This one’s a 15-year-old from the peaty label (one of them) of Loch Lomond. LL is a very versatile distillery having specially constructed still “necks” which allow for quite a few different distillate types. This one’s still online and available on the TWE site as opposed to the last 2 drams I’ve reviewed.
Croftengea is the most heavily peated of all Loch Lomond’s whiskies and is normally used to add a twist of smoke to the distillery’s blends. Like most of the distillery’s single malts, it is made in Inchmurrin stills: copper pot stills whose swan necks have been replaced by rectifying columns. It first made an appearance in its own right in 2004
Croftengea 200615 Year Old (TWE) , 52.6% , £74.95
Nose: Smoky and leafy, quite autumnal – one would say, more like a bonfire fed by leaves, with quite some of those left on the forest floor, if you get what I mean ( I am blabbering here). There’s also a minty touch to it, and some lemon rinds as well, and maybe a touch of lemongrass, and damp wooden casks.
Nose: Nice big smoky and ashy entry, with lemon, drops with- much more smoke than the wildfires we have sensed before after the initial alcohol burn is over you get cereals mixed with chocolate bits, some mint (maybe after 8?), and a sweet vanilla note as well, sprinkled with cinnamon spice. The smoke becomes sweeter in addition to the leafy notes.
Finish: Long and sweet and smoky, the sweet smoke stays with you for a long time, as well as the chocolate and spice, caramel candy.
Conclusion: Highly enjoyable, and complex, ideal for autumn weather sipping. Not the most “forceful” or smoky Croftengea I’ve had, but that’s a good thing here. Solid stuff from Loch Lomond and TWE. Loving the leafy feeling and the nice smoke, no peat reek.
Score: 87/100
Available on the TWE site