Lochside Single Malt Scotch 18 year Murray McDavid

A sad story. The distillery, established in 1957, is situated in the old trading port of Montrose, south of Aberdeen on Scotland's bleak east coast. Its spirit is lamentably unknown. McNab sold it to a Spanish company which, to their horror, was ultimately bought out by our friends - Allied; Lochside was then promptly turned into a block of executive flats. Yet this is a Coastal Malt of tremendous quality, with the briny, seaside flavours and complexity shared with the other great malts aged in close proximity to the sea. This distillery deserved much, much greater recognition, sadly we are too late. Enjoy it while you can. It is a true star: the Springbank of the East. This Lochside 1981 has a rich warm gold colour. The warmth follows through on the nose with hints of toffee. The palate that follows is big and very rich with complex layers of flavour. The mid palate is full of wonderfully sweet and slightly smoky notes followed by a long dry and briny finish. Quite exceptional and surprising.