Loch Lomond 18yo
Official Release | 46% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A fantastic companion
A soulmate to thank
So often we go about our business, day-to-day, and simply keep our heads down to get from the time we wake up to the time we put our head back on the pillow at night. During these times we often forget to stop and appreciate the precious gifts that are right in front of our faces.
Admittedly, this behaviour is most often implemented by me during difficult work weeks.
I am a lawyer and oftentimes when a particularly difficult or emotionally charged case goes to trial, I revert to a bit of bunker mentality. That is, I immerse myself in the case to prepare and ultimately have a trial in court. In my experience, the singular focus necessary for prosecuting a case does not lend itself to me being my best outside of the bubble of my office or the courtroom. When a trial is looming, I become somewhat terse, a bit withdrawn, and relatively quiet. My focus is on the case, and I can’t escape it as I never want to be caught in court with my pants around my ankles.
I have apologised many times over to my amazing wife for my personality transformation when trials come, but somehow it doesn’t seem to make up for the time in which I would otherwise be engaged and involved with her.
My wife and I are puzzle pieces, as we are in sync in just about every aspect of life. We are that corny couple that can finish each other’s sentences and that are not ashamed to hold hands and show affection in public. Across the spectrum of how we look at, and deal with, all things great and small about the world around us, we are in lock-step. And, as this is a whisky review, I would be remiss in not mentioning that this lock-step view, of course, also applies to whisky. She is a whisky supporter (some might say, enabler) as well as a whisky enthusiast.
When I started my whisky journey my wife was partial to double IPAs and I was happy with my gin and tonics. As the whisky rabbit hole opened, my wife was intrigued by my head-first dive into this amber liquid. She did not find herself going down that same rabbit hole until I shared a Lagavulin 16 with her.
It’s crazy to think how many of us were lured to those malt shores by the siren of that bottle that has since become something of a punchline due to its asking price. Still, once she was bitten by the single malt bug, she has been with me step-for-step in our Quixote-esque adventure. We talk about labels, listen to reviews together, talk about whisky, taste whisky together, and happily have fun with our whisky club.
Starting in July, one of my more difficult cases started to go south. My client became myopic in his beliefs and his position, and despite best efforts to salvage his case, this matter turned from potential settlement to dumpster fire within a week. Efforts to rescue the case were dashed one particular day during settlement discussions, and we were squarely staring at three days of trial looming three weeks hence.
The following three weeks found Ogilvie retreating more and more into trial preparation mode, and withdrawing due to work and concentration going to the case. When I knew the case was headed to trial, I told my wife of the coming storm. She figuratively battened down the hatches, and prepared for the oncoming bad weather that would be circling her husband’s attention and concentration.
The three day trial came and went. After the last day, with relief and more than a bit of elation, I called my wife from the car on the ride back from the courthouse. She was gracious as always, and I thanked her for her patience and support. We were scheduled to head off for a few days of vacation the following day – cleverly planned as a respite and means to recuperate after the trial. We have family who live on Martha’s Vineyard, and we had arranged a visit.
Before ending the phone call from the car on my way home, my wife reminded me that there would be good things coming the next day. We were headed off to vacation, so I knew the next day would bring good things… but, unbeknownst to me, there was an additional item she had planned.
The following day – after an amazingly deep sleep that I hadn’t had in three weeks – we gathered our things and drove out to Wood’s Hole on Cape Cod to catch a ferry that would take us to Martha’s Vineyard. The drive to Wood’s Hole takes about four hours, but our trip seemed as if it was a fraction of the time as I had returned to the world around me; and specifically, to my wife. We chatted and laughed and listened to music. My wife had a devilish grin on her face at different junctures of our chat, but I chalked it up to us getting away.
Once we arrived at the ferry terminal, I quipped that the last time she and I were at a ferry terminal, it was last October and we were at Port Ellen boarding a ferry to head from Islay back to Kennacraig. My wife chuckled aloud and said that whisky continues to pave a path to happy times. It was accurate, but there was something in her inflection and tone that made me a bit curious.
We boarded the ferry, sat down, and we were shortly on our way. When we were halfway to Martha’s Vineyard, my wife got up, kissed me on the forehead, told me that she wanted to recognize the long hours I had devoted to work – even though I would rather have not had to do it – and said all of this with the same devilish grin I had seen earlier. She reached into her bag, and pulled out a purple box with gold lettering.
