ralfy review 1023 - Loch Lomond 18yo @46%vol:

[@Zofer-1920]

That rooster was giving it his all! 😂

[@adrianwiuk]

Your new microphone seems to have made your whisky glass bigger? Very strange 🤣

[@thealembicdiary1814]

😂😂😂

[@ivanthetolerable]

I picked up a bottle of Loch Lomond 18 at a sale ($1 over wholesale) in March 2022. I paid $68.49 plus tax for that 18 year old single malt at 46% ABV!. I did not think much of it after I got it home. It reminded me of a mix between the crust of overcooked rice/oatmeal/grits scraped from a pot or pan, with the scorched crust of a fruitcake scraped from a baking tin. Over the following two years, I would return to it, only to find that same fruitcake and pot-scrapings aroma and flavor. Many blending experiments were performed to try to coax something better out of it, or at least salvage some value out of the purchase. But within the last couple of weeks, with about an inch left in the bottle, enough oxidation has apparently occurred to redeem this value-malt. I always got a small bit of sherry, possibly from a hastily seasoned finishing cask, but it comes through a little more after all of that oxidation, and all of those unpleasant scorched carb notes have been reshuffled in the flavor spectrum. The sweetness of the sherry seems well balanced with the restrained sweetness of the distillery character. It almost seems slightly dry, like a ‘blend’ of Oloroso & Fino sherry. I am getting less ginger than you apparently did, but it was a December 2019 bottling. I do get a slight vegetal note that reminds me of an older Glentauchers, which could be construed as a very mild mint, like spearmint. I am not getting a chalky or sharp mint. I don’t recall a differentiated tannic note before, but picking apart the last inch of the bottle, I do perceive it both on the nose and the palate. It is balanced, and not off-putting. I’m not getting apricot, but I might be convinced that there’s a cantaloupe ester somewhere in there, or maybe it was just the dryness of the sherry… The barley sugar note is deeper, and more interesting than some barley-sugar malts. I still taste E150A, even after two years, but it is less dominant. I’m not sure I will purchase it again, because I keep blowing up my whiskey budget, and the sale price will likely have gone up significantly over the past two years. But the last sips of this bottle are making me think about it…

[@johndoyle1750]

Also just got around to listening to your tribute to Paul …I got to meet him at the Bon Accord 2 years ago visiting my daughter at university of Glasgow he was quite the gentleman and made my wife and daughter feel welcome …wish we had him running a bar here in Boston

[@johnsnedden5619]

Hi Ralfy , in the early 80's my father in law got a job at Loch Lomond, nighshift gatehouse security, on his first night a left hand drive lorry decorated with lollipops and bags of sweets arrived for delivery, he turned the driver away telling him this is a whisky distillery not a sweet factory, the driver shrugged his shoulders and parked up for the night, at the end of his first shift he was asked if everything had been ok , he explained about the lorry only to be told it was the delivery of the caramel colouring, not delivering sweeties 😂 still kept his job

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . classic story 😆

[@murduk88]

hilarious 😆 thanks for sharing!

[@Aircraftsystemst]

Good review Ralfy! I love a wee dram of Loch Lomand 18yo!!

[@thomasmclennon4746]

Where's Billy the cat? Great review, as always. I love it when you get into the technical aspects such as casking and water.

[@rjdenton479]

Sandy Bulloch would be very proud to see this review. And so would Master distiller, Mitch Serby, who actually designed the still that produced it. The whisky, at that time, was called Inchmurren. It was a wonderful soft Lowland malt. I’ve 10 bottles from the first barrel from that still.

[@nealbruce5914]

I enjoy LL 12 and 18. Absolutely point on! I do notice a hint of peat in the background. I believe they claim there is a hint in there as well! Thank you!

[@gustavocipriano9076]

You are right, there is a hint of peat.

[@ironmantran]

Sound is clear as ever, as before : punchy, no echo, no reverb, very "uni-directonal" with non-disrupting background noise (such as them chickens coo-koo-rocco ) - no pink noise nor white noise detected. Love my LOLO-12 and -21.

[@joan_b.]

Sound's fine. I can even hear a rooster outside 😂

[@dumphoneuser800]

Working well with me watching this at 6 am. However I must wait 10-12 more hours before I can join in with a dram 😌

[@joan_b.]

