The Story of Loch Lomond Distillery
The first Loch Lomond distillery was founded in 1814, near the northern tip of the Loch by Tarbet but that business lasted just three years before production ceased and little of its story has survived to the present day. To tell the story of the next distillery to bear the name, we must first travel even further back in time.
There is some evidence that Littlemill Distillery was one of the very earliest in Scotland. A date stone marked 1773 confirms the age of the building but there was little proof that distillation was taking place at that time – until recently. A ‘Justice of the Peace’ document, dated 2 November 1773, grants one ‘Robert Muir of Littlemill‘ permission to ‘retail ale, beer and other excisable Liquors‘. It’s a tantalising hint that spirit may well have been produced on site, which if true, would make Littlemill the earliest known distillery in Scotland.
Littlemill was a traditional lowland distillery, producing triple-distilled spirit for much of its existence but that changed when the plant was purchased in 1931 by Duncan Thomas who installed new stills, each fitted with rectifying heads that could be manipulated to produce different spirit characters.
In 1959, Barton Brands of Chicago invested heavily in the distillery and became partners. Soon they were looking to expand their Scotch empire and worked closely with Thomas to establish a new Loch Lomond distillery in an industrial estate on the edge of Alexandria in 1965. The new site was fitted with the same unusual pot stills as Littlemill.
Littlemill closed in 1984, a victim of the early ’80s downturn. The site was sold two years later, along with Loch Lomond (and Glen Scotia distillery in Campbeltown) to the Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Company. The new owner had little interest in resuming production at Littlemill and plans to create a distilling museum were soon forgotten. The site was eventually dismantled in 1996 and the warehouses demolished. What little was left was destroyed by fire in 2004. Today, a housing development stands where once the ‘earliest distillery in Scotland’ produced its spirit.
Fortunately, the years have been kinder to Loch Lomond. Capacity was expanded in 1992 with a second pair of stills, identical to the first, before a Coffey still was installed in 1994, making it the only site at the time to produce both malt and grain whisky at the same location. A third pair of stills followed in 1998, two more in 2007 and a modified Coffey still for producing an unusual malt whisky was installed in 2008. Today the distillery is utterly unique in its ability to create up to 11 different new make spirits and this versatility has led to an ever expanding range of whiskies on offer which currently includes a Loch Lomond single grain, lightly peated Loch Lomond single malt, unpeated Inchmurrin single malt and heavily peated Inchmoan single malt. To quote Loch Lomond brand ambassador Ibon Mendigueren ‘it’s like Willy Wonka and the Whisky Factory’.
The Whisky
In many cases, the success of a distillery can balance on the quality of their standard bottlings and the Loch Lomond 12 year old is as good a place as any to begin getting to know this most complex of distilleries. Bottled at 46%, it retails in the UK at around £35 – £40.
Smell: Caramel and honey. Wee bit of charcoal and charred oak. Malty biscuits, apples, lemons… Vanilla cream. Pepper and light wispy smoke.
Taste: Toffee, vanilla, salted caramel. Bitter oak. Apple. Pepper. Some subtle smoke and a light maltiness on the finish.
Thoughts: A decent every day malt with a reliable age statement, bottled at 46% and costing under £40. Great value by any standard. This one is a bit of an all-rounder with something for everyone. There’s a bit of smoke, but I don’t think it would be enough to put people off if they don’t like peat. It’s a very subtle wee part of the overall experience. Nicely balanced in general.
Loch Lomond are finally starting to make a name for themselves and deservedly so. The distillery has the potential to be one of the most exciting in the land and this 12 year old might be the best way to introduce yourself to it.
Click here for more on Loch Lomond.
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