Lochside was part of the Pernod Ricard group and had a short life. It was founded in the 18th century as a beer brewery, taken over in 1957 by the owners of Ben Nevis and converted into a whisky distillery (both malt and grain whisky by the way). In 1973 it was bought by the Spanish DYC company which was taken over by Allied Domecq / Pernod Ricard. The distillery was closed in 1992 and demolished in 2004.
Releases only show up occasionally – almost all of them 1981 vintages lately. Last year, another Lochside 1981 was bottled for La Maison du Whisky and now Belgian importer Thosop released a 29 years old Lochside from the same year.
Lochside 1981 (50,5%, Thosop 2010,
refill sherry, 206 btl.)
Lochside 1981 (50,5%, Thosop 2010,Nose: a fresh nose with lots of citrus, mostly lemon, lime and grapefruit. Some green apple and hints of more exotic passion fruit and pineapple. Very pleasant acidity. Hints of cut grass. Beautiful oak polish and faint floral / fragrant notes. Topped of with nice lemon grass. Reminds me of a white wine (in a good way, think of Riesling or my beloved Albariño). Really delicate sherry influence I would say.
Mouth: a tad sweeter now, still high on lemon, (pink) grapefruit and pineapple. Orange peel. Big grassy notes again. A little white pepper in the background. Soft white chocolate towards the end.
Finish: medium length, pleasant and very crisp, with exotic fruit tea and faint liquorice.
This Lochside offers a great combination of fresh acidic notes and warmer, more exotic fruits. Very entertaining. Around € 145 – still a few bottles available.
Score: 91/100