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Inchmurrin – a Loch Lomond Single Malt

Welcome to part 4 in a my series of reviews covering recent releases from the Dumbarton-based independent bottler, Dràm Mòr. In this installment, I’ll be getting to grips with a wee sample from Loch Lomond Distillery, arguably one of the most interesting whisky producers in all of Scotland. Loch Lomond is capable of producing a wide range of different spirits. Each new make style is given a unique name in order to differentiate them. Some are named after islands that can be found in the famous loch. Like Inchmurrin, for example.

The Loch Lomond Distillery was established in Alexandria in 1964. There was an earlier distillery to hold the name but it was relatively short-lived and the two are unconnected. Over the plant’s relatively short life, it has undergone several upgrades and expansions. Production commenced on a solitary pair of straight-necked stills that look like a combination between pot and column still. In place of the traditional swan neck, there is a cylindrical column, inside of which, there is a series of plates that can be adjusted to alter the character of the spirit being produced.

The number of stills doubled in 1990, before a set of traditional swan neck pot stills were added in 1998. Complicating matters further, a set of column stills were added in 1993, to allow for the production of grain whisky. This made the distillery entirely self-sufficient and able to create everything required for making blended Scotch in-house.

Despite the distillery’s impressive flexibility and potential for creativity, however, it would be fair to say that its single malt didn’t always enjoy the greatest of reputations. Things have improved in recent years after first one, then a second, management buyout. A new core range, which showcases the spirit at 46% ABV, without chill-filtering or colour enhancement, paints the spirit in a much more positive light and celebrates some of the incredible flexibility that’s been built into the distillery.

Inchmurrin is the name given to an unpeated malt, distilled in the straight-neck stills and this Dràm Mòr expression is a single cask, which has been finished in an oloroso sherry hogshead before bottling at 55.7%.

*Full disclosure: The whisky featured in this review was sent to me free of charge. As always, I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents.

The Whisky

Smell: The sherry is prominent from the moment you stick your nose in. It’s nutty – walnuts and conkers. There’s also prunes, raisins and figs. Tobacco leaves. New leather. Cinnamon and nutmeg spices too. A wee bit of water gets behind the sherry and you find some grassiness with vanilla fudge and toffee. A wee bit of citrus, too. Beyond the finish there’s some grassiness. Some vanilla pods. Straw. Toffee. Vanilla fudge. Citrus.

Taste: As with the nose, it’s the finish that leads the way (only in whisky would that statement make sense!). It’s all sherry at the front. Fruit cake with lots of sultanas and orange zest. Some cayenne pepper and chilli powder. Black pepper, too. More nutty oloroso. Some dark chocolate at the back. A nice oiliness emerges with water and the spice softens and spreads, lingering into the finish where there’s a blast of currants and oak along with some ginger biscuits.

Thoughts: This is probably the most dominant cask I’ve encountered so far in this series but that’s not a complaint because the sherry presents beautifully – and to be fair, spirit character can be found if you look for it. I like that the sherry didn’t disappear when water was added. That suggests the finish is well integrated. It loosened off, just enough to let a wee bit of a lighter, grassier malt whisky come through, but very much remained part of the experience from start to finish. Maybe some of the others in this batch had something more unique, maybe the oloroso finish is something we see much more often, but I don’t think that matters so much, because it feels like a very well executed example.

Price: £88. Not the cheapest, but not excessive for a single cask in the current market and it will absolutely hit the spot if you enjoy the sherry cask style.

For more about Dràm Mòr visit here

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