@@dumphoneuser800 😂

[@yusufsayed1583]

Good Afternoon 😊 Aersome Review👌🏽 The microphone is working well 👍🏼 Have a great day 👏🏼 Greetings and Cheers 🍻 From South Africa 🇿🇦

[@CaskMusic1]

Would have thought this would be 86+ it's so good. 😊

[@wallace-bv4rl]

I have enjoyed a lot of whisky and watched a lot of reviews. Still I have to say I learned plenty here on how to enjoy my drams. My biggest miss in my history is I’m drinking each glass of whisky too quick. Not good but hey I’ve learned loads over the years and this is another thing!! Thank you Ralfy

[@Bob-ts2tu]

spot on about time letting it open up, a dash of spring water and the oxygen in, I can't think of one that it doesn't improve. When i have guests who like a dram but aint whisky buffs they usually don't wanna wait though, and when i say 'but drinking whisky is my hobby....' i often get a knowing nod and a 'yeah, right, course it is', but WE know don't we, and next time it's a glass of Bells for them, so we'll all be happy :) Tx for the review.

[@salamisaver]

Hi Ralfy. Loch Lomond now also has a 14 year old aged partly in European oak which is quite good from what I've heard. It's also affordable.

[@christinecamley]

The sounds is amazing! Fabulous review Ralfy!! 🙂

[@mlambrechts1]

Being a Belgian, do you know why I would like this whisky? It's in our culture because Captain Haddock (Tin Tin) drinks this! That 's why, if you ask the man in the street to name a whisky down here, he would only know one! Loch Lomond.

[@martingrafton4844]

Ha, I loved reading Tin Tin as a child. Captain Haddock is my favourite character.

[@sandrofazzolari8833]

I enjoyed the 12 yo The Open edition which was all natural, slightly peated and fairly priced. 45 pounds in London back in 2021. This sounds like another winner. Thanks 🙏 dear Ralfy. Kindest regards, S.

[@Whiskynewspaper]

Super review Ralphy. I need to delve deeper into Loch Lomond.

[@RobertsonWellen]

Thanks for this review- looking forward to the next one 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🥃

[@JaredHerdlevar]

Immediately noticed the audio difference before you even mentioned the new mic!

[@SimonneNZ]

Loch Lomond 18 isn't available here at the moment, but I have the Loch Lomond 14 which is really good. I've also had the Loch Lomond 12 and Inchmoan 12. Out of those two I prefer the Inchmoan. As for that rooster! 🐓😂Cheers!

[@upinmygoodies]

New mic is spot on Ralfy, can hear the cockerel crowing away in the background. Nothing like an early morning malt! Cheers

[@mattpetersen4620]

Heard that also. Was thinking sun set, but most likely sun rise. Early morning dram. Fine if the boss doesn't mind....LOL

[@mattpetersen4620]

Find the 12 just as enjoyable. For the buck, the 12 Year. Love what they are producing though. Keep it up.

I found 12y to have absolutely beautiful aroma.

[@jbar6284]

Hello Ralfy, the new mic. sounds excellent. I could hear two roosters loud and clear. Two roosters?🤔 One outside and one inside the bothy.😉 The improved quality of the mic is such that one noticed much more-so the difference in sound when you briefly held the old mic. in front of you/between you and the camera (& mic., presumably), and then removed it again, ~2.55. That's not meant as a criticism, just something to perhaps be aware of going forward. I think the chest-level camera angle is very good/direct, but just wonder whether the mic. can perhaps be positioned slightly higher so that such "obstacles" have less impact on the sound? But that may be too difficult. Sorry to nit-pick. Re. the 18yo LL, I believe there's no sherry-seasoned casks involved (cf. comments below, rather than your review) but instead three types of American oak: first-fill ex-bourbon, refill, and rechar, which is fairly typical across many of LLs releases. Many LL releases mention "smoke" and for some that's barrel char but the 18 like the 12 I believe includes a peated malt component.

[@EuropaWill]

Did they change the recipe? You mention it being unpeated a few times here but the Original, 12 and 18 all have some peat in them though quite low amounts but definitely noticeable by me. I distinctly remember Michael Henry saying in one of his videos that the 18 has a bit more peat than the younger expressions.

[@steveno7058]

Picked this up for $75 USD in Texas. Great stuff!

[@raeraeraeth]

I was struggling to add water and had poor luck as I added unmeasured drops of chlorinated (and very hard) tapwater, usually ending up with something sour and lifeless. I know not recommended, but I figured 'what difference could it make?' As soon as I switched to using a teaspoon with mineral water, the difference was night and day. Now I am able to really enjoy the wonderful unchillfiltered and cask strength whiskies I have collected. Thanks!

