The Campbeltown Loch Blend is back for 2022. But this time it's different: a pure malt blend. And (in my opinion) it's well worth the money. I've already picked up a spare.
The details
Distillery: Springbank
Translation: n/a
Region: Campbeltown
Bottler: Springbank
Age: NAS
Bottle: 70cl. A good, well-fitting cork.
Number of bottles: Unknown.
ABV: 46%
Cask type: Unknown
Barley: Unstated
Yeast: Unstated
Filtered/coloured: Un-chill-filtered, natural colour.
Sample date: Tuesday 15th March, 2022
Peated/unpeated: Contains peated and unpeated single malts
Cost: £37.95 from Royal Mile Whiskies
Availability: Sold out within minutes/hours at each of the online retailers I saw releasing stock. I suspect there are a few bottles to be found in some local off-licenses. But not for long.
Barcode: 61085400501
More info: No info on Springbank website
Whiskybase: https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/205096/campbeltown-loch-blended-malt-scotch-whisky
From the bottle
"This blended malt scotch whisky has been created solely from Campbeltown's five distinctive single malts. 100% Campbeltown whiskies. Blended and bottled by Springbank Distillers, Campbeltown Scotland"
That means it contains Springbank, Longrow, Hazelburn, Glengyle, and Glen Scotia.
Tasting notes
Eye
Pale straw, almost white wine in colour (but not quite). Long, thin legs.
Nose
Vanilla, Battenberg cake, banana, coconut and sherry straight away on the nose. Creamy barley. Not too sweet. Very smooth on the nose—no prickle at all. In fact, it's quite cool. Peaty wafts, muted Campbeltown funk, a touch of lactose/Dairylea/parmesan.
Crushed grape skins add a dry element—but not too much.
Liquorice and charcoal. A little copper. A little lemon.
Underneath there's something floral, mixed with a hint of bicycle tire. The oakiness is mild, carrying soft raisins with it.
So far, so good. It's nicely balanced. The only bum note—not at all prominent—is the slight whiff of burnt caramel. There's a lot going on in the glass, but nothing overpowering. And that's before adding water. The notes change places with every swish of the glass. After a while, the more subtle leafy, grassy notes surface.
I must have had my nose in this for almost an hour, on and off. Perhaps I should drink it soon.
After water, the vanilla intensifies, and the floral, grassy notes poke through. A hint of new carpet. A hint of tobacco.
SCORE: 22/25
Taste
Sweet malt arrives first. Then some tanginess, followed by a wave of heat which recedes after a moment. There was no alcohol on the nose, but it definitely registers on the palette. Then caramel, custard, and sherry-like elements come through.
On second sip, the raisins are there. The caramel carries a slightly burnt edge, probably driven by the peaty components. It has a full mouthfeel.
After water: the alcohol loses its edge. Smooth and warming. Tobacco comes up. Black tea as well.
When watered down a bit more, it became fresher, more floral. Extremely pleasing even at this strength, because it has enough body to sustain it. The warmth of the alcohol is not easily lost. It hangs about; in a good way.
SCORE: 22/25
Finish
Wood then sherry/dark fruit in rapid succession. Strong cocoa (not chocolate) which sticks around. Some citrus carries through. Not a long finish. But not short either.
After water, a touch of honey and lemon. A little waxyness which reminds me of Clynelish. A little pepper. The cocoa turns more chocolaty. The citrus tang carries through, making a nice companion for the chocolate note. Somewhere in there is a faint smoke. Others might notice it more. Underneath, there's a slightly dusty note that I find often comes through after adding a good dose of water to a dram.
SCORE: 20/25
Overall
I spent more time with this than I have with any other whisky this year. A little effort is rewarded. So is a lot. Having spent a bit of effort on this, I'm now going to pour myself another dram for pure enjoyment of it.
SCORE: 21/25
Final verdict
I've ranked this pretty high...for a blend. Why? Because it's interesting. And it's all malt. No grain as a filler to bulk it up. There's enough going on in the glass to raise this well above the "average blend". It's twice the price of Johnnie Walker red. It's more than twice as good. That means it's good value for money. Would I choose this over a Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 4? No. Would I be pleased if someone offered my a dram of this in their house? Yes. And I'd be back for more before thinking about asking "What else you got?" The only blend I can think of that beats this is the LDB "Wee Mongrel" (I still wish I had another bottle of that).
Look out for a review of the old Campbeltown Loch blend coming soon. I just picked up a couple of miniatures at auction.
TOTAL: 85/100
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