As we enter the final days of voting for The Online Scotch Whisky Awards (OSWAs), we're revisiting some of the potential winners to see if we need to adjust our votes.
For those unfamiliar, the OSWAs, initiated in 2021 by well-known whisky commentators Ralfy Mitchell (of Ralfydotcom) and Roy Duff (of Aqvavitae), are community-driven whisky awards. These awards spotlight high-quality whiskies from Scotland and globally, with a strong emphasis on transparency and community involvement.
The OSWAs stand out because they do not accept sponsorships, fees, or gifts and are entirely independent. They focus on recognising whiskies based on quality, value, and accessibility, with nominations curated by a broad group of whisky reviewers, bloggers, and influencers in the online whisky community, including ourselves. Now, these nominees are open for public voting to determine the winners in each category.
The awards feature nine categories, such as "Best Value Whisky," "Best Blended Whisky," "Best Distillery," and "Best Independent Bottler," among others. If you're interested and haven't yet cast your vote, you can do so at https://www.oswa.co.uk.
Now, onto today’s review…
Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt
Region: Campbeltown
ABV: 46.0%
Price: £40.00
If you’re not familiar, Campbeltown Loch is a blended malt produced by J&A Mitchell & Co, the same company that operates Springbank Distillery. It blends malts from the three distilleries in Campbeltown, matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks.
Our review focuses on the 2021 batch, and it's important to note that there seems to be a noticeable variation between different batches.
Nose
On the nose, it starts off a bit restrained, but with patience, notes of lemon juice, apples, dried earth, light peat smoke, oranges, Manuka honey, and cloves begin to emerge. Upon revisiting, additional layers of black pepper spice, plums, figs, charred wood, vanilla ice cream, and lemon sherbet come through.
Palate
The mouthfeel is good for the ABV, with a bit more bite than we expected. The citrus and honey from the nose carry through, joined by dark chocolate, ginger, smoked almonds, golden syrup, caramel chocolate wafer, vanilla beans, sweet chilli, and a lingering cinnamon spice. A touch of sweetness remains on a good-length finish.
Nose (with water)
With water, the nose develops a note of warehouse must, becoming less sweet and more savoury, reminiscent of rice crackers, with a pleasant backbone of smoke. Peanuts, ginger, and grapefruit also emerge.
Palate (with water)
On the palate, there's a bit more bitterness now, but it's well balanced by plenty of sweetness, with notes of stewed apples, limoncello, and sweetened lime juice, all backed by a hint of smoke. The mouthfeel remains good, as does the finish. We’d personally enjoy this one without water, though the dram holds up well to a few drops.
Conclusion
There’s more complexity here than you might expect for a NAS malt, and it’s quite tasty. Honestly, we’d be surprised if this doesn’t win the Best Blended Malt award.
Score: 7.5/10
Value
A blend of Springbank, Glengyle, and Glen Scotia for £40? Yes, please!
- 10 - Perfection. One in a million
- 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
- 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
- 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
- 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
- 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
- 4 - Below average. Passable.
- 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
- 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
- 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.
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