Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

"...a fully naked Campbeltowner, undisguised and maskless. Very cool proposition, and certainly a true 'regional malt'." - whiskyfun.com

This Springbank novelty could easily be mistaken for the Campbeltown Loch Blend, as the label looks almost identical - only the age statement has been dropped. It is, actually, a little more exciting than that. Instead of blending malt with grain whisky, Springbank have re-invented the label using Campbeltown single malts sourced from the district's five distilleries (or distillates): Unpeated Kilkerran forms the base, followed by Springbank, Glen Scotia, Hazelburn and Longrow. The upgrade promises a genuine celebration of Campbeltown character, and according to one taster, the distillates all get a showing - from the dirtiness of Glen Scotia to the minerality and citric fruits of Springbank, the chalkiness, saltiness, and florality of Kilkerran, to the peat of Longrow and the clean honeyed notes of Hazelburn. All were drawn from ex-Bourbon and x-Sherry casks and combined and bottled at Springbank, although the whisky's deep colour suggests more of the latter. 46% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... ...Now, I just see that this is actually a blended malt – I used to believe Campbeltown Lochs were blended Scotch, no? Looks like this one's made out of all single malts in Campbeltown, namely Springbank, Glen Scotia, Hazelburn, Macallan, Kilkerran/Glengyle and Longrow (spot the odd one out!) Colour: white wine. Nose: young, starting citric and chalky, with some lemonade and kiwi juice. Then there's sourdough, a fresh pack of lemon drops, yellow Haribos and a little lime grass. This one should repel any mosquitos, perhaps even Campbeltown's famous – and voracious - midges. Mouth: very good, with a similar chalky, doughy and lemony development, supplemented with a little fresh mint, green pepper and tiny roots and saplings (quinoa?) Finish: rather long, on pretty much the same flavours and with a smokier signature. Longrow, I presume. This wee chemicalness too… Comments: a fully naked Campbeltowner, undisguised and maskless. Very cool proposition, and certainly a true 'regional malt'. Perhaps for your favourite hipflask rather than for your most expensive crystal sniffer (a.k.a. fishbowl). 86 points - whiskyfun.com

...There’s a fruitier freshness and a slightly peppery grip added with a mineralic fizz that makes things a little more pleasing for me. Yet objectively, this remains good, easy sipping whisky and regardless of which batch you grab, you’ll be in good company. The rumours have moved towards this being mostly Glengyle malt (Kilkerran) in the mix here and that would make a lot of sense, despite that distillery only running 25% of the year (from the same team - and malt - as Springbank) they’ve been making whisky since 2004 ,and a lot more since 2018, they’ve gotta free up that precious warehouse space somehow. Why not step in to alleviate some of the demand for Campbeltown whisky with a good honest malt blend?...Very good indeed. - dramface.com

Notes from Springbank... Nose: A distinct buttery note and characteristic hint of sea salt introduce this dram, along with notes of ginger loaf and pecan pie. Palate: Creamy coffee, salted caramel, date syrup and crystallised brown sugar on the palate, with a subtle hint of peat smoke. Finish: The peat smoke builds in the finish, with a leathery note developing over time.