Review
Loch Lomond 18yo, non-chill filtered, 46% ABV
US$94 (£74) paid, widely available.
We are big fans of Loch Lomond. The 12 year old official bottling is a staple in our house. I have said before, and will say again, it is the best bang-for-your-buck in whisky. That robust flavour profile with a bit of lactic funk is a favourite. Many of the other Loch Lomond expressions are not seen in my area, but the purple box with gold lettering of the 18 year old can be found on some shelves near my home. Even though it is available, for some reason, I just haven’t been able to pull the trigger to shell out almost three times the amount as compared to the 12 year old.
My wife knew I wanted so very much to get the bottle, but knew my erstwhile frugal side would not allow me to make that purchase. So, as a reward for the hard work from the past several weeks, she wanted to treat me.
Did I mention I was blessed? There are no two-ways about it.
We disembarked at Oak Bluffs and made our way to our family in Katama. It was a great day catching up with family, relaxing, and sharing time with my better half. That evening, we uncorked the bottle. Enjoyment was universal.
I came back to the bottle a few evenings later, and between getting past the neck of the bottle and giving some time to allow it to open up, a bit of heaven was the result.
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A fantastic companion
Nose
Supple leather. Unfiltered, organic honey on buckwheat bread. Slight wafts of smoke. Orange pith. Malty overtones, not unlike walking past a washback after yeast has been added.
Palate
Rich, and that dreaded word for whisky reviews: smooth. I wish there was another word for an initial part of the review, but my brain kept going back to that word, so here it is. Blackberry jam. There is a well integrated layer of earthy, rich smoke that permeates the profile but in no way is obtrusive. It is so well integrated that, at times, I forget it is there. A perfect blend of a good ex-bourbon cask that is not tannin-heavy along with malt/bread note. Clove and ginger in the background, but very slight. A browned butter – not quite caramel – note overlays. At the end of the experience, the spice and smoke builds, a very nice finish.
The Dregs
As said, I am a fanboy of Loch Lomond. This bottle does nothing except reinforce my affinity for this label. This is a wonderful dram. And, it clearly meets my standard to recognise a whisky that is beyond the “good” standard, and reaches the measure of being wonderful – it does make me stop and lose track of time as I sip and ponder. Delicious.
Reading Loch Lomond’s website indicates that this is non-chill filtered “as nature intended”, but yet, it mentions nothing about natural colour. Nor is there anything about natural colour on the bottle. I will let this slide…but in saying this, frankly, I can’t let it pass.If you are going to say it is as nature intended, why would you add colour? Rant over.
Aside from the faux pas of colour, this bottle hits on all other measures. It is rich but not heavy.It is fruity with overlays of honey, but not too sweet.It has spice but it is so very faint and so well integrated. It has peat smoke but it does not overwhelm or become intrusive as many peated whiskies do. Oftentimes we suggest that a whisky is “balanced”, and that word becomes, perhaps, over used.This Loch Lomond is truly balanced, and I hope that my characterisation is not diluted due to the fact that the word “balanced” is seemingly ubiquitous in the world of whisky reviews.
My wife surprised me with a wonderfully thoughtful gift, and treated us both to a wonderful experience. Mrs. Shaw is, without doubt, the most supportive and caring person I know. And, it must be said, I am doubly blessed in that she has happily travelled down the whisky path with me, step for step.
The frugal part of me chafes a bit with the thought of dropping close to $100.00 USD on a bottle of whisky.However, for an 18 year old of this quality, I cannot say that the price for this bottle is not commensurate with the quality and taste experience you should expect and receive at this price point. If you want to treat yourself, this bottle should be on your short list.
Many thanks to Mrs. Shaw, my amazing wife. And, many thanks to Michael Henry at Loch Lomond for creating a bit of magic in a bottle. Mrs. Shaw and Mr. Henry teamed to provide a great time and recuperation on The Vineyard for ol’ Ogilvie.
As we sat out on the patio, under the stars with drams in hand, I was reminded of an old adage that fits my wife and me like a well-worn glove: no road is long when you have good company.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS
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