Loch Lomond 12 Year Old has been aged in three types of cask: bourbon, refill and recharged casks. It is also very lightly peated, but that only comes out in the very end.
Loch Lomond 12 yo (46%, OB 2017)
Nose: quite a subdued start on oats, marmalade, caramel and a metallic note. Sponge cake. Unripe pear and tangy lemon. Spicy / dusty malt. Quite a neutral, reticent spirit (I tried this after the more summery, more open Inchmurrin 12 Years).
Mouth: an instant oak feel, hints of brown sugar and yellow apples, citrus and a hint of nutmeg / baking spice. Hints of blackberries. More vanilla than on the nose. Chocolate. Definitely a more autumnal malt now. Even a subtle hint of peat.
Finish: medium long, with a smoky echo, ginger and cocoa.
Compared to Inchmurrin 12, this one feels older, less direct, slightly darker and more serious. I found it a bit so-so on the nose but it made up for most of it on the palate. Around € 45.
Score: 81/100