ralfy review 1012 - Campbeltown Loch Malt Blend (OSWA winner 2023)

[@jezhellewell7690]

Just picked a bottle up in my local shop for £35!! Absolute bargain for a tremendous drop. Good on you Ralfy. Hoping the whisky snobs steer clear & this remains obtainable.

[@riancreamer6904]

Pure malt is the most flattering term, imo.

[@AudioheavenDenmark]

It's an absolute amazing blend. One of the best ever made.

[@johnnyjustice9988]

Agreed! I've heard the newer blend is more peaty. I made it to recent Springbank drop in Dallas this past Thursday. . Scored a Springbank 10, and Caidenhead Enigma 15. The other day there were still some Loch's left, but I grabbed an Edradour 12 Caledonia instead.

[@Eunegin23]

So different from batch to batch. No wonder, given it's a blended malt from different distilleries. You just can't tell from the label and have a very close look at the laser code. I had all batches in 2022 and 2023 so far. 6 to 10 points difference for me. I paid 33 to 36 Euros. Very fair price. I loved the March 2023 and June 2023 batch the most.

[@borislavaleksandrov6998]

Superb dram (2023 bottling). Amazing value-for-money at 35 €, a steal ... Surprising potent kick from the predominant Kilkerran destilate... Hands down the surprise of 2023 for me. Cudos to the Campbeltown whisky wizards.

[@williamgoad3806]

Rally….another superb review. Many thanks. Learned a lot about malt whiskey from you.

[@NeelsRademan]

Thank you for well appreciated reviews and your very interesting reviews and additional information - I enjoy your program, and always look forward to the next.

[@peterthompson1794]

Magnificent malt blend! My usual choice was always Old Perth, 46% ABV, no colour, unchill filtered, great sherry cask, and great price! But this is superb! I actually bought 3 bottles of the previous bottling! All the best, Peter Thompson!

[@MrLachlanmackenzie]

Oh very kind, great review and thanks Ralfy.

[@amauridiaz2609]

Just tried. Neat. Excellent malt blended. Agreed with you Ralphie. Very interesting blended.

[@henryDzieciontko]

Butter mint is one of my favourite whisky flavours lovely.

[@paulm749]

I've acquired two bottles of this now, and the uniformity of flavor would indicate they were from the same batch. As you point out, this benefits greatly with the addition of a bit of water and especially some time to settle after uncorking. My bottles have improved significantly a few weeks after first opening. The distinctive Springbank spirit note leads the flavor profile, and this will probably have to satisfy my craving for that, so long as this remains available, because the standard Springbank range has disappeared entirely in my part of the world for the past 3 years.

[@911JB32]

The batchnumber is printed on the lower half of the bottle, near the bottom.

[@hitman36177]

hey ralfy :) glad to join you guys im not a drinker but i do enjoy a good quality cuban cigar once a month, glad ive found you and your brothers youtube to help me through recent tough times:)

[@JayJay-v5m]

Just got round to opening the bottle and it was an adventure. Poured 2 drams for me and my sister and put the bottle away for two weeks because it was underwhelming and bitter. Had my second dram after the 2 weeks and this malt is a complex stunner. I love it. People, give it time.

[@martinneulen7050]

Thank you Ralfy, for the interesting report 👍👏- a top information 😊 I like him, the CAMBELTOWN LOCH Best regards, Martin, from Bielefeld / Germany 👊🥃😎

[@Mylatestdram]

Blooper! The 21 year old was a blended Scotch. (with Grain whisky in it) And there we have the confussion between Blended Malt and Blended Scotch ;) Still have a bottle of the 21yo. in my cellar. But in terms of quality nothing short of an Blended Malt or even Single Malt!

