Loch Lomond and 2 from Ferg & Harris on Taste; Douglas Laing Goes to India; Johnnie Walker Makes It a Million

Hello everyone

Well, five Ferg & Harris samples turned up just after my last column, following their bottling delay. Each of them features a different wood finish. Stylish sample packages, using flat sealed plastic pouches and informative card envelopes to hold them. Saves on weight and costs – great idea. Of the five, I decided to look at Tormore and Longmorn, both being Speysides, to note the differences. The others were from Islay (Bunnahabhain) and two Speysides both from Craigellachie. Both of those are distilleries whose whiskies I mostly enjoy and and will be featured next time.

Ferg & Harris Tormore 11 Year Old in first fill bourbon for 11 years and virgin oak for 6 months. Strength is 63.3% vol. and price is around £90 in the UK.

Appearance: Rich orange marmalade with copper highlights so some colour from the virgin oak. Slow, fat tears and not widely spaced.

Nose: Quite a luscious nose. Sweet; aromatic floral. Vanilla; spices; sweet wood shavings. Slight peach/ apricot syrup notes. Toffee and ginger. With water, some caramel and candy floss sweetness. Soft candle wax; white chocolate. More vanilla and oak spice; sweet cake spices remain.

Palate: Medium weight, satin mouth feel. Zesty across the tongue too. Plenty of oak vanilla and tannins. Orange oil; ginger, mace and cinnamon stick.

Finish: Quite long with gingery spice and some citrus zest bitterness; oak tannins and dry.

Ferg & Harris Longmorn 12 Year Old from fiirst fill bourbon wood and 3 months in white port barrel. Strength is 58.8% vol. Priced at about £125 (UK pricing).

Appearance: Rich, old gold with orange tinted highlights. Tears, sticky, fairly close and fat.

Nose: Some sultana/raisin notes; sweet spices. Walnuts and fresh peanuts and a touch of citrus oil. With water, it flattens out a little at first, then some leafy notes. Milk chocolate; slightly vinous; custard and cream.

Palate: Medium weight, quite silky. Initially quite mouth-drying with bitters and astringency. Spicy – both sweet and hot. Citrus zest bitterness and some nutshell.

Finish: Medium – long; dried herb bitterness, nuts and quite drying.

Both of these whiskies are limited edition but no indication of how many bottles of each one. Also, both have no added colour and no chill-filtration. They are available from Ferg & Harris and independent specialists. Both pleasant drams but the Tormore had the edge for me (and not just because it‘s a brand for which I used to have marketing charge).

A few weeks ago I received a release about a new range from Loch Lomond – the Waypoint Series. The first expression is a 16 year old at 46.2% vol., no chill-filtration and no added colour. Maturation has been in bourbon wood and finished for one year in cognac casks. It‘s been available initially in The Whisky Shop in the UK but is making its way to specialists around the globe. UK price level is around £82. A rather decent price for this age. We‘re told, „The Waypoint Series is a celebration of the distiller’s commitment to flavour and its heritage in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Each expression in the collection will represent a significant ‘waypoint’ in the National Park…“. This one links to the Falls of Falloch, a waterfall in said national park. Also, for those of you not familiar with this distillery, it‘s the only one in Scotland with both traditional swan neck stills and straight neck stills. This 16 year old is from the swan neck stills only.

The packaging features a carton with hand-drawn artwork form a Welsh artist, Brett Breckon (why does that sound like a stage name?). It represents „…a mythical journey through dense trees, fauna and flora to the majestic Falls of Falloch… the image has been intricately worked into a large scraperboard where the black surface is removed to reveal a crisp white below. As whisky fans explore the artwork, new layers of intrigue will be revealed…with the whisky’s tasting notes subtly woven into the scenery.“ Well, I did my own notes before checking out that last bit. All I can say is that the packaging is really lovely. What does the whisky taste like?

Loch Lomond Waypoint Series 16 Year Old

Appearance: Rich gold with brass highlights. Tears fairly slow and sticky.

Nose: Sweet and fruity; vanilla custard; lychee; golden raisins. A slight waxiness and soft, warm spices including some ginger. Soft oak and some honey. With water, waxier and a little more spice; tea leaves; a touch of candy floss sweetness and marshmallows. Rounded and mellow, gentle.

Palate: Medium moputh feel and slightly unctuous. Sweet and gently spicy with stewed pear fruit; light honeyoak tannins, almonds and a hint of citrus.

Finish: Quite long; spicy with sweet fruit and a dab of licorice with some oak tannins.

I certainly enjoyed this one. A lovely whisky to ease yourself into autumn – or spring, dependent on where you are.

There were lots of other news pieces in the last couple of weeks, one of which announced that the Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh had now reached the 1 million visitor mark. I‘m very glad it‘s been a success as it‘s beautifully done as a visitor and brand attraction and well worth a visit, though some of the merchandise is rather expensive, in my view. This news was swiftly followed by a release from a different source mentioning that the building JWE inhabits had been sold to another property company but, nothing to fear, Diageo has a lease on the building till about 2044 so JWE isn‘t going away anytime soon.

Last one for this time is from a release that came in from Douglas Laing & Co. after the last column to announce that they have bottled a blended malt of Scotch and Indian whisky under their Double Barrel range – Double Barrel India & Scotland. It‘s offered at 50% vol (NAC/NCF) and only 2,000 bottles have been produced for global distribution. No age statement mentioned. I haven‘t had the chance to try it but am intrigued by the idea as there are some good Indian whiskies out there. The label depicts the national animals of both countries – a Royal Bengal tiger for India and a unicorn for Scotland (I thought it would be a lion but we do use a unicorn symbolically e.g. in a coat of arms). Apparently, two casks of Scotch and two casks from India have been married together but we‘re not told from exactly where. It‘s available now from whisky specialists and online. Expect to find it at around £75 or 89 euros. If anyone has tried it, do send me your impressions via this website comments area. I‘ll be interested to see what else Douglas Laing come up with under this banner as previous incarnations have featured only Scotch whiskies from different regions blended together. I rather like this United Nations of Whisky approach – quirky and fun and a way to pique the curiosity of existing and potential new whisky drinkers.

That‘s it for this time and this month. Back in November with more on the remaining Ferg & Harris samples and other matters of interest. For those getting involved with it, have a fun Hallowe‘en and I hope you have your witchy and ghosty cocktails ready!

Happy dramming.

Slainte,

Caroline