LOCH LOMOND WHISKIES UNVEILS 46 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT WHISKY

Loch Lomond Whiskies has unveiled a rare 46 Year Old single malt whisky, marking the second release in its Remarkable Stills Series.

Created in homage to the distillery’s unique straight-neck stills, the collection of exceptional limited edition single malt whiskies celebrates the alchemy and engineering of Loch Lomond’s whisky-making process.

As the only distillery in Scotland to use straight-neck stills, Loch Lomond Whiskies is truly unique in its craftsmanship, using innovative techniques to explore flavour in a distinctive way.

It is able to carefully shape the character of the whisky at the point of distillation, creating a lighter spirit with a distinctive fruit flavour which is integral to the distillery’s signature style.

First distilled in 1974, Loch Lomond 46 Year Old has matured in American oak casks for 44 years, followed by two years in a combination of first fill Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks. The unpeated single malt whisky has been bottled at a strength of 45.3% ABV.

On the nose, there are hints of toffee and caramelised sugar with floral notes of rose, peach, mango, vanilla syrup, while the palate has juicy ripe pear, fresh orange peel and sweet melted brown sugar. There are some cinnamon and clove spice before dried fruits of raisins and sultanas. The finish on Loch Lomond 46 Year Old is long with green fruit, gooseberry and lime, a toffee sweetness and warming cinnamon and nutmeg spice.

These exceptional flavours which flow from the remarkable stills are further complemented by the impact of the casks where the whisky has been quietly maturing for 46 years. The influence of sherry adds rich, dried fruits which perfectly balances the notes of apple and pear which come from the straight-neck stills.

Natural in colour, the final product captures the story of Loch Lomond Whiskies innovative and imaginative spirit, underpinned by its unique capabilities.

Presented in a beautifully hand-crafted oak box with a copper centre inspired by the stills themselves, Loch Lomond 46 Years Old is limited to only 200 bottles around the world, making it one of the rarest whiskies ever released by the distillery.

Loch Lomond Whiskies Master Blender, Michael Henry said: “It is our unique straight-neck stills which set us apart from other distilleries in Scotland.

“Often distilleries focus on the flavours created through cask influence alone, but at Loch Lomond Whiskies we use both the distillation and maturation process to create a distinctive signature style.

“The Loch Lomond Whiskies Remarkable Stills Series has been crafted in tribute to our unique whisky-making expertise and captures the passion and curiosity of our whisky-making team who have set out to explore flavour in our own unique way.

“We set out to create new possibilities in whisky-making and as a result have created an exceptional collection of high-aged- single malt whiskies which feature some of the rarest expressions we have ever released.

“Loch Lomond 46 Year Old showcases our ability to create imaginative flavour profiles, and perfectly captures the distillery’s signature style which is characterised by extraordinary notes of fruit and honey.”

Loch Lomond 46 Years Old Single Malt has an RRSP of £4,500 and is available globally. Each edition of the Remarkable Stills Series is limited to just 200 bottles making it one of the rarest collections of whiskies ever released by Loch Lomond Whiskies. Every bottle has been individually numbered to showcase its rarity.

Loch Lomond Distillery can trace its roots back to the Littlemill distillery, which was established in 1772 and is the oldest licensed distillery in the world. Its current malt and grain distilleries, in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, close to the banks of Loch Lomond, were commissioned in 1964 with first distillation in 1966.