Review by: The Muskox

It’s Dead Distillery Day! Lochside wasn’t around for very long, opening in 1957 then closing in 1992. There probably isn’t a whole lot of stock still around. This one was bottled by Gordon & MacPhail in 2007.

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Distillery: Lochside.

Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 43%. Cask strength.

Age: 15 years. Distilled in September 1991. Bottled in July 2007.

Cask type: Refill bourbon casks.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Light gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Sweet and bright at first. Buckets of extra-ripe pineapple, to the point where my mouth is getting tingly just nosing it. Plenty of coconut cream, some nutmeg… is this a Pina Colada? Vanilla bean, wet malted barley, honeycomb, banana muffin, and buttery cookie dough. The complexity starts to unfold with time: there’s paraffin, linens, and little bit of Play-Doh. Slightly savoury and tart – cherry tomato?

Palate: Medium texture. Quick arrival, with peaches, coconut, banana pudding, canola oil(??) and grain-y sugar. For a split second there, it reminds me of a grain whisky. It builds to fragrant toasted coconut, pineapple, demerara, and sandalwood on the development. Some ginger beer and nutmeg. Wet wool, sugary charred oak, poblano peppers, and sundried tomatoes. Slightly herbal and pine-y.

Finish: Medium-short. Clean linens, paraffin, unsalted butter, and sundried tomatoes in olive oil. Soft peach and kiwi. Jam sandwich cookies that have sat in a jar in my grandma’s house for goodness-knows-how-long.

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Conclusion: Weird and wonderful. It seems like nobody makes whisky that tastes like this nowadays. Such a strange combination of intense tropical fruit sweetness and waxy savoury notes. I think it all works somehow. There’s lots that’s weird, but nothing particularly off. Despite the low proof, it gets fairly rich on the development. I’m impressed, but given just how weird it is, I’m still not sure I’d jump at another Lochside. Certainly willing to try another and be pleasantly surprised again.

Final Score: 85.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.