Loch Lomond, Waypoint 31 Year Old
The oldest peated malt Loch Lomond has ever released. The Highland distillery runs peated spirit only a few weeks a year, and this drew on the heavier end of that output: 30 years in ex-bourbon casks, followed by a 12-month finish in a Tawny port pipe. Non-chill-filtered, natural color, and limited to 2,600 bottles globally, the whisky is presented in a handcrafted wooden case with an internal copper tube and artwork by illustrator Brett Breckon.
Nose
Honey, vanilla, sweet smoke
Palate
Dark chocolate, butterscotch, fragrant oak
Finish
Bonfire smoke, dried fruits
It has a creamy viscosity that clings to the glass, a rich dark amber color. It has a complex nose filled with honey, butterscotch, vanilla, sweet smoke, and dark fruits. You get more of the same on the palate, and it’s that consistency across both smell and taste that tends to score well in blind judging. The smoke is definitely there, but it does not overpower at any point. Behind it, you find that same sweetness of vanilla and honey, but etched with a sprinkling of dark chocolate and fragrant oak. Give it a bit more time in the glass, and the peat comes forward, carrying right through for a dry, bonfire-smoke finish.
One of the most elegant, well-matured Loch Lomond expressions I've come across in a long time. The smoke is gives off vintage Islay coastal notes, with a sublime creamy sweetness and beguiling tropical note. As distilleries go, Lomond is one of the most unconventional – and this shows: the Parma violet/floral notes are initially very surprising, but then it all comes together, and you end up with a complex whisky with serious refinement.
Style
Details
Loch Lomond, Waypoint 31 Year Old
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