Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12 Year Old Scotch Review

By Genevieve Jacot-Guillarmod

Rating: B

Inchmoan is the name of an island in Loch Lomond, and is commonly translated as “island of peat” or “peaty island,” which is a fitting name for the distillery’s smoky style of whisky.

Loch Lomond is also one of Scotland’s most unusual distilleries. Most Scottish distilleries produce either malt whisky or grain whisky, but Loch Lomond does both. The distillery uses traditional swan-neck pot stills as well as unique straight-neck pot stills fitted with rectifying plates, which allows it to create a remarkable range of malt spirit styles. It also operates continuous column stills to produce grain whisky, making it one of the most versatile distilleries in Scotland.

Inchmoan 12 is a peated single malt that combines spirit from both Loch Lomond’s traditional and straight-neck pot stills. Matured for 12 years in American oak casks, it is bottled at 46% ABV and is non-chill filtered.

The Scotch
On the nose some very gentle woodsmoke appears first, but it’s quickly joined by plenty of fruit. I also find ripe mangoes, dried apricots (with that lovely balance of sweetness and slight tartness), and some ripe cherries. Beneath the fruit there are soft notes of vanilla and oak, giving the whisky an inviting sweetness.

On the palate more sweet vanilla leads the way before the woody smoke begins to build. The peat is present, but never overwhelming, allowing some delicate floral notes to emerge alongside a slightly buttery note. Some warm oak spice.

I found the finish medium in length, slightly wine-like and tannic.

To my mind, Inchmoan 12 is quite interesting because it occupies something of a middle ground. It is noticeably smoky, but it isn’t as powerful, medicinal or maritime as many peated Islay whiskies. Instead, the peat feels softer and more integrated with the fruit and spice.

For drinkers looking to explore peated whisky without diving straight into the deep end, Inchmoan 12 offers something a little different.

The Price
Inchmoan 12 is also reasonably affordable at around $44 a bottle.