 | |
| Region: Highland | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Loch Lomond Distillery Company |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Status | Active |
| Water source | Borehole |
| No. of stills | 4 wash stills 4 spirit stills 3 column stills |
| Capacity | 3,000,000 litres (malt) & 20,000,000 litres (grain) |
Loch Lomond distillery is a Highland Single Malt Scotch whisky distillery in Alexandria, Scotland, near Loch Lomond.
The first site of the former Loch Lomond Distillery dates back to 1814, sited at the north end of Loch Lomond near Tarbet (known as Tarbat). The present business was established in 1964 by the former owners of the Littlemill Distillery in Bowling. [1] Production began in Loch Lomond the following year in 1965. In 1984, the distillery stopped production until Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouses acquired the business and resumed malt production in 1987. [2] Grain whisky production began in 1993 and two new malt stills were added in 1999. At the time the Grain distillery opened in 1994, it was the only distillery in Scotland producing both Grain and Malt whisky. It also operates a unique set-up of three sets of stills.
In 2014, the distillery was acquired in a Management Buy In led by CEO Colin Matthews alongside the London based private equity group Exponent. [3]
In June 2019 the business was acquired in a secondary LBO, again led by CEO Colin Matthews and the management team with financial backing on this occasion coming from the Asian buyout fund Hillhouse Capital. [4]
In 2020, Loch Lomond rebranded their products, the new range includes:
In addition the company owns Glen's Vodka, among other non-Loch Lomond brands.
The former owner of Littlemill Distillery, Duncan Barton, developed the current site for the Loch Lomond Distillery. He brought innovative pot malt stills which rest in the cylindrical necks of the spirit stills. Traditionally the necks of malt stills are open. The Loch Lomond stills include special distillation trays in the necks, allowing for greater contact with the cooling alcohol vapour, said to make the process more efficient. These stills can produce alcohol up to 90% ABV where normal stills deliver the alcohol at around 70% ABV. This style of still allows for different "flavour notes" to be captured and emphasised through the range of alcohol strengths that can be captured and rejected. This is much more difficult to achieve through a conventional pot still. [5]
Loch Lomond Whiskies are currently the official spirit of The Open. They have a five-year partnership with the Open, golf's original Championship. As part of the partnership with The Open, Loch Lomond Whiskies have released a variety of golf limited editions.
In 2020, the announced a 3 year global partnership & sponsorship agreement with the Pro14. They are now the Official Spirit of PRO14 Rugby and as part of the partnership Loch Lomond Whiskies will showcase its whiskies at match venues and digitally throughout the season.
From 2021 onwards the distillery have sponsored Wigan Warriors rugby league team in the Super League. [6]
Loch Lomond's whiskies have been recognised in many renowned award ceremonies, such as San Francisco World Spirits Awards, International Wine & Spirits Competition, World Whisky Awards, International Spirits Challenge & The Scotch Whisky Masters. Some of the key award received include:
| Loch Lomond | Awards Received | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | Gold Medal - Scotch Whisky Masters 2020 | Gold Medal - San Francisco World Spirit Awards2018 | Gold Medal - International Spirits Challenge 2020 |
| 12 Year Old | Platinum Medal - San Francisco World Spirit Awards2020 | Double Gold Medal - San Francisco World Spirit Awards2020 | Gold Medal - Scotch Whisky Masters 2020 |
| Inchmurrin 12 Year Old | Double Gold Medal - San Francisco World Spirit Awards2020 | Gold Medal - International Spirits Challenge 2020 | Gold Medal - World Whisky Awards 2016 |
| Inchmoan 12 Year Old | Gold Medal - San Francisco World Spirit Awards2020 | Gold Medal - International Spirits Challenge 2020 | Best Highland Malt 12 & Under - World Whisky Awards 2018 |
| 18 Year Old | Double Gold Medal - San Francisco World Spirit Awards2020 | Gold Medal - International Spirits Challenge 2020 | Gold Medal - Scotch Whisky Masters 2020 |
| Single Grain | Double Gold Medal - San Francisco World Spirit Awards2017 | Best Scotch Grain - World Whisky Awards 2017 | Gold Medal - Berlin International Spirits Competition 2017 |
More new stills were installed in 2016 and grain whisky, single malt whisky and single grain whisky as well as blended whisky can now be made on the same premises. [7] The bottling plant at Glen Catrine in Ayrshire is one of the biggest and currently produces more than 65 million bottles of whisky and other spirits each year. [3]
"Loch Lomond" is also the name of a fictional brand of Scotch whisky consumed by Captain Haddock in Hergé's famous comics series The Adventures of Tintin . [8] Despite the name, the whisky has no connection to the real-world Loch Lomond distillery. It was first mentioned in the 1966 English-language edition of Tintin and the Black Island (replacing Johnnie Walker in the original), although it remains ambiguous whether or not Hergé came up with the name on his own. [9]
Scotch whisky is malt whisky or grain whisky, made in Scotland.
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.
Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, a single malt means that the whisky has not been blended elsewhere with whisky from other distilleries. As with any Scotch whisky, a single malt Scotch must be distilled in Scotland and matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years, although most single malts are matured longer.
Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery.
The Glenlivet distillery is a distillery near Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland, that produces single malt Scotch whisky. It is the oldest legal distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. It was founded in 1824 and has operated almost continuously since.
The Macallan distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Craigellachie in Moray in the north-east of Scotland. The Macallan Distillers Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Edrington, which purchased the brand from Highland Distillers in 1999.
Grain whisky normally refers to any whisky made, at least in part, from grains other than malted barley. Frequently used grains include maize, wheat, and rye. Grain whiskies usually contain some malted barley to provide enzymes needed for mashing and are required to include it if they are produced in Ireland or Scotland. Whisky made only from malted barley is generally called "malt whisky" rather than grain whisky. Most American and Canadian whiskies are grain whiskies.
Glengoyne distillery is a whisky distillery continuously in operation since its founding in 1833 at Dumgoyne, north of Glasgow, Scotland. Glengoyne is unique in producing Highland single malt whisky matured in the Lowlands. Located upon the Highland Line, the division between the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland, Glengoyne’s stills are in the Highlands while maturing casks of whisky rest across the road in the Lowlands.
Lowland single malts are single malt whiskies distilled in Scotland's lowlands. The region is home to distilleries such as: Annandale Distillery in Annan; Auchentoshan near Clydebank; Bladnoch in Galloway; Daftmill in Fife; The Girvan Distilleries near Girvan; and Glenkinchie distillery near Edinburgh.
Kilchoman distillery is a distillery that produces single malt Scotch whisky on Islay, an island of the Inner Hebrides. Kilchoman Distillery is in the northwest of the island, close to Machir Bay. Kilchoman was founded by Anthony Wills and remains an independent, family run distillery. It is the smallest on the island but since obtaining Rockside Farm in 2015, is in the process of expanding.
Malt whisky is whisky made from a fermented mash consisting of malted barley. If the product is made exclusively at a single distillery, it is typically called a single malt whisky. Although malt whisky can be made using other malted grains besides barley, those types are not called malt whisky without specifying the grain, such as rye malt whisky or buckwheat malt whisky.
Benromach distillery is a Speyside distillery founded by Duncan McCallum and F.W. Brickman in 1898 and currently owned and run by Gordon and Macphail of Elgin. It is situated near Forres in Morayshire and is fed with spring water from the Chapelton Springs in the Romach Hills beside Forres.
Cardhu distillery is a Speyside distillery near Archiestown, Moray, Scotland, founded in 1824 by whisky smuggler John Cumming and his wife Helen. The distillery is now run by Diageo and the distillery's Scotch whisky makes up an important part of the Johnnie Walker blended whiskies. The word "Cardhu" derives from the Scottish Gaelic Carn Dubh, meaning "Black Rock".
As of 2006 most distilled spirits labelled as "whisky" in India were a form of Indian-made foreign liquor, commonly blends based on neutral spirits that are distilled from fermented molasses with only a small portion consisting of traditional malt whisky, usually about 10 to 12 percent. Outside India, such a drink would more likely be labelled a rum. According to the Scotch Whisky Association's 2013 annual report, unlike in the European Union (EU), "there is no compulsory definition of whisky in India, and the Indian voluntary standard does not require whisky to be distilled from cereals or to be matured. Very little Indian 'whisky' qualifies as whisky in the EU owing to the use of molasses or neutral alcohol, limited maturation and the use of flavourings. Such spirits are, of course, considerably cheaper to produce than genuine whisky." Such molasses-based blends made up 90 percent of the spirits consumed as "whisky" in India in 2004, although whisky wholly distilled from malt and other grains, was also manufactured and sold. By 2004 shortages of wheat had been overcome and India was one of the largest producers. Amrut, the first single malt whisky produced in India, was launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 2004. After expanding in Europe it was launched in India in 2010.
Ardmore distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery, located in the village of Kennethmont, Scotland. The distillery is owned and operated by Suntory Global Spirits, an subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan.
Chivas Brothers is a Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky. It is owned by Pernod Ricard since 2001.
Glen Scotia distillery or sometimes affectionately known as The Scotia or Old Scotia is a distillery that is a producer of single malt Scotch whisky. The distillery was founded in 1832 and is one of just three distilleries left in Campbeltown, the smallest whisky region.
Littlemill distillery was a Scottish malt whisky distillery in Bowling, West Dunbartonshire and is proven to be Scotland's first and oldest licensed whisky distillery. Situated on the border of Lowlands and Highlands, its products were generally classified as lowlands whisky. Auchentorlie Estate, along with a brewery call Littlemill, was purchased in 1750 by Archibal Buchanan from his brother Andrew Buchanan.
Abhainn Dearg distillery or Red River distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery in Uig, on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. It is the most westerly distillery in Scotland. The name is Scottish Gaelic for "Red River" which itself takes its name from a bloody skirmish in the dark ages when local people won a battle against Viking marauders.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:
55°59′39.46″N4°34′38.24″W / 55.9942944°N 4.5772889°W