[@gromskywalker6644]

I'm really happy about this review because I just bought two bottles of this Blend Molt 2023 in this dark color two weeks ago. I love Springbank and I was very curious whether this blend would meet my expectations, especially since it is only NAS, but it can be combined with Springbank 15, which is obviously a high bar in the case of this Molt. Well, I wasn't disappointed, it's not true, but you can't buy such a delicious whiskey cheaper for this money, and it comes from Springbank, the most famous region Campbeltown of the golden age of whisky. The only thing missing in this Blend Molt is a bit more sourness in the smell and taste, so characteristic of Sprinkbank. However, you can always add Blend Molt 10 or 15 Springbank to it in a minimal amount and then there will be an explosion of complexity and balance, simply finger licking good. Ralfy, you are a guru in the world of whiskey for me, I learned a lot from you about everything related to Scotch whisky, the very complicated process of production, presentation, treatment of the consumer by distilleries, etc. things, thank you for this secret knowledge. Thanks to you, buying more bottles of whiskey that meet my expectations becomes much easier.

[@DavidUKesb]

Mainly Springbank and Kilkerran. A small amount of Longrow and Hazelburn and no Glen Scotia these days.

[@danleonard3600]

I’ve had some really good malt blends in the past. I haven’t found this one yet. One I tried recently was orchard house by compass box. Really pleasant and affordable. Have you reviewed that one yet.

[@johannessauer3758]

Glad I have one and a half bottle in my shelf 😊. Love it!

[@fake.shempz]

Thanks for the review Ralfy, I don't generally go for 'blends', but just ordered a bottle for just over £35 delivered. Looking forward to tasting this one.

[@orituhkguyjmnrmnht]

I'm glad the quality is back! I had a bottle of 21/206 which was dreadful. Just a young raw dirty smoky mess. It didn't have much colour either unlike yours. It didn't get any better with time so in the end I blended it with some Longrow and it became drinkable. In a way that's still Campbeltown Loch isn't it? Cheers!

[@sandrofazzolari8833]

It sounds like this is a great batch. Thanks dear Ralfy! Kindest regards, S.

[@nigelbrookes3876]

Nice review and blended malt. Can i just ask how it can be an integrity malt mark? If it doesnt state NCF and natural colour.

[@henryDzieciontko]

This would be a good one to put in one of those small barrels you can buy now and give it 5 to 8 years to improve .

[@robfut9954]

Unfortunately it’s unavailable near me and online when I search the “closest” out-of-state (US) store with it wants $70 USD… that’s equal to 55 pounds!!!

[@yusufsayed1583]

Good Evening Mate 😊Awesome video👌🏽Thanks for sharing 👍🏼 Have a great day 👏🏼 Greetings and Cheers 🍻 From South Africa 🇿🇦

[@Nokomisclub]

The price for this in the US (at least where I am) rivals Springbank 10, so I passed

[@salvorhardin2211]

Bummer. I'd aim for around $50 and pick it up if you can find it at some point.

[@hardindr]

Still have my CL 21 yo I bought a few years ago and haven’t opened. Years before that, I bought my boss a CL 30 yo. I should have bought a bottle for myself…

[@amills1244]

Just picked up a bottle of this a few days ago. Had to settle due to the scarcity of Springbank, but it's an amazing pour!

[@kirks.1854]

So this is only a blend of Campbeltown whiskies? I didn't know that. Good to know. I had thought it was some others mixed in, as well, such as Speysides. Makes me want to buy 3-4 bottles right now.

[@Eunegin23]

A blend of MALTS, not just a blend (which is with a lot of grain whisky). Only Campbeltown. With this one, you get something for you money. Try different batches!

[@Enselladus]

Just opened a bottle of this for the first time and it is such an outstanding value whisky by todays standards. Last night I had a dram of this along side a dram of Annandale Man of Swords which is two times the price of this and... well lets just say I will probably never buy any Annandale again and I will always have a bottle or two of Campbeltown Loch.

[@JayJay-v5m]

I usually bitch about the horrors of buying good whisky in Massachusetts, but about a week ago I bought this lonely bottle on an empty shelf. It was well under 60 dollar's. The shopkeeper said it sold out after a tasting. I got the last bottle in town, I finally won something😂 I never would have imagined it would be in a resent review. Maybe we are mystical malt mates😮

[@fk_1906]

Hi Ralfy, completely agree about the confusing terminology. And I think you might have gotten a bit confused yourself, since the old 21 Campbeltown Loch was actually a blended Scotch and not a blended malt/malt blend :)

[@alyamaut]

Ok it is, like it is,top notch Ralfy 🤘

[@tomlivesay8407]

I would tend to label it “Malt Blend Scotch Whisky.” After this review, I will now have to try it. Thanks!

