The Taste of Lost Love

I have already written about my love for both St Magdalene and Lochside so they need little reintroduction from me here. These are another couple of samples I liberated from whisky fringe (courtesy of  the very generous folks at Douglas Laing). Suffice to say that I thought it might be interesting to do a little head to head with these two whiskies as they both represent quite old school ‘Highland Style’ whiskies. I know St Mag is technically a lowlander but its complex, often very dry and minerally house style really reminds me of these oily, waxy old highland style spirits. Likewise Lochside seems to display this character quite often as well albeit with a perhaps a little more expressive fruitiness. Anyway I love both of them and, both being closed, they are sadly missed. Both samples are from the very latter eras of production in their respective histories so I suspect that they may not shine as brightly as older examples but who knows? I’m still excited to try them both.

The Lochside 1991. Pale yet inviting. Like an albino supermodel?

Lochside 1991 18yo. Douglas Laing OMC. 289 bottles. 50%. 70cl. Refill Hoggie.

Colour: Straw gold.

Nose: Immediately flinty, slightly mentholated and fruity with some lovely clean malt underneath. There are hints of that classic Lochside tropical fruit character coming out now, bits of melon, mango and pineapple, a delicate fruit salad really. Some tart citrus aromas as well, very delicate and beautifully composed nose this. It doesn’t seem to develop too much further but what is there holds together really beautifully and is so aromatically delicious that it doesn’t really matter, a minimalist poem of a nose. Some delicate wisps of oily hessian and coal now, also something like waxy honeycomb as well. A fragrant floral aspect develops after a while as well. I wouldn’t want to touch this with water, it seems so fragile yet composed.

Palate: Very dry and savory on the palate at first with freshly baked whole meal bread and lemon rind. Then becomes delicately sweet towards the swallow. Seville orange marmalade and some simmering spices, there is also a slightly unfortunate flavour of rotting orange peel but its not too overpowering, in fact given time it disappears. There are also some rather pleasant flavours of nutmeg and delicate vanilla, pastry, licorice and a slight herbaciousness. My only real qualm is that it lacks more of that Lochside trademark fruitiness.

Finish: medium length but quite warming and leaves a pleasant dry fruitiness behind.

Comments: I feel the palate let this one down a bit but the nose is still gorgeous. A pleasant Lochside that shows snapshots of its glorious past and just how amazing it can be when it wants to be. I suspect like all distilleries it suffered from the modernisations of the late seventies and eighties. Anyway I think its worth…

Score: 88/100 (mostly for the nose)

The St Mag 1982. This one looks rather inviting too but I can't think of anymore supermodel analogies. Or maybe I just don't want to?

St Magdalene 1982 26yo. Douglas Laing OMC. 511 bottles. 50%. 70cl. Refill Butt.

Colour: Pale gold

Nose: Rich, oily and pungent with grassy and nettle like aromas, almost like a sauvignon. Wonderful mineral and fruit complexity. Sweet peas, orange blossom, engine oil, gasoline, paraffin wax, its just laden with aroma this one. Its becomes even more aromatic the more time you give it, now almost more like a Riesling with some dense honied and gentle tropical notes. Damp sheep’s wool, farminess and something slightly coastal as well, citrus and sea-breezes. Porridge oats and other cereals, a clean toastiness with just a scraping of butter. Some aged characteristics also like old books, leather armchairs and a little tobacco leaf. Enough of this, its great, time to taste it…

Palate: Its just a big bucket of oil and fruit really. Very rich and mouth-coating with a beautiful dryness and minerality. Lots of orange blossom, honeysuckle and more petrol characters. Flinty but also delicately honied and slightly briny as well. This is a difficult one to handle and keep track of but boy is it worth it. There is that beautiful preserved lemon waxiness and olive oil combo that is common in these old school whiskies, then more lean maltiness and cereal character. Its also slightly meaty in a bizarre move sideways. Just great whisky.

Finish: Long, drying, fruity, oily, aromatic and beautiful.

Comments: This is a perfect example of a more old school, highland style of whisky. It is a million miles away from what we are told these days is a ‘traditional Lowland style’. This whisky would chew up a modern Glenkinchie or Auchentoshan like wet rice crackers. Its big, its oily, its very fruity and its dry, it tastes like old sheep fanks and engine oil, its just beautiful. However it is also incredibly unsexy, a difficult style of whisky to know what to do with and a difficult whisky full stop. Its the kind of whisky that makes you work for its nuances, its austere and difficult to know, it demands something of the drinker. For me this is why I love these kinds of whisky, they energize the mind as well as the palate and bring out a greater shared experience between those who drink it. Its quite moving to taste these spirits because they aren’t really made like this anymore and as they become rarer and fade away, they just seem to taste better every time.

Score: 91/100

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