Whisky: Lochside 20 Year SMWS 92.10 “Cod-liver oil and blackcurrants”

Country/Region: Scotland/Highlands

ABV: 61%

Cask: Refill Sherry Butt

Age: 20 Years (Distilled May 1981, Bottled June 2001)

Nose: Fruity melon, salt-cured meat, herbal lemon tea, old cedar wood, strawberry licorice, lemon drops.

Palate: Medium-bodied, musty fruits, a kiss of salt, slightly waxy, bubbly gum, tobacco, and tea, strawberry licorice lingered at the end with subtle herbal-floral notes.

Finish: Lingering fruit with a kiss of salt and oil.

Score: 8

Mental Image: Melon and Prosciutto Merchant

Narrative & Notes: The aroma took me to an alpine resort where tea time featured a mug of honey, lemon, ginger tea, and an old cutting board of melon and salty cured prosciutto. Arboreal impressions gradually fell back so Strawberry Fizzers, licorice, and lemon drops could debut. The palate was musty, slightly oily, and occasionally waxy, with fruit, herbs, and salt peeking in at different moments. Bubble gum and fish oil do not sound appetizing in conjunction but worked wonders with herbal pipe tobacco and tea. Almost effervescent at the end with Strawberry Fizzers and saltwater taffy. The finish was long as fruit, salt, and an oily spirit clung to the palate.

This Lochside was the big ticket special bottle at our local whisky club’s most recent anniversary tasting. We try to go all out and make the anniversary tastings as memorable as possible— it is a chance to splurge and kick back with whatever epic bottles we have on hand. Sometimes we spend all year trying to figure out what we should include; other times, bottles just appear at the perfect time. This old Lochside fell somewhere between those— won at auction, a whisky club member offered it up for a special tasting, and what tasting could be more special than a whisky club birthday!

Lochside was one of Scotland’s shortest-lived modern distilleries— it was shuttered toward the end of the 1980s Whisky Loch and then demolished in the 1990s. Yet, the Chivas-owned distillery produced some wonderful malt. My sample size is not huge— all of two opportunities— the delicate fruity spirit reminded me a bit of Rosebank or Littlemill; two subtle Lowland malts that were also casualties of the Whisky Loch. From the point of view of our modern whisky boom, it is strange to recall or imagine a period in which distilleries— especially those whose malts took a couple of decades to mature into something special— were being shuttered and sold off.

Overall, it is always a delight to try an older malt— especially one that spent more time in the bottle than the cask. Extra delightful to try an old SMWS bottle and a ghost distillery while celebrating another year of whisky with friends and colleagues. I would not actively seek this out— it was great, but I cannot afford this kind of bottle (or even sample) on the regular; but, if I had the money, this would be quite the dram to share with friends.