Loch Lomond distillery is situated in the village of Alexandria beside the river Leven at the southernmost tip of romantic Loch Lomond, also famous for its world championship golf course.  An earlier Lochlomond distillery operated at Arrocher from 1814, but the present distillery was converted in 1966 from a former dye-works.  One of its claims to fame is as the favoured malt of Capitaine Haddock, a friend of Tintin, and the distillery is a favourite destination of Tintin fans.

Loch Lomond has four unusual stills with rectifying heads and two conventional pot stills that together produce 8 different malt whiskies, a total production of over 2m litres a year.  The rectifying heads cause the heavier vapours to condense and fall back as "reflux" to be evaporated again, allowing only the lighter volatiles to pass initially into the condenser.  When a short middle cut is taken the resulting spirit is light, whereas longer runs produce heavier spirit, and hence the character of the whisky can be varied.  A continuous grain still was added in 1993, and this enables Loch Lomond to produce its own blended whiskies.

Flavour Profile Body 1 Sweetness 1 Smoky 1 Medicinal 1 Tobacco 0 Honey 1 Spicy 1 Winey 1 Nutty 1 Malty 2 Fruity 1 Floral 2

 

The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes, Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond, Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae, On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond. Chorus Oh, ye'll tak the high road, and I'll tak the low road, And I'll be in Scotland afore ye; But me and my true love will never meet again On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond. 'Twas there that we parted in yon shady glen, On the steep, steep side o' Ben Lomond, Where in purple hue the Highland hills we view, And the moon coming out in the gloamin. O braw Charlie Stewart, dear true, true heart, Wha could refuse thee protection, Like the weeping birk on the wild hillside, How gracefu he looked in dejection. There the wild flowers spring and the wee birdies sing, And in sunshine the waters are sleepin', But the broken heart it kens nae second spring again, Though the waefu may cease frae their greetin'.

The distillery draws its water from deep below Loch Lomond, and it uses malted barley with varying degrees of peating.  This unique combination of malt and grain stills allows Loch Lomond to produce eight malt whiskies with different degrees of peating, and also a "single blend" whisky, or a blend of malt and grain whiskies that originate from the same distillery.  It has its own cooperage where the oak barrels used for maturation are crafted, repaired and re-charred.  Loch Lomond whiskies (malt and grain) are thus produced, matured and blended at the distillery, one of the few distilleries to manage the whole process from milling to blending.

Loch Lomond Single Highland Malt whisky is available with no age statement (profiled), and as Inchmurrin 10 years old and Old Rhosdhu 5 years old malt whiskies, Inchmurrin being the most peaty.  Other lesser known malt whiskies called Loch Lomond HP, Craiglodge, Croftengea, Glen Douglas and Inchmoan are produced, again with varying degrees of peating.  It also produces Loch Lomond Single Blend, High Commisioner Blended Whisky, and Scots Earl blended whisky.  The company uniquely plans to make Loch Lomond available in 3 single whisky versions soon – malt, grain and blended.