Review #848 - SMWS 112.125 'Chiselled Features' - Loch Lomond (Inchmurrin) 17 Year
From the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's 'Spicy & Sweet' flavor profile, we have this 17 year unpeated Loch Lomond single malt. In the past several years, we've become big fans of the peated Loch Lomond releases from SMWS; this one is unpeated, though, which is a style we have a bit less experience with from this distillery. Loch Lomond produces a number of different styles of both single malt and grain whisky, both peated an unpeated; this release falls under their 'Inchmurrin' classification.
For the first 13 years of its life, this single malt was aged in an ex-bourbon hogshead. After that, it was moved to a first fill heavily-charred (char #4+) hogshead for finishing, which should add a stronger oak dimension to the tasting experience. A total age statement of 17 years is solid for any whisky - let's see how much complexity and nuance this one has developed.
SMWS 112.125 'Chiselled Features' - Loch Lomond 17 Year
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 185 (2025)
Age Statement: 17 Years
Strength: 54.9% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a first fill char #4+ hogshead
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled May 21, 2007; 221 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times (twice blind) over 12 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Rich and dark with a mix of fruits, oak, and floral notes. Brown sugar, heather, and some malty character combine with cranberries, tobacco, and honey. We get slate or other mineral accents; oatmeal, floral perfume, and sharper oak build in intensity.
Palate: Lots of baking spices: brown sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon. There's some old oak and a hint of pipe tobacco, followed by bright stone fruits: nectarine, peach, and plums, quite tangy. Orange blossom and leather are accents; this has a medium-thick mouthfeel.
Finish: The oak takes on a starchy character, but we also get cinnamon and sugar, tannins, and leather. It's warming and cozy, quite punchy, and flavors like breakfast cereal, malt, white bread, and cigars build. There's a subtle hint of red fruit; the aftertaste brings brown sugar. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This single malt from Loch Lomond is brooding and dense, but it grows more rewarding with time. It's definitely an oak-forward whisky, one that tastes quite old at times with leather and cigar flavors, but it lacks a bit of subtlety. We liked the hints of fruit that popped up as well, but we found especially strong baking notes throughout the tasting experience. This is a great bottle, but you have to take your time with it.
This bottle is mediocre value for us; not bad, but a little bit below average. That's mostly due to the cost, as this is a good bottle, but $185 is quite expensive.
Our Rating: 7.9 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.50
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Loch Lomond reviews:
Review #811 - SMWS 135.70 'A Distant Campfire After Rain' - Loch Lomond (Inchmoan) 10 Year
Review #706 - SMWS 135.63 'Calligraphy in Meguro' - Loch Lomond (Inchmoan) 9 Year
Review #210 - Loch Lomond 18 Year
Review #198 - SMWS 122.40 'Smoky to a Tee' - Loch Lomond (Croftengea) 10 Year
