This is a 1991 vintage Lochside that was bottled in 2004 by Gordon & MacPhail as part of their legendary Connoisseurs Choice range.
Lochside was mothballed in 1992 (before eventually closing) so this release is a great chance to try Lochside distillate in the final years of its production.
The whisky was bottled at 43% abv.
Our tasting notes:
Nose: Fresh mango juice. Waxed jackets. Brighton rock candy. Gentle nutmeg. Fresh muffins.
Palate: Blood orange. Salted watermelon. Demerara sugar. Pine nuts. Rosemary.
Finish: Dry wood finish with a herbaceous kick.
Lochside Distillery – Closed
Was it a castle? A whisky fortress? A giant-discoloured-tower-wall-thingy overlooking Montrose? Well, Lochside was perhaps all of those as well as being an excellent Highland distillery in its time.
What most people don’t realise is that Lochside’s iconic design was modelled after a classic German Brauhaus – very fitting considering Lochside was a brewery from 1786 until it was converted into a distillery in 1957.
For a period during its lifetime Lochside produced both malt and grain whisky and was responsible for coining the phrase ‘blended at birth’ – a process where malt and grain new make is mixed before maturing in oak. This technique was developed for Lochside’s own ‘Sandy Macnab’ blend, until founder Joseph Hobbs died in 1964. It is worth noting that some consider the Sandy Macnab blend to have been one of the finest blended whiskies ever created.
Unfortunately, after Lochside was incorporated into the Allied Distillers portfolio (now Chivas Brothers), it was quickly deemed surplus to requirements and was mothballed in 1992, with the last bottling taking place in May of that year. The site was then sold to developers, with the distillery warehouses being demolished in 1997.
Tragically, the iconic tower was never registered under monument protection and in 2005 the remainder of the distillery, including the tower was demolished and replaced with a housing estate.
This is a 1991 vintage Lochside that was bottled in 2004 by Gordon & MacPhail as part of their legendary Connoisseurs Choice range.
Lochside was mothballed in 1992 (before eventually closing) so this release is a great chance to try Lochside distillate in the final years of its production.
The whisky was bottled at 43% abv.
Our tasting notes:
Nose: Fresh mango juice. Waxed jackets. Brighton rock candy. Gentle nutmeg. Fresh muffins.
Palate: Blood orange. Salted watermelon. Demerara sugar. Pine nuts. Rosemary.
Finish: Dry wood finish with a herbaceous kick.
Lochside Distillery – Closed
Was it a castle? A whisky fortress? A giant-discoloured-tower-wall-thingy overlooking Montrose? Well, Lochside was perhaps all of those as well as being an excellent Highland distillery in its time.
What most people don’t realise is that Lochside’s iconic design was modelled after a classic German Brauhaus – very fitting considering Lochside was a brewery from 1786 until it was converted into a distillery in 1957.
For a period during its lifetime Lochside produced both malt and grain whisky and was responsible for coining the phrase ‘blended at birth’ – a process where malt and grain new make is mixed before maturing in oak. This technique was developed for Lochside’s own ‘Sandy Macnab’ blend, until founder Joseph Hobbs died in 1964. It is worth noting that some consider the Sandy Macnab blend to have been one of the finest blended whiskies ever created.
Unfortunately, after Lochside was incorporated into the Allied Distillers portfolio (now Chivas Brothers), it was quickly deemed surplus to requirements and was mothballed in 1992, with the last bottling taking place in May of that year. The site was then sold to developers, with the distillery warehouses being demolished in 1997.
Tragically, the iconic tower was never registered under monument protection and in 2005 the remainder of the distillery, including the tower was demolished and replaced with a housing estate.
