Inchmurrin 18 year old

This month is part two of our little experiment in which we compare and contrast 2 whiskies from the same distillery whose only difference is the length of time in the cask. The Inchmurrin 12yo and Inchmurrin 18 Year Old.

Well, how good was the Inchmurrin 12yo? A great big grassy fruit-bomb of a whisky. Plenty of flavour and so smooth despite the 46% abv. And so this month we compare and contrast the Inchmurrin 12yo to the Inchmurrin 18yo. Two whiskies that share everything except age. The new make spirit, the wood and the alcohol content are all the same – and as we found out – what a difference a day (or 6 years in this case) makes!

I introduced the Loch Lomond distillery in the last newsletter so I won’t repeat myself. Instead, I’ll dive straight into the comparison. New members can read about the origins and history of the Loch Lomond Distillery (as well as the official distillery tasting notes for the Inchmurrin 12yo) in last months newsletter.

Inchmurrin 12yo
A very big hit of fruit, grass and floral notes on the nose. Mango, sultana, paw paw and apples. The fruit just keeps on going on the palate. Very sweet with some caramel and coffee. Very little/no peat to speak of. The finish is long and satisfying with more fruit, and spicy vanilla. A lovely whisky that would feel right at home on a sub tropical summer evening.

Inchmurrin 18yo
The fruit and grass is still there on the nose – but is more subtle with individual notes much more distinguishable. The palate is a much more rounded with greater depth than the 12yo. Fruit is very much toned down and has changed from a fresh fruit taste to more of a baked fruit quality. Once again – no peat to taste here. The vanilla is more evident and compliments the baked fruit beautifully. Chocolate, coffee and butterscotch marshmallow on the incredibly chewy and sustained finish.

Overall
To be honest, I was expecting a much more subtle difference. I assumed the bulk of the ‘work’ would have been done by 12 years with only subtle differences to be found after 18 years. How wrong I was. These are two completely different whiskies. All the flavour elements are shared between them, but expressed in vastly different ways. The 12yo is a precocious, grassy fruit-bomb all right (and I mean that in a very good way) – whereas the 18yo is still fruity – but in a much more refined and complex way. The flavours in the 18yo tend to come in layers rather than (as in the 12yo) presented all at once in a rush.

So which would I rather?
Well, overall the 18 is a richer, more rounded whisky so I’d probably say that I prefer it over the 12. BUT – on a warm summers evening on the veranda, the 12yo would shine. Even throw a piece of ice in it if it’s especially hot. The 18yo’s more caramalised, ‘warmer’ notes lend it more suited to ‘traditional’ whisky drinking weather and heartier food accompaniments. Both fantastic whiskies by any means.

An absolutely fantastic experience to be able to compare two whiskies separated by nothing other than age. This was so interesting I’m already looking into running another series along the same lines. The video was hard to edit – Daniel and I spent almost an hour chatting and comparing the two, so I had to chop a fair bit out to prevent it becoming a movie-length epic. I hope you enjoy our ramblings.