[@johnoneill8418]

I bought a bottle shortly after the OSWA night but I'm yet to open it. Would be useful if the bottle included a breakdown but I suppose that takes away that little bit of mystery from batch to batch...

[@herdware]

Didn't "malt blends" used to be called vatted malts?

[@Shane4Bass]

Pure malt is a nice description!

[@jamescostigan3721]

I noticed that "dust" in my Speyburn 18 the other night. The cork was intact, so I didn't take it as a bad sign. Verdict: Delicious!

[@Daneish003]

This really blew me away by how well it opens up. It's such a great value. Only downside is that (at least in the US) the bottle is 700ml instead of 750ml.

[@adeb4761]

That’s standard in Europe and the UK…

[@torbjornkarlsen]

I hope this whisky gets to Norway soon!

[@chongkokchoyify]

The only problem is that once Ralfy gives his stamp of approval, this happens - the retailers mark it up excessively and the bottles fly off the shelves, to reappear in the secondary market at obscene prices.

[@sinicolvalley6185]

Got a strange one for you Ralfy - I recently had a blended scotch at a Samuel Smith's pub in London, but had no idea what I was drinking, because the pub chain reskins all their spirits to remove the branding. It was marketed under Rochdale and Manor, which is the name of a previous pub chain tied to a brewer of the same name in Lancashire, who as far as I've heard never distilled or even bottled anything. If you're ever on this side of the Irish sea give us a shout, I want to hear what you think it is. It was very grain-heavy and very old-fashioned for a blend, I couldn't put my finger on what was going on. Thanks

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . so, you just don't know what you're drinking. I would not buy ! I possibly detect a bad attitude from them.

[@scrimmy45]

For a wee change you can add a few drops of any Campbeltown Single Malt to it. Just saying....

[@neilmattos2756]

😁 a bottle that can be found here in USA $70. Mostly. 🙌🏻

[@whiskymirko]

Thanks Ralfy 👍🏻

[@anklespanker]

They can't even make an "affordable" blend without retailers marking it up 100% 😅

[@jepapac]

This costs $70 USD in California, more than most 10-12 year single malts, and too much for a young NAS whisky imo. Anything associated with Springbank seems greatly overpriced here, I hope GS continues to be affordable :)

[@Malt454]

@@jepapac- Even if the relative "value" could be defended, it's still just a mid-80's NAS, so I don't know where all the hoopla comes from, much less based on "integrity"; even just 5 years ago, Ralfy would be telling the people producing at this level to do better but, today, it's an "award winner". Now Ralfy's promoting "young whisky" when no one can really even confirm for a fact that it is young/old/whatever anyway. Such is the way of the whisky world; when the bullshit climbs high, it's supposedly "the price you have to pay for quality and value." It's just as well that declaring ABV is already a matter of law or the "whisky experts" would be telling you no one needs to know that either. To be frank, I don't trust the whisky "experts" or the "community/collective" these days; I'm being denied real information, as opposed to just other people's opinions, because producers have more and more that they want to hide and don't want to discuss. It's a sham, promoted by those making the long dollar from it.

[@robfut9954]

@@jepapacagreed, I’ve come to somewhat hate Springbank simply because they’re marked up around me like there Pappy

[@TwoToneAus]

In Australia we pay £97.99 equivalent for this! £40 my absolute A

[@alexk3088]

