Where the Inchmoan represents Loch Lomond's smoky side, the core 18 Year Old shows the distillery's unpeated single malt at maturity. It is bottled at 46% and presented without chill filtration or added colour, a welcome decision by the distillery team who returned the brand to credibility after its acquisition by Exponent Private Equity in 2014 and its subsequent ownership change.
The maturation regime combines refill American oak with first-fill bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, marrying the distillery's clean, slightly fruity distillate with the dried-fruit register of European wood. As with all Loch Lomond single malts, the spirit is drawn from the straight-necked pot stills that give the distillery its unusual signature.
The nose offers dried apricot, walnut and a gentle chocolatey oak. The palate is fuller than its strength suggests, with honeyed apple, raisin and a warming cinnamon spice; the distillery's faint pear-skin character persists beneath the sherry. The finish is long, dry and nutty, the oak well integrated.
It is a quietly accomplished Highland malt that has shed the awkwardness of older Loch Lomond bottlings. Eighteen years has settled the spirit and the cask choice flatters it. For those approaching the distillery for the first time, this is a more persuasive introduction than its younger siblings.
