Whisky Focus - Loch Lomond 2010 Distillery Edition

The new 'Loch Lomond 2010 Distillery Edition' single malt is the first release in a new series of limited-edition whiskies which celebrate Loch Lomond’s commitment to innovation and flavour exploration.  The Distillery Edition series will feature a range of small-batch expressions. The concept has been developed and crafted by Loch Lomond Master Distiller, Michael Henry, in collaboration with his expert team.

Alongside the first release in the series Loch Lomond Whiskies has revealed its 'Remarkable Makers Campaign' and its first collaborator in the campaign is 'Bread Ahead', which they have selected to showcase the influence of yeast in whisky making.

Bread Ahead, a popular London bakery chain, which was selected to show the parallels of whisky and bread making – two age old crafts that use simple ingredients to create maximum flavour.

By taking people on a journey into the world of bread, Loch Lomond Whiskies and Bread Ahead are helping to educate people on whisky, inspiring a new appreciation for ingredients and bringing to life the method in an innovative and simplified way.

Specifically, the collaboration explains the role of yeast in whisky and uncovers the story of Loch Lomond Whiskies’ new Distillery Edition, that has been crafted using chardonnay wine yeast, an unusual ingredient in whisky making. Chardonnay wine yeast creates an intense zesty fruit and citrus flavour when added to whisky, and a fresher, sweeter flavour when added to bread.

The first in a new series of distillery editions, the single-malt perfectly captures Loch Lomond Distillery’s innovative approach to whisky making, underpinned by its use of its unique Straight Neck Stills. The only distiller in Scotland to use the Straight Neck Stills, Loch Lomond Whiskies is able to carefully manipulate the flavour at the point of distillation creating a lighter and distinctively fruit single malt, which is characterised by notes of citrus and orchard. When combined with the chardonnay wine yeast, the fruit flavours become supercharged creating an incredibly intense whisky that appeals to a broad range of whisky lovers.

Michael Henry, Loch Lomond Whiskies’ Master Blender, said: "There is a certain mystery to whisky-making, which is often seen as an infinitely complex form of science and art.

"While there are just three ingredients in whisky making – water, barley and yeast – there are endless possibilities to explore, with the most subtle changes in method creating distinctive differences in flavour, colour and alcohol concentration.

"Recognising that most people don’t have the desire to delve into the highly technical details, we are setting out to work with a collection of Remarkable Makers from other industries who exude the same passion and innovation in their fields, as we do in ours.

"By doing so, we hope to lift the curtain on whisky making, educating consumers in a new way, simplifying the process and taking them into our world through that of other creators."

The new Loch Lomond Distillery Edition, a 9 Year Old Single Cask Malt, was first distilled in 2010. With only 270 bottles worldwide, it is an exclusive and rare expression, and crafted using chardonnay wine yeast in the fermentation process, which supercharges the citrus and orchard notes already amplified through the straight neck stills.

Loch Lomond Distillery Edition opens with freshly grated lemon peel, pear and white peach with vanilla and icing sugar. On the palate, there is creamy vanilla with a honey sweetness, grapefruit and tangy pineapple before a long finish of mouth-watering citrus, elderflower and gentle cinnamon spice.

Michael Henry continued: "At Loch Lomond Whiskies we are fuelled by an eternal spirit of exploration and are always seeking to experiment with what is possible.

"Loch Lomond Distillery Edition intimately showcases our distillery’s innovation and capabilities in whisky making, and perfectly highlights the role of our unique straight neck stills.

"Very few distilleries use chardonnay wine yeast in the fermentation process. The result is an exceptional single malt characterised by a distinctive zesty flavour, with intense notes of orchard and citrus, which truly reflects what we are capable of."

The collaboration with Bread Ahead will see the creation of educational video content that brings consumers into the method. Master bakers from Bread Ahead have also created a distinctive Loch Lomond Whiskies ciabatta made using chardonnay wine and chardonnay wine yeast, which will be available to consumers in the new year.

Reece Collier, Bakery Director, from Bread Ahead said: "On the surface these two crafts feel worlds apart, but whisky and bread making share many similarities. Using simple ingredients – yeast, water, salt and flour - we can create incredible flavours and hundreds of variations in products from sourdough to focaccia, brioche and ciabatta. While in whisky you use yeast and water, along with barley, to experiment with single malts, single grain whisky and blends to create a vast spectrum of flavour possibilities.

"Like Loch Lomond Whiskies, we are driven to explore new flavours, using quality ingredients in an innovative way to create something memorable.

"This was as educational and inspiring a process for us as it will be for consumers, helping us to better understand the art of whisky making and encouraging us to look beyond the usual boundaries in bread making.

"Inspired by Loch Lomond Whiskies’ innovative approach, we have created a new ciabatta crafted using chardonnay yeast and chardonnay wine. When added to the bread, chardonnay wine yeast gives it a new lease of life and it becomes much sweeter."

Loch Lomond Distillery Edition bottled at 57.1 ABV% and has a RRSP of £65. a limited release of 265 bottles, and it will be available at Loch Lomond's website www.lochlomondwhiskies.com

You will also find the now rather impressive Loch Lomond whisky range available from specialist online whisky shops such as The Whisky Exchange, The Whisky Shop, Hard To Find Whisky and Master of Malt
 

• Like bread, a fine whisky is the product of just a few simple ingredients. However, the way in which the ingredients are married together can have an incredible impact on the final flavour, colour, quality, smoothness and texture.
   
• The slightest variation to ingredients and to the method will deliver distinctive differences in the end product.
   
• Once all the ingredients have been mixed the dough goes through the kneading and resting stages, the whisky equivalent of distillation. While quite different processes, both have the effect of helping the flavours to develop.
   
• Loch Lomond Whiskies uses its unique straight neck stills during the distillation, giving it greater control over the spirit than is traditionally achievable through a swan neck still.
   
• The final step in the journey is in the baking process itself, which in whisky making is known as maturation.
   
• The oven creates the same effect as a whisky cask, baking the dough over a certain amount of time, bringing it to life and transforming it from a mixture into something that can be consumed and enjoyed. It is the cask, as it is the oven, that also create the final colour, with the wood imparting certain aromas and contributing to the flavour profile.

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