Lochside 21 yo 1979 / 2001 Silver Seal 50% vs Lochside 37 yo 1981 / 2018 The Whisky Agency 48.6%

The loss of this distillery is heartbreak without mend.

Lochside 21 yo 1979 / 2001 Silver Seal 50%

Not a common vintage, we know the 1981s. But are these fruity? Deep red wine gums and tinned juice. And a LOT of oak in the shape of polished panels, all resin coated and gleaming. Newly opened tobacco pouches, sweet clove tea. It’s all very immediate but it also leans heavily on the wood. Leather creme. Cold ashtrays. Licorice sticks. Overbrewed tea on the tongue. Oak driven and fairly simple. 86 pts 

2023 revisit: I may have been a tad harsh on this one, yes it is all the above but an overripe sort of red berry matched with a gamey salty ham side makes it an interesting partner for the evening, even though the woody and peppery aspects do take over after a while.

Lochside 37 yo 1981 / 2018 The Whisky Agency 48.6%

On the nose the fruit is conspicuously absent. Sherry first and sherry led, but it’s a good one. Drily aromatic with sensual reds and earthy cocoa-like richness. Burnt fruitcake or are those raisins left to carbonise in an oven. Lochside fruit does make a welcome return on the palate, sitting somewhat uneasily in between the thick black tea and the sherry’s rich thick dark spiced notes. Darkly spiced wood is fairly insistent now, providing an interplay between the fruit. So, while it doesn’t fizzle it never really got to shine. Still beautiful despite its waning, the Evenstar of this renowned distillery. 89 pts