Indie Croftengeas by Loch Lomond


September 25, 2023

Indie Croftengeas by Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond (Loch Lomond Distillery)

Croftengea is one of Loch Lomond's peatiest versions, together with Inchfad. I've read they make 11 different styles altogether. Not too sure about which is the peatiest, though. There are quite a few of these around lately, but we can't complain; we've already tasted some excellent ones.

Croftengea 14 yo 'Periodical' (50%, Croucher & Co., North Star Spirits, oloroso barrel, 180 bottles, 2022)

The retro wave is hitting harder and harder when it comes to packaging, but I don't think that's the case with whisky styles, which are becoming increasingly modern here and there. Not specifically at North Star Spirits, of course. Colour: light gold. Nose: gun oil and papaya, passion fruit and paraffin, shoe polish and mango… Great, great fun here, love this. With water: Maggi, soy sauce, walnut wine… That's the oloroso doing what it does best. Very fond of this nose. Mouth (neat): enter bitter walnuts and almonds. The core remains tropical, with maracuja. Something a notch metallic. No complaining. With water: awesome, it seems that someone well-intentioned has blended Ardbeg 10 with Bowmore 12 and a glass of Lustau's core oloroso. Good idea. Finish: blood oranges running it now. Saltier aftertaste, bouillon… Comments: what a lovely, unusual drop. Hope it will remain periodical.
SGP:566 - 88 points.

Croftengea (54%, GunpowderUA, arsenal batch #2, Whisky Fair 2023, oloroso sherry)

This one to support the Ukrainian Army. Colour: gold. Nose: very medicinal and smoky, tarry, with embrocations, rubber, oils, fumes, latex… With water: massage balm, sandalwood, pine and fir, marrow, graphite… Mouth (neat): as good as it gets, pretty heavy, with huge grassy smoke, more latex, gunpowder indeed, grapefruit liqueur, cardamom… With water: lime-driven this time. Cardamom is still there, together with Thai basil and coriander. Finish: long, with more herbs, mint, eucalyptus, camphor, greases, some chervil and some tarragon… Bitterish tarry aftertaste. Comments: heavy-style Croftengea, which is appropriate. I find the alcohol trusts and konzerns to be quite silent about the invasion of Ukraine, but they've never been paragons of virtue, have they? Slava Ukraini.
SGP:367 - 86 points.

Croftengea 2009/2021 (56.6%, Le Gus't, Selection XXVIII, hogshead, cask #148, 307 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: very clean, zesty, mineral, with dill, ashes, smoke and yuzu. There. With water: different, with whiffs of fresh butter, brake pads, concrete, pencil eraser, sage… It's pretty unusual. Mouth (neat): sweet peat, as we used to say. Smoked peaches ala Ardmore, only more potent. Tons of drying ashes. With water: lemongrass, cigarette ashes, limoncello, seawater, clams and whelks… In truth it's getting pretty coastal, even if it's not a coastal malt at all. See what I mean. Finish: long, with some lemon juice poured over ashes. I mean, a feeling of that. Fatter aftertaste, say on almond and fish oils. Comments: it's not that easy to catch IMHO (as we used to say).
SGP:565 - 84 points.

Croftengea 5 yo 2017/2022 (57.1%, Watt Whisky)

Five years old? Isn't that a little young? Well they must have had their reasons… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: someone's smoked pears and added custard and roasted pine nuts. Not such a bad idea… With water: a lot of metal polish. Love metal polish. Fresh-polished silverware. Mouth (neat): ashes, mezcal, williams pear eau-de-vie and celeriac. Well, more or less that. With water: dill, radish, celeriac, lemon, sochu, raicilla. Makes you travel, to say the least. Finish: rather long, more on orgeat and smoke. Comments: new rule at WF, young whisky, short notes. Course I'm joking.
SGP:566 - 86 points.

Croftengea 15 yo 2007/2023 (57.1%, WhiskySponge, refill hogshead, #77, 262 bottles)

The rumour has it that WhiskySponge is an absolute fanatic of Croftengea, to the point that he has a poster of Loch Lomond's stills in his bedroom and has even written entire poems and Donovan-like folksongs in tribute to this precious distillate. True. Colour: light gold. Nose: very potent, spicy, on citron and coriander cookies, fresh-sawn pinewood, tarragon, lemon curd and nail polish remover. With water: moe tobacco, much more tobacco, plus various teas and patchouli. Mouth (neat): rich, fat, creamy, yet tense, lemony, saline, rieslingy… With water: thick and pretty bitter. Amaro, bitters, eggplant, ashes, seawater… Finish: very long, with smoke, chili, cardamom, bitter zests… What one would call 'a very grassy peat'. Comments: well, it doesn't beat around the bush, as they say, but it's an excellent, different peater. Some Croftengea by Mr Croftengea himself.
SGP:466 - 86 points.

Check the index of all Croftengea we've tasted so far