@@Malt454 I'm with you, I'd much prefer to have an age statement on bottles I buy. But I'd buy this bottle if I came across it for intended price, not the hyped price. I would say, though, that abv is objective and unambiguous - it means a percentage of ethanol by volume, and nothing else. Age is a number, so it comes across as objective and precise, yet it means very little without the nuance of "in what casks" - active fresh casks vs. fully spent casks. It's like if the rules prescribed a certain weight of coffee beans per cup, yet I was using spent or inferior coffee, but wasn't cheating on the weight. I am compliant with the rules, but the rules aren't precise enough to ensure quality or flavor (as proven by "gas station coffee"). ABV is required for taxation purposes, not because they care about quality or us. Just like you can't legislate morality, you can't legislate quality or integrity, just look at Boeing's recent misadventures. To me, for the time being, Campbeltown distilleries carry a higher reputation than SWA rules, same with Compass Box or Mossburn and a number of integrity distilleries. Until confirmed otherwise, of course. Yes, I don't love that it's hard to find most Campbeltown malts and that prices are out of reach, but I don't blame the producers or even retailers for that. Word gets out, demand goes up, it's a natural law. I don't care what anyone says, "experts" or "community" or otherwise, I never did, and no one should. Sometimes their collective opinions are a shortcut for me, whether or not I "zero in" on a given bottle, but the final decision to buy is always my own, so I have nobody to blame or to resent. I'm a very opportunistic buyer and never just jump on a hyped bottle, especially at inflated price. I do tend to favor age-stated, indy bottled single casks and age-stated official bottlings that are presented with age, but I do make exceptions, if I come across what seems like a better price than overall market for same bottle. Oh, I just remembered: I bought to try Compass Box's Artist and Glasgow blends, they were just over $30. No, I won't buy them again, they're not my typical fare, but they certainly can hang against the quality of 12-year stated (and E150-laden and heavily chill-filtered) JW Black and Chivas and certain other big brand blends I've tried, even the 15yo Dewars, at better abv, without colorant AND competitively priced. Which made me want to try Compass Box's malt blends. It's just that adding E150a puts actual crap into my whisky and chill filtration removes actual good stuff. Not knowing the age... is just not knowing, it doesn't change the drink itself. Though I'd still prefer knowing. Cheers, Malt454 :)

[@n9195v]

$125.00 USD in my area (Northeast America)

[@Eunegin23]

Too much. Don't. And strange. In Europe the 35 Euros is a great price for it and it's widely available.

[@ОлегЛигостаев-т4ь]

I bought it in Ukraine for $68. Excellent drink, I support 85-86 points. But it's expensive. It's really difficult... for us right now...

[@israeldiaz9709]

Is crazy 😮

[@davet7185]

Mmmmmm 😋😋......on my list Ralfy 👍.

[@davidg5308]

Picked one up for $20US, but nowhere does it say not chill filtered or not colored...a US question?!? May still go grab one more for that price.

[@kevinbetancourt9033]

Not sure what happened but I found Campbelltown loch for $25.99 I’m not sure that the owners of the location know what they have. I bought four bottles opened one up and enjoyed it on Burns night.

[@petertodorov1010]

Now then, a single malt can also be a blended malt, but because it was blended at one distillery, it is called single malt. So, the word "single" implies one or alone. However, a distillery can blend several of its malts into one blend, but it will still be called "single malt" because it comes from a single distillery. Hence a question: if we assume that a blended malt is a blend of, e g., three or four quality malts from different distilleries and a single malt can be a blend of three malts from one distillery, what is, if any, the difference in quality?

[@jimmysmith1879]

👍👍👍

[@alanchadwick7213]

BBQ pineapple that’s exactly what I got 👍

[@technoman9000]

Now how to get ahold on that in Canada... probably impossible.

[@ОлегЛигостаев-т4ь]

I bought it in Ukraine for $68. Excellent drink, I support 85-86 points. But it's expensive. It’s generally difficult in Ukraine now...

[@allanhegney3835]

Any1 remember McCowas mint flavour Highland Toffee?

[@TheIPA35]

Bought two bottles for € 34,95. Total steal.

[@TheIPA35]

I do wonder what the proportion of Glen Scotia in this is. I assume Mitchell's has a few casks through Cadenhead's. Furthermore, I do wonder why they launch this blend as a stand-alone brand rather than as a Cadenhead's blend?