[@mikemelichar9362]

For the price the 12 and 18 are always going to be on my shelf!!!

[@Shane4Bass]

I haven't used Rode microphones for a while. Good Australian mics that aren't too expensive! The new owners are really bringing out the best of this brand of whisky! 👍

[@mcw2553]

My left ear really enjoyed the first review Ralfy.

[@thewhiskybothy]

😄

[@brianmobley1720]

Sounds very clear 🐿️😎🐿️

[@Onoelo23gf]

Glenmorangie uses water from Tarlogie Springs. It is reportedly unusually hard and mineral-rich, but used without question by that distillery, Switched from a Glencairn glass, I notice.

[@potterendergaming5335]

Hi ralfy thanks for this review! I've been tempted to try this, but I was put off by the fact that it said loch lomond on it because with all the fame and stuff surrounding that I thought it might have been a bit gimickie. I guess this is definitely a case of don't judge the book by its cover or the whisky by its presentation box. I think I will give this ago once I've finished my Irish adventure with green spot.

[@davidreynolds6718]

Hi Ralfy - long time viewer here. I'm a sound guy listening in a recording studio. Your new microphone sounds fine!

[@davidreynolds6718]

I can even hear that rooster in the background around the 7 minute mark. Haha.

[@Dan-hn1lx]

I have two different bottles of this malt and its dusty its sweet its old books and boots. It has a mustiness to it that I appreciate and for the age its priced very well in my area. I also like the 12 its almost overly sweet but its just a different style to most distilleries and its not fancy but its good whisky nonetheless.

[@WhiskeyKnows]

Ralfy, as you leaned closer to the Mic the better and clearer the sound I thought! Cheers my Friend.

[@robfut9954]

The “older” Loch Lomond whiskies used to be pretty affordable before COVID. But shortly after the prices skyrocketed. Even the younger 12 went from $35 a bottle to $50 where I am. I like the brand, but not for higher prices since there are other options at the higher price point I like better. This is in the US, however.

[@benrobson1177]

Had this 18yo on my to buy list for a while now. I tried LL Steam and Fire recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think that release explicitly has no colouring added so I assume most of their other bottlings are coloured.

[@brentkasl6510]

Is the water added soft or hard? Well or filtered?

[@farshadp6114]

Greetings, Mr. Ralfy, and thank you for another informative review. This is a very good old affordable single malt, I can always get really good deals on the weekends via UberOne. You mentioned Glengoyne, I recently bought a legacy series from Glengoyne, and it is a very delightful single malt for my taste, I went back 2 weeks later, and it was sold out.I also have 10 12 and cask strength one from Glengoyne and really like the cask strength. Perhaps in your extra or next review, please explain why you are not buying it anymore. Cheers and happy Anzac day.

[@EmrahUncu]

Captain Haddock's favorite brand of Scotch.

[@jbar6284]

Yes, but only because it didn't then exist. I imagine Hergé didn't want to get into legal issues by using/advertising an actual brand and so invented LL as a pretend one.

[@GaryB007]

There does seem to be a little more reverb/reflected sound with the new mic.

[@chentim1751]

Nice new mic! Spot on!!

[@ElijsDima]

New mic sounds fine. Feels like we might be hearing a bit more of the background (rooster) and the room sound a bit more; idk if the new one is a shotgun too or more of a cardioid; it feels more "open" at least.

[@joetjoepjoeserneejm]

Between 01:40 and 02:00 I can hear other people talking. They must be right outside the bothy. It's not loud enough that I can make out what they're saying but I never heard that before in any of your videos. The sound of the microphone is very clear though but perhaps less directional than the old one used to be.

[@johndoyle1750]

Yes microphone is very good but that rooster certainly added a touch of class

[@sachinkainth9508]

Ralfy, could you do an extras one day on long-chain proteins and conjoners etc as I hear about these things often but have no idea what they are?

Guys, if you are able to find them I very much suggest get the limited Single Grain LLs in dark tubes: Distiller's Choice 48.8% and Cooper's Collection - Mizunara 50%. If you can have only one, then absolutely the first one. Truly nice fruity experience, especially with generous splash of water.

