Whisky: Lochindaal 11 Year (2010), Dramfool "Brand Ambassadors' Cask #1"

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 62.3%

Cask: First Fill Bourbon

Age: 11 Years (Filled 12 Jan. 2010, Bottled 16 June 2022)

Nose: Orange cream candies and fresh hay in a horse stall, fruit, mild farmy funk, herbal-grassiness, anise, earth, cured and pickled fruits.

Palate: Medium-bodied, syrupy, persimmon, vanilla, cream, cinnamon candies, li hing mui, tart tropical fruit.

Finish: Long and lingering with mellow tart tropical fruit and a kiss of salt.

Score: 7-8 (87)

Mental Image: Post-Hike Shave Ice Recovery

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was sweet and funky with orange cream candies and fresh hay in a horse stall— fruit, earth, grass, and a mellow farmy funk all came together harmoniously.  An herbal grassiness ran throughout with mint, anise, and, with more time, red earth and clay.  With time, or a few drops of water, the cream churned in the direction of whipped butter with cured and pickled fruits, old fashioned candies, and persimmons in syrup.  Medium-bodied and syrupy, the flavor profile provided persimmons in almond syrup, blue vanilla syrup, and creamy sweetened condensed milk— shave ice with a cream top!  Cinnamon candies arrived with li hing powder, a sweet-salty condiment made from salted pickled plums; the tartness of the li hing transitioned to star fruit and green mango with while and water brought the tart tropical fruits further forward.  The finish was long and lingering with tart tropical fruits and a subtle salt.

Totally unlike any of the other Lochindaal I have had, I almost skipped the opportunity to grab this bottle as I figured it was just more of the same.  Do not get me wrong, I love Lochindaal, and I wish there was more of the heavily peated spirit; it clocks in at about 25% higher PPM than Port Charlotte but shares a similar mouthfeel to Octomore. I have been told be various people this is due to either fermentation or distillation cuts, but either way the malt is something of a happy medium between Port Charlotte and Octomore.

Most of the Lochindaal I have tried have been fairly coastal, clean, and well-balanced. None were anywhere close to as fruity as this malt, which oddly appears to have sat in a steel drum for at least a month before finally being poured into the cask. Hence, the date of “filling” rather than “distillation.”

Overall, excellent. Neither Dramfool nor Lochindaal disappoint often and this was a cut above most.