[@TheChipmunk2008]

I am not actually a malt mate... I am subbed because of your brother, i am a tech guy... but you know your whisky :)

[@robcalder5140]

I don't know why "multi-malt" never took off

[@danjon1099]

Quality whiskey on the best Quality channel 🥃

[@adeb4761]

I love it when the clicker doesn’t work ❤

[@henryDzieciontko]

I was scalded and mocked for spending £40 on a 12 year old integrity malt but from a regular white and Mackey drinker he said you spent £40 on a bottle of whisky!!! 😅

[@superodfx]

This is AU$250 in Australia, or, AU$200 delivered from Scotland lol I’ll travel to Great Britain and wait in line a few hours to buy a SPRINGBANK one day, probably

[@superodfx]

I hope when I get there it lives up to the years and years of legend and mystery….

[@TwoToneAus]

Haha I was just going down the comments adding replies about people complaining about £55 equivalent in US 😂 BLOODY AUSTRALIA! Well, merchant scalpers. I wonder if we could do a Ralfy AU import hrmm

[@Doddo13]

“No added colour””non-chill filtered” not mentioned on the bottle! Confusing!

[@lessonsfrompapatravis]

It should be: single malt blend. That to me is the most clear

[@wavehuntersjapan]

Not connected to this vid per se but big changes from April 1st this year regarding japanese whisky labelling….let alone big price increases….worth a vid ? All the best.

[@Eunegin23]

Blend? Call it Cuvée...

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Clive needs to buy ralfy a mic... and it's your fault mate, that i had a nightmare about laphroaig :\

[@pugamusmaximus]

This is 82 bucks a pop or buy 6 for 59 bucks a pop

[@PatrickMcAlary]

Hi Ralfy Are you getting my previous messages regarding me not getting your e-mails from Patreon any more, even though I am still subscribed to Patreon channel. Please please sort this out for me as I can only get your vids now when I search for them on google!!!!

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . I recommend you cancel Patreon payment, and try re-subscribing. Quite a few subscribers have had this issue over the last few months. I also think you should complain directly to Patreon for a refund of lost-access subscription money.

[@heisenbergguy7772]

After all the praise and the score is only 85, not 90, interesting.

[@VenetaAtanasova]

Awaiting for the Ralfy effect unfortunately, hopefully not

[@andreasesser4641]

I like Ralfy and I enjoy Springbank. But the price increase has just been nuts in the last couple years. Now you pay 3x more in less than 5 years. Its just not worth it anymore. Ralfy never addresses this properly. And now you're supposed to pay a premium for a NAS Blended Malt? I'll pass. There is plenty other distilleries that don't chillfilter and produce good stuff.

[@gerwinpot4230]

He did. Maybe you should pay more attention to his vids. He has mentioned this several times. When he visited Springbank he talked about it with some people from Springbank. There you will find some answers.

[@andreasesser4641]

@@gerwinpot4230 I dont have time to watch every single video. He should mention it more often then instead of repeating "Ooooh, non-chillfiltered, oooh sooo authentic" every damn video.

[@riveness]

No packaging, no muddy flavours, no long winding stories of some pagan saint, no grassy and acetal flavours, just all these flavours that take away from bash. One of the worst whisky ever. Not. 😉

[@peatbull3426]

just poor man springbank 🤷‍♂️

[@martindouwe6099]

I always liked Mitchell's 12 y/o, but I guess out of production.

[@يعتقدحكيممسلم]

I did not loved this bottle at all... no wonder its the most easy to get spring bank out there... you can even found it in sale... my malt mark is 68

[@gerwinpot4230]

"Easy to get Springbank"?It is Springbank, Kilkerran and Glen Scotia.

[@يعتقدحكيممسلم]

@@gerwinpot4230 kilkerran and springbank are basically the same staff same barley same distillery, so the are the same, and a little bit of the blend is from glen scotia which dose not make it less springbank. fyi. the bottle desing is complitly springbank, so as the bottlers and the manufacturer...

[@citylights8521]

When I think about it, the problem with Springbank these days and the impossibilities to get a bottle is to a large degree because of you. Sure you should recommend whisky but maybe think ahead a little. People that know they know but you’ve created an avalanche of ”funkschmucks” as I call them that thinks that this is something way more than it actually is and think Springbank is the holy grail since it’s one of Lord Ralfys 10 commandments. You should have been able to see where this was gonna go since Springbank is very small. As a Springbankfan you have dug your own grave and there is no way to reverse this. You meant well but here we are and I’m fucking pissed about it