The whisky year that was, part 4: my value pick of 2023

Some of my recent posts have been quite lengthy, and I ‘m well aware that when you’re set to just have a quick read, stumbling upon those lengthier posts can be pushing it a bit – you pop in for a quick read, only to find out the writer is expecting you to tag along for a bit of ride. So I’ll try and keep it ‘on point’ today.

Still somewhat in OSWA- aftermath mode, I’m looking back at 2023 and comment on what I feel are noteworthy whiskies, or trends within the industry and community. And if there’s one thing that’s becoming increasingly obvious to me, is that in a time and place where we are spoiled for choice when it comes to (good quality) whisky, we’re also getting confronted with the fact that deliberate and well thought-through choices need to be made when buying whisky, possible now more than ever. Speaking from a personal perspective, obviously, but with the plethora of options available, I tend to find myself dialling in and focussing on those releases and those distilleries that, for whatever reason,  grab my attention, rather than opting for the Pokemon approach where I try and catch them all. Likely this has to do with self-preservation, as it’s more comfortable and easy on the mindset (and therefore brings me some piece of mind) t, if not  ‘ignore’, then definitely ‘delay’  a lot of the things currently happening in whisky. This applies to a lot of what’s happening in Irish whiskey momentarily (heard quite good things about the first batches of Blacks distillery, I keep telling myself I ought to try more stuff from Dingle, and apparently Clonakilty is doing some interesting releases as well, etc, etc…), and (partly due to lack of availability here) English whisky too. But even Scotch. You would indeed need to be very focussed and determined to even keep up with the amount of releases from the likes of Lindores or even Ardnamurchan at the moment. The same applies to Kilchoman and Glenallachie. Not to mention the amount of limited releases that seem to spawn from Ardbeg these days.

Just to point out that a bit of  tunnel vision isn’t necessarily a bad thing. So the question begs: what does it take to grab my (or anyone’s) attention? Unless you’re dug in deep into one or a few distilleries where you go full vertical on those, you need to rely on your own experiences and what others tell you, basically. When you’re ‘whisky promiscuous’, paying attention to trusted peers is key. And that’s basically how I ended up with my pick for ‘bang for buck’ whisky.

Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 12 year old (2022 release): 46 % ABV, UCF, matured in bourbon casks, refill casks and recharred casks, colour added, app. €40-€45

Truth be told, this feels a bit like a flashback, as this whisky has been on my radar for quite some time, and I always liked it quite a bit. Some 6 years ago I bought my first bottle of this, and on the back of that, a few more as well. But it didn’t really reappear in my cabinet after that. Being whisky promiscuous and all, I just meandered left and right, digging my way deeper and deeper through the rabbit hole. And when the cabinet is already quite stocked, I tend to go for whiskies and experiences that are new to me, rather than constantly restocking on familiar stuff. Sure, there are a few staples that make ‘regular appearances’ in my whisky collection (Glencadam 10, Kilkerran 12, Port Charlotte 10, a recent one being Indri Trini... Clynelish 14 used to be there as well), but it’s not as if there’s certain whiskies that I insist on having in the cabinet at any given time.  If I remember correctly,  it was in a conversation a few months back with Scott Munro and some other enthusiasts where he namedropped the Inchmurrin as one of his permashelf bottles. In any case, it convinced me that I should revisited it, also seeing how they sort of rebranded the range a while ago. To my very pleasant surprise, it still costs around the €40 mark – pretty much the same amount I paid for my first bottle back in 2017. That’s quite unheard of these days, and therefore worthy of praise in its own right.

Given that the Inchmurrin range is distilled solely  in Loch Lomond’s straight neck stills: is it still as unique and special as I remember it to be?

Nose

Super fruity (it says ‘intense orchard fruit’ on the box and they’re not lying) with lots and lots of sweet red apple, baked apple and toffee apple. Red berries, icing sugar and sweet oranges, with a floral – grassy undertone and a sweet, fresh, sappy green wood element to it. From recollection less ‘candy’ driven and grassy than I remember it to be (although it’s still in there), and in any case very, very inviting. This is an absolute feast for the senses.

Palate

The candy notes return somewhat on the tongue. There’s sweetness, but it comes with a bit of a twist, as there’s fresh green and  grassy notes too. A hint of pepper maybe, but overall it’s again the fruit that leads the way, with bags of apple and pear and sweet oranges spiced up with a touch of ginger.

Finish

A tad short – would ‘ve loved it for it to linger a bit longer, with a pleasant mixture of icing sugar and fruit countered by a peppery-gingery spice note.

Final thoughts

It’s recognisable and distinguishable as it’s bringing something you don’t often find in other whiskies, taking its own unique place within the whisky spectrum. At the same time it’s anything but difficult or complicated, quite the contrary: this is super accessible and deliciously morish and for the price tag, this is very hard to beat. So much so, I feel as if I may need to rethink my stance on the permashelf thing, as this simply is a no-brainer to have in the cabinet. This is not just a decent bang for buck expression, this is excellent whisky, presented at a very good price point as a big fat bonus. So much so, we can easily let the added colouring fly on this one (and I’m very hopeful that it’ll only be a matter of time before we see it presented in all of its natural glory). Needless to say this is the whisky I put forward in the OSWA’s for the best value category, and while it perhaps didn’t shock me to not find it amongst the 6 nominees (luckily, the competition is still quite stiff!), it did in fact  surprise me that it didn’t even get a mention in the people’s choice list. Even more so because Loch Lomond did bag a nomination for ‘best distillery’, and this translated only in them getting nominated in the best ‘non-malt’ category with their peated single grain. So without having the pretention of making people see ‘the error of their ways’ when it comes to the Inchmurrin, consider this a polite and discrete cough in the background. Something down the lines of ‘pssst, I really think you might like this one here too’. I know I do. A lot! 85/100