From talking about the grain production at Loch Lomond to looking at a single malt from the same distillery.

Loch Lomond distillery is an interesting, great and versatile facility with the ability to produce blended whisky, single grain and single malt entirely in-house. This long standing distillery has been going through a bit of a reinvention of late. Part of the Loch Lomond Group which includes brands like Glen Scotia, Noble Rebel and Littlemill. I have written a lot about Loch Lomond here and been quite harsh at times. Mostly that has been because the whisky has also been pretty harsh with a petroleum or chemical general aura.

When people ask me what whisky to try it’s always a hard question to answer full of pressure and stress. Just because I like something doesn’t mean someone else will or should. I do have a strategy though which I think works and one which might work for others. Start reading blogs and watching YouTube videos. People like well me 🙂 and then buy some (cheap) bottles which they review highly and see if you agree. Do this a few times and when you disagree drop them until you end up with a core group of 2/3 people who have similar tastes to you that you can trust.

I have my little core folk I trust and they all keep going back to Loch Lomond and I couldn’t keep thinking maybe I am being too quick or too closed in my thinking. So a couple of years back when this Steam&Fire release came out it was immediately getting bought up by people I trust with big reviews. At less than £50 it was too much of an interesting proposition to pass over.

Not a massive itch that needed scratched mind? Because its sat in my cupboard until a few months ago. It’s a shame because all those folk who bought and opened this bottle were on to something.

The Whisky

Steam & Fire is a NAS whisky bottled at 46% ABV and still available for under £50. Initially, it’s aged in first-fill bourbon barrels and American oak casks which is then followed up with a ten-month finishing period in first-fill heavily re-charred American oak barrels. Lots of flavour going into a young whisky but in a good way.

Tasting Notes

Colour	Pale Yellow
Nose	There is a type of bread in Scotland called a pan loaf. It’s a dense bread and a nostalgic brand is “Mother’s Pride”. Anyway, toast is to the point of “well fired” and you get the kind of carbon like toasted bread note.
Palate	Pear drops and apple cider and some more little charred notes
Finish	A nice thick meaty finish. That chemical like vibe of Loch Lomond appears subtly here

Where can I buy?

Amazon – https://amzn.to/4o9IDvk

Master of Malt – Loch Lomond Steam & Fire

Final Thoughts

I’ve finished this bottle pretty quickly which is always a good measure that its a decent bottle. I don’t know if I would buy another bottle but I would buy another Loch Lomond.