey pepper. Quite a long finish, quite worthy, charcoal-like, woody, dark chocolate, coffee, forest berries, ginger, bark, chestnuts in their husks, humus. 

 

In Short, 

It's not bad at all, with good earthy peat, but also mineral, typical of the Highlands, and I also found a few hints of costal, which would come from the islands. It's a little Peat Bomb, with character and an original personality, albeit a little young. The price is too high in my opinion, you can find just as good for less, but Peat Bombs from the Highlands are rare after all.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Golden Apes - The Highest Point

Inchmurrin 2003 Limited Edition Specially Selected by WhiskyNerds 14 yo c. 17/171-1

 

 

 

54,6°

Distillery : Loch Lomond - Highlands

Refill Ex-Sherry Butt and 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Cask, Refill Sherry Finish

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2017 

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Almost Unpeated

Inchmurrin is one of the many brands used by the Loch Lomond distillery. Here it is the third part of a trio of bottlings selected in 2017 by WhiskyNerds, a Dutch bottler. The bottling is original though, WhiskyNerds only selected the two casks that produced the three expressions. The first two were the product of a Bourbon cask and a Sherry cask. For the third, they vatted what was left in the two previous casks, and put the whole thing to finish in a Refill Sherry cask. The result is these  495 bottles. Although it is designated as a Single Cask, that's what it says on the label, it's not a Single Cask! Only the finishing took place in a single cask.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Rather fruity, cherries and blackberries, blueberry tart, dark chocolate, peat with charcoal, slate, vegetal moss, old wood, cereals, it's quite country-like. Good soil for ploughing. On the palate, vegetable soup, turnip and green beans, garlic, liquorice and crushed figs, wild strawberries, intense and varied spices, black tea, artichoke heart. Freshly cut grass. Long, full finish, a bit explosive, damp undergrowth, bark, chestnut leaf, black earth. Forest berries. 

In Short, 

I found it very foresty and relatively smoky, despite the fact that there is virtually no peat. Others found it very fruity and expressive. In any case, there is no doubt that this is an extremely interesting one. It is no longer available, perhaps at auction, at what appears to be a fair price.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Brendan Perry - Tree of Life

Loch Lomond 2005 Cadenhead Original Collection 17 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Loch Lomond - Highlands

Bourbon Casks and Oloroso Sherry Finish

Independent Bottling 

By William Cadenhead Limited 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 50 ppm

 

 

 

Although it was made popular thanks to Captain Haddock, it must be said that the Loch Lomond distillery did not exist in the great days of the Tintin series, since it was only created in 1964. Nevertheless, it was able to evolve rapidly and diversify. Now it has three brands, Loch Lomond, Inchmurrin and Inchfad, the latter being the peated version produced by the distillery. It is therefore an Inchfad that we have here, even if it is not mentioned on the bottle, because the product is peated, most certainly around 50 ppm. There is a misconception that it has been aged entirely in Oloroso casks, but the Cadenhead website states that it has only been immersed in this type of cask "since 2021", so it is only a one-year finish. The number of bottles produced is not given.

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The Sherry takes its fullness from the first nose, deep, spicy, rich, red fruits, leather, dried apricots, gooseberries, blueberries and sandalwood. Strawberry coulis, autumn scents, humus, forest undergrowth, tree leaves. Quite dry, spring-like peat, with hints of hay and whitewash. The palate is less spectacular, more restrained, but nevertheless remarkably well-balanced, with fermented cherries, crushed blackberries, Indian spices, paprika, nutmeg. Very long, powerful finish, earth, cola, coffee, turmeric, coriander, cardamom. Heather.

 

In Short, 

A great success, particularly pronounced with Sherry and spices, so much so that I wonder if it's really a finish. Perhaps it is a full maturation, contrary to what the Cadenhead website says? Be that as it may, this is a very fine product, a little expensive for what it is, but which has the merit of opening our eyes to this distillery which apparently conceals some nuggets.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Victor Jarà - Manifiesto