Lochside 1981 Gordon & Macphail RO/15/07 vs Littlemill 24 yo 1990/2015 Cadenhead Small Batch 53.7%
This session is for lost and gone fruity malts that show maybe less fruit but allow more individual characteristics to surface.
Lochside 1981 Gordon & Macphail Rare & Old RO/15/07 46%
Was a brewery, then a distillery, one of three ever in Scotland, to have both column stills and potstills under its roof – as opposed to Dumbarton grain distillery that was so massive, Inverleven Malt distillery was contained within it. What happens when you mix Lochside’s malt and grain? You get a Single Blend.
Nose: A lot going on here, and you should really try this because its very complex, but immediately ‘forward’as well, nothing is hiding for you sniff out, it’s all here – a full medium weight nose laden with pressed linseed oil, a little bit of musty bookcase, even a little phenolic with some earthy notes like old wax and burnt out lamp wicks – actually a bit of ‘oiled wok’ before the stir fry. And here are the fruits, fresh cuts of some kind of citrus that isn’t tangy, like a pomelo, a half green mango. Not full blown juicy fruit but mellow and rounded. Extremely accessible but also redolent of an old style and therefore rewarding.
Palate: Nice! Rather big and bold. Sweet hit with a fruitiness that’s both sweet and rich but tangy. Very quickly turning spicy hot and peppery. Then the more phenolic side turns up again with that old paper and wok oil. Gradually smoothens out to the finish. Great development.
Finish: Long, little fruity notes, oxidised citrus like after eating half an orange. Matched with old wood, old paper again. Excellent.
Seriously good malt.
Littlemill 24 yo 1990/2015 Cadenhead Small Batch 53.7%
This was a double distilled Lowland malt distilled from aluminium clad copper stills that were half potstill, half column still. Unlike Lochside, still fairly available at reasonable prices. The right vintages of Littlemill rank up there and are definitely worth looking into.
Nose: How funny it is when the distillate is of a lighter style but the cask strength makes it more evident than delicate. This one is one of the grassy Littlemills. Quite green, like the clorets we used to chew on pre chewing gum ban. And eucalyptus or spearmint. And a big BIG dose of soft oak and vanilla creaminess. Morning mist (think 5 am 5BX on Tekong). Also, yes, still fruity but mango skins after you’ve scooped out all the flesh, with the sourness of those little half yellow half red plums. Again not a huge juicy fruitiness though. Actually quite a big tablespoon of light olive oil as well.
Palate: Wow quite hot but really acidic fruity sweet. Much more than the nose suggests, just sort of fiercely spirity. Grass juice and whole limes blended. In fact a variety of citrus, so quite a bit of sourness but also quite mineral and mentholated and getting drier and drier. Somewhat soothed by the vanilla. There’s this Fisherman’s Friend Honey and Lemon flavour now, this remind me of it.
Finish: Long, dry, lime zests, veggie juice shake.
Light style plus powerful alcohol makes a heady spirit, but let this one blow off a bit and it improves a lot in the glass. Grassy, lightly oiled and much much citrus.
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whiskyrific 
Calling the Lochside 1981 ‘serious good malt’ is a serious understatement! Nice to revisit it via your impressions. 🙂