Loch Lomond 18 Year
Loch Lomond is a storied location in Scotland, even today. It once held an array of illict and legitimate distilling operations but over the years, almost all fell by the wayside. The Littlemill Distillery was founded in 1772, the oldest licensed distillery in Scotland. The original Loch Lomond Distillery was founded in 1814 but the current one was built in 1996 by Littlemill. The distillery produces both grain and malt whiskies but is unique in that it has 2 styles of malt still, a straight neck pot still and the more traditional swan neck pot still. Different still types, peated or unpeated barley and differing cut points allow the distillery to produce a wide arrange of tastes. The current distillery changed hands a number of times but was most recently taken over by the Loch Lomond Group in 2014, with Master Blender Michael Henry at the creative helm. This means the Loch Lomond 18 featured here was created before the current team was in place.
Loch Lomond 14 Year
Loch Lomond Distillery was founded in 1964 by Duncan Barton, who had formally owned Littlemill Distillery. The distillery stopped production in 1984 but resumed whisky production again in 1993. By the mid-90s, it was the only distillery producing both grain and single malt whiskies, along with containing stills from the original production that have the capacity to produce spirit at 90% ABV, which is much higher than standard copper pot stills. Though other ownship changes have happend in 2014 and 2019, the distillery has remained active in producing a wide portfolio of offerings, under both the Loch Lomond and Inchmurrin brands, many of these bearing age statements. Loch Lomond is the current whisky of a number of sports teams such as the PRO14 Rugby and the Wigan Warriors, along with being the official spirit of The British Open. The Loch Lomond 14 Year was matured in American ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in virgin French Limousin oak casks.
Aberfeldy 15 Year
Aberfeldy was founded in 1896 by John Dewar & Sons and has long been a major staple of Dewar’s Blended Whiskies. Along with occasional releases of casks to the independent bottling market, the distillery offers a range of aged statement single malts. The Aberfeldy 15 is a series of limited edition releases, each featuring a different cask finish. The Aberfeldy 15 featured in this review was released in late 2023 and features finishing in Sémillon wine casks, a sweet white wine from the Cadillac region of France, where a lot of Bordeauxs are found. Other editions have showcased finishing in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Bolgheri Red Wine Casks.