[@wallace-bv4rl]

Aha we’re all different- I’ve been getting enthusiastic about LL grain and I have a distillers and a coopers bought about two months ago. I liked the coopers more and noted it was £5 more expensive but justified that in terms of some tick box aspects and for me the taste. Great whisky though for sure 👍

And if less people like what you like, then the price is less likely to go up.

[@carlossandiego7925]

Sound quality is great. Is it the new mic or is the rooster just grumpier than usual? 😆

[@ccuellar6212]

That rooster is feeling frisky today .

[@roelandbrink1345]

Coloring 150 added, according to german retail information.

[@Johnstone72]

The Cockerel in the back ground? Good God in Govan Ralfy, you've not gone full on Whisky for breakfast? Say it ain't so!! Is Loch Lomond the distillery by that used to keep Geese in the grounds as an alarm system? Childhood memories of driving past and waving to the geese.

[@billyboy9810]

I'm pretty sure that they colour all of their whisky Ralfy. It's not something that bothers me massively if what's in the bottle delivers big flavours and a fantastic experience, but when other distilleries get criticism for it then it should be across the board. I think the Glen Scotia is the same but the whisky is better. Naturally presented is always nice, cheers Ralfy!

[@Whiskynewspaper]

I've always wondered this, how many drops of caramel would they add to make a significant impact on colour? And is it me but i feel like i can actually taste the caramel with certain drams on the lower end of the integrity scale?

[@cemtuncel1602]

Because of their continuous still, I believe their new make spirit is really high with the ABV. It feels like this is over diluted and the caramel colouring is another negative factor although we can't tell this in the taste. Reasonable price, yes definitely, but definitely not an integrity presentation either.

[@jondouglass-bull6729]

Any plans to review Kilchoman Casado?

[@davidyeo8329]

Hi Ralfy, how come you released review 1024 first, before this review 1023?😅

[@ainstolkiner2063]

I can't tell the difference in sound

[@Mike-vw7ct]

Perhaps a chicken dinner would result in a quieter background. Ha ha

[@mikemelichar9362]

Microphone sounds good

[@fredlabosch5164]

What the heck happened to your Glencairn, Ralfy???🧐

[@brownwaterboys8304]

Malt-o-Dome Maniacs of the Malt Land

[@Mr.Wrong1]

Hey Ralfy. Do you have any intention of reviewing Jack & Victor Blended Scotch Whisky? Heard its actually pretty decent stuff.

[@barryhamilton7845]

Loch Lomond have others they've released last year called Noble Rebel and there's three different versions,and are all blended malts at 46% abv. Loch Lomond also made Rod Stewarts blended whisky called Wolfie.They also make High Commissioner blended whisky.

[@TonySuarez-yw3ic]

I hear a rooster, never heard a rooster before.

[@murphyebass7837]

Ralfy back reviewing affordable drams I see. 😂

[@Bob-ts2tu]

just checked the price on MoM, £79.45 doesn't seem too outrageous for an 18yo these days, but wether you fancy one is a different matter. GL

[@murphyebass7837]

@@Bob-ts2tu I didn’t say that it was an expensive 18 year old whiskey. I said it wasn’t an affordable dram which it isn’t for the vast majority of people.

[@Bob-ts2tu]

@@murphyebass7837 fair enough, but these days with the prices of malt rocketing as they have done over the last few years, we have to pay more anyway, and if scotch is your thing, i for one dont think it's too far out there. You can get a lot of decent scotch for maybe half the price, but sometimes better to have one bottle you really enjoy than two that are just ok but give better value. Wether this particular malt is it i don't know, but it's a choice at least, each to our own. GL

[@colinmacfarlane4163]

If the new mic is also directional, there must be a rooster behind you.

[@BelfastCowboy]

Ralfy, is that a white wine glass?

[@mlambrechts1]

Ralfy, get some sleep! There's a rooster in the background. 🙂

[@mrmillcake8525]

Hi, Ralfy! =)

[@utoobia]

Warning: Most tea spoons (utensils) are not exactly 1 teaspoon (measurement) and some are way off. 🧐

[@e.r.v.9612]

The sound isn't better or worse just different......but your picturesque speaking accent sounded much better with the original one.

[@Robertcollopy]

Loch Lomond Aged 18 Years. You cant go wrong with the price. I wont be buying the Dalmpre Aged 18 Years or the Macallan Aged 18 years

[@BelfastCowboy]

Dip that microphone in a bath of Johnny WalkerRed label and it should work just fine

[@uilleachan]

Double dunter!

[@neilmattos2756]

🙌🏻😁🐔😂