Campbeltown Loch Edition 2023

Peaty, Leathery
2024-03-06

Springbank has been the talk of the town in recent years. Now that prices have slowly normalised, one could almost dare to buy a bottle of the 10 year old or even reach for the cask strength? However, if you want to get to grips with the Campbeltown region, there is - alongside Glen Scotia - the Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt, which is released almost every year. Today we have the 2023 version in our glass.

Campbeltown Loch Edition 2023 (Preview Image Source: The Whisky Exchange)

Smell

Cold smoke and a wet towel open up your nose. Sounds worse than it is. With a little kiwi, cement and green apple, the result is a really exciting olfactory profile, as the flavours almost form a work of art in composition. Incidentally, every now and then there is a flash of an odour reminiscent of a chainsaw after pruning.

Taste

The blended malt from the Cambeltown region is oily and soft on the tongue. A very special pepper - namely Madagascar pepper (the flavour - not the spiciness) opens intensely, but clears the way relatively quickly for an almost dried-out riverbed of bittersweet coffee chocolate.

Finish

The long finish is accompanied by cold smoke, a little oak and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.

Thoughts

Campbeltown Loch is an affordable product from the Cambeltown region with the prototypical flavours that make it so exciting.
If we had to describe the malt with one expression, it would be "jazzy dissonant" - cleanly tuned but still dirty. To stay with the image of music: You don't play the wrong notes badly, you play them on purpose. That's what makes it thrilling.

Rating: 81/100 - Excellent (Marcel: 81 | Sascha: 80)

Value for Money: 5/5 - Very Good

Preview Image Source: The Whisky Exchange