The distiller Loch Lomond has a lot of imprints; I've mentioned them all before, but it stands repeating - there are at least six or seven that I can tell, with no clear demarcation between them. This is a bottle of Inchmoan, which I thought was the peated variety of Loch Lomond. However, this bottle - a single cask offering from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), cask 135.32, nicknamed "Bowling Green Libations" - doesn't seem to be peated at all, released under the Sweet, Fruity & Mellow flavor profile.
So... I don't know quite what to make of this. Unpeated Inchmoan, aged 9 years in a first-fill bourbon barrel and bottled at a nice fat 57.6%. Well, let's take a look at the official bottling notes:
At first sniff we entered a fresh green landscape – grass, mint, green fruits (apple, gooseberry, grape, lime) – a bit like sipping margaritas at the bowling green. A delicious set of flavours tantalised our tastebuds – sherbet lemons and blood orange sorbet, Brazil nuts and something vaguely medicinal (cough syrup?); followed by gentle strains of white pepper, oak and dry spices on the finish. The reduced nose had fresh laundry dancing in an orchard - rose water, bergamot, marzipan, plum jam, coconut and pine. The palate became lip-smackingly juicy and quaffable – lemon juice on cooked pears, tropical fruit punch and honey drizzled on dried fruits.
Interesting! I happen to *love* grassy drams - looking at you, Bruichladdich - and I'm also excited about the margarita mention, along with the blood orange sorbet. I'm intrigued! Let's dive in:
Nose: Ooooh, this is grassy. Fresh cut grass, orange oil, apple, berries, lime... I can see where they get the margarita notes from. Deep, rich chocolate malt, salt, citric hints of blood orange (!), lemons... the official notes are quite close to what I'm scenting here. I also get a "freshly baked cookies" vanilla note that is very pure and nice. Quite a good nose.
With water: Caramel and more chocolate (fudge?) emerge in spades, alongside the fruit. You lose some of the salt, but gain some more vanilla/sugar.
Mouthfeel: Thicker, more viscous than I would have guessed.
Palate: OK - I absolutely get the "blood orange sorbet" on the palate. This is delightful. I also get lemon ice cream, pepper, and wood notes. This must have been a hell of a cask. Tons of fruit here - as the palate develops it goes from citrus to orchard fruit: pear and apple. Plus strong notes of malted barley and grass. It's reminiscent of my beloved Bruichladdich Bere Barley, but perhaps even fruitier, and with more spices on the back end. A real stunner.
With water: Stays enormously grassy and malty. A little more chocolate and sweetness, a little less fruit. Largely the same. Perhaps a bit of honey alongside the vanilla.
Finish: Wood tannins, orange flesh and orange peel, pepper. Refreshing and quite light and pleasing. A good finish, doesn't overstay it's welcome and become too bitter, doesn't understay the welcome and leave you wanting more.
Verdict: An absolute winner from Loch Lomond. I am coming to respect independent bottlings from this distillery more and more - "Dark and Flaming" (another SMWS single cask) from them was one of the more interesting bottles I've had this year, and this one is PERFECT summer drinking: light, refreshing, fruity, malty, grassy, full of flavor, robust, and endlessly pleasing. As a friend of mine would say: "crushable." Highly recommended. This isn't likely to last long around here... what a great dram.
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