Loch Fyne Living Casks Batches 1 & 10

Side by side comparisons aren't something I often do with my whiskies. I'm a firm believer each whisky should be measured on its own merits, and 'which one is best' shootouts are entirely down to personal opinion. On this occasion though, I'm going to make an exception as we're looking at a living cask and how the whiskies from it evolved over time.

These particular living cask bottles came from the Loch Fyne Whiskies shop in Inverary, and were picked up earlier this year while we were making our way to Campbeltown. 

The story behind this living cask begins with “a used bourbon cask with tight staves and a good heritage” which was filled with a variety of unnamed, Islay single malts. And so The Living Cask 1745 was born, with 1745 being a reference to the year the town was founded. As the whisky was gradually depleted, it was topped up with more Islay malts in the same way a Solera system operates.

Skip forward a few years and a second Living Cask was created, initially part filled with whisky from the original 1745, and then topped up with a selection of Highland malts. The whisky from this cask became known as The Living Cask ‘Batch 1’.

Over the years, as the stock of previous batches have been depleted, the cask has been topped up with a wide variety of single malts from across all the regions, and an array of casks including sherry, bourbon and most recently, red wine barrels.

Tasting Notes: Batch 1 Bottled at 43.6% abv

Appearance: Pale straw, beads falling as slow thin legs.

Nose: Light, slightly floral with herbal and citrus undertones. The smokiness is very delicate, giving a very subtle reminder of its Islay roots.

Palate: Nice mouthfeel, slight oiliness. Caramel toffee sweetness, citrus fruit, vanilla, soft oak, ginger spice and just a hint of smoke

Finish: Sweet and quite short, toffee, caramel and ginger prickliness, followed by another hint of smoke. 

Summary: This is an easy drinker, light and gentle with just a hint of peat smoke to round it out. I was hoping for a little more Islay character rather than just a whisper.

Tasting Notes: Batch 10 Bottled at 43.6% abv

Batch 10 saw the addition of four single malts from Speyside, Highlands and Islands, each finished in ex-Californian red wine barrels before being added to the remnants of Living Cask Batch 9. 

Appearance: Copper/gold, beads quickly falling as thin legs.

Nose: Caramel toffee, granola and candied orange peel

Palate: Citrus, particularly orange peel, fig roll biscuits and honey, followed by a slight sharpness and tannic astringency

Finish: Lingering, slightly peppery at first, followed by a combination of red fruit jam and almonds similar to the the flavour left after eating a Bakewell tart.

Summary: Another easy drinking whisky, enough going on to be enjoyable without challenging the palate. The finish is the star of the show here, and adds a lot to the overall experience.

Overall thoughts:

 
For me, although I'm sure many would disagree, Batch 10 was the more enjoyable of the two. Whilst Batch 1 was light and gentle it didn't do enough to keep me as interested. I could (and did) happily get through both of these bottles quite quickly but I wouldn't be tempted to go back for replacements. I bought these more out of curiosity than anything else, and now that particular itch has been scratched. 

At a price of £45 for each 50cl bottle these aren't particularly cheap. Whilst they may be limited edition bottlings, and they're certainly not there to become daily drinkers, whether they represent value for money will divide opinions.

As an aside, the one thing I wish I'd done is keep the handmade glass bottles, not only do they look lovely but they feel great in the hand.

If you would like more information on Loch Fyne Whiskies follow the link to the company website.