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Ballot: Loch Lomond 50 Year Old
Enter the ballot now. Open from 12pm on Friday 19th April, to 12pm on Monday 22nd April. A £5,000 deposit is required to enter.
This spectacularly presented Highland single malt was distilled on 29th May 1973 in the distillery's distinctive straight neck pot stills, before being left to rest amongst Loch Lomond's breathtaking surroundings for nearly four decades in American oak casks. An additional 6 years of maturation in fresh ex-bourbon casks was completed in 2017, when the liquid was re-casked into Oloroso sherry casks to further enhance the complexity of the elegant single malt.
The result is a light spirit with notes of white flesh fruits and crisp citrus, a tropical character often associated with older fruit-forward whiskies. During its time in the Bourbon casks, the spirit has gained a rich, creamy vanilla flavour that beautifully complements the fruity aroma. The influence of the Oloroso cask is evident on the nose thanks to the spiciness of the nutmeg, developing into a warming cinnamon flavour that leaves a wonderfully long finish of woody spice.
The only distillery in Scotland to use Straight neck pot stills, and one of only four to have an in-house cooperage, Loch Lomond began production in 1966 as a sister distillery to the now silent Lowland Littlemill Distillery. Master Blender, Michael Henry, joined in 2007 after working in both brewing and distilling in Belfast and Glasgow. Having previously worked in brewing, Michael’s technical understanding of flavour generation during fermentation is evident in his whisky blending role at Loch Lomond. The signature character of the distillery is the fruit flavours developed through a focus on yeast, longer fermentation times and innovative distillation techniques. Michael explains how this applied to this release:
“Our stills are synonymous with the fruity notes they give to the whisky and with the 50 Year Old, it has been granted the time to truly concentrate that character, resulting in a rich, tropical fruit flavour. Given it has been maturing in our warehouse for 50 years, there is significant cask influence which adds a real depth of character. It is a true honour to be the final custodian of magnificent whiskies with rich history such as this Loch Lomond 50 year old.”
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