Lady of the Glen Mannochmore 2014

WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

A Scot on Scotch reviews a 2014 vintage Lady of the Glen Mannochmore single malt Scotch whisky…

Lady of the Glen

Lady of the Glen is an independent bottler of Scotch whisky. That means they don’t produce whisky themselves, but instead source casks from distilleries all over Scotland. Independent bottlers will assess each cask they buy and decide whether the spirit is ready to bottle or if it needs to be given more time to mature or perhaps even to be transferred to another cask to enhance the spirit’s flavour.

Indie bottlers are an important segment of the Scotch whisky world. They bottle whiskies that aren’t regularly released by distillery owners and showcase different and unusual takes on well-known drams. In short, they offer choice – something that welcomed by all whisky lovers.

Mannochmore Distillery

Mannochmore was built by the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) in 1971, to cope with the rising demand for blended Scotch. As such, it has never really been established as a single malt brand in its own right. In fact, the only regularly available expression bottled under the Mannochmore name is a 12-year-old which forms part of Diageo’s Flora & Fauna series.

The distillery’s whisky was once bottled under the name of Loch Dhu but it would be a bit of an understatement, to say that the whisky was infamous. Loch Dhu means Black Loch and the release was marketed as “The Black Whisky” thanks to its very dark appearance. It was a look created, allegedly, through the use of industrial quantities of caramel colouring. Understandably, Loch Dhu didn’t last very long before it was pulled from the market. However, depressingly, if unsurprisingly, it went on to become something of a collectable. I must confess though, having never sampled it myself, there is a certain curiosity around such whiskies. I’d love to try it at least once.

The whisky featured in this review was sent to me free of charge. As always, I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the spirit and the value for money it represents.

Lady of the Glen Mannochmore 2014 10-year-old Review

Lady of the Glen Mannochmore 2014 10-year-old single malt Scotch whisky - Whisky Reviews blog on A Scot on Scotch - picture shows small whisky sample bottle beside traditional whisky glass.

Diageo’s Flora & Fauna includes some great drams but I think the best way to experience Mannochmore is through independently bottled versions, like this Lady of the Glen release. It was distilled in 2014 and matured in a hogshead that had first fill bourbon barrel ends fitted. There were 283 bottles at an abv of 59.7%.

Tasting notes: On the nose – buttered toast, honeyed biscuits and toffee. Oatcakes. Vanilla buttercream. Ripe, green fruits. Tinned fruit cocktail. Some soft spices. The bourbon cask really comes through on the palate, with toffee, vanilla, salted caramel, baked apple and cinnamon. There’s some oak there, some tannins, a bit of pepper… After water I got some lemon curd and more apples and pears.

Thoughts: This isn’t a show stopper but it’s a solid performer all the same. It feels like there’s some real character there, if you just give it enough time to find its feet. There’s a good balance between fruity spirit and oaky cask and it opened up nicely with a bit of water. Not an instant classic but a dram that ticks a lot of boxes for me.

Price: £70. Average pricing for a single cask of this age. Stands up reasonably well to the price.