The third of six drams served at the April outturn tasting for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") at the Jack Rose Saloon in Adams Morgan, Washington DC. At these events, you sit at a small table and one by one make guesses about the six scotches in front of you: age, type of cask, which distillery (multiple choice, out of five provided), along with a field to write notes.
One of the defining features of the Loch Lomond distillery is their ability to simultaneously produce single malt and grain whiskies - this is very unusual. They are a relatively small grain producer, but even so their output is pretty formidable. Rhosdhu is the name Loch Lomond uses for their single grain (unmalted barley) whisky. Confusingly, "Old Rhosdhu" is another of their single malt imprints.
Either way, here are the official tasting notes:
Some distinctly 'kitcheny' aromas were recorded initially by the panel. Including floor cleaner, bakelite, fresh jay cloths and lime air freshener. A fun and unusual profile that evolved to include jasmine flower, break fluid and citrus juices. Reduction brought out the rum influence more clearly with sappy pine needles, eucalyptus resins, ginger in syrup and pear cordial. The mouth was superbly gloopy and jellied in texture. Some very direct flavours of American jelly beans, fruit salad chews, rainbow sherbet and coconut milk. Water brought white stone fruits, lightly bitter herbal touches, greengages, yellow fruit jams, papaya and bramble leaf. Matured for 11 years in a refill bourbon barrel before transfer to an ex-Trinidad rum barrel.
13 years is quite young for a grain whisky - it's not uncommon to see 20-40 year grain whiskies - and the rum finish is highly unusual. Bottled at 58.1% ABV, let's check it out:
Nose: Butter, vanilla, fudgy chocolate, grain. Pretty sweet. I actually get almost none of the official notes here: no jasmine, no "break" fluid, no citrus. No pine, no resins, no ginger. Just soft butter and vanilla and chocolate with a noticeable grain scent.
Mouthfeel: Very oily but thin.
Palate: Marshmallow, vanilla icing, butter, grain. Simple, but nice. I honestly don't know where the rum is kicking in and contributing here. Maybe the buttery scent and flavor?
Finish: Dry - and hints of smoke. Oak. Some residual sweetness.
Verdict: This is a simple, pleasant grain whisky. The rum finish mystifies me - I don't get any rum notes at all. Perhaps this would have been a little richer and more complex with a few more years under the belt. Still - it's nice. Just not really that special, especially compared with the other five whiskies tasted that night.
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