Review: Lord Elcho 15 Year Old
Time for the Lord Elcho premium blended Scotch whisky. This comes in two guises with a no age statement edition actually showing what can be achieved with some inspired blending and high malt content. I reviewed that edition right here and it enticed me to try out its older sibling.
A recent trip to Kingsbarns distillery provided the opportunity to purchase this Lord Elcho 15 year old. Whilst Kingsbarns has only just started production, Wemyss have already established a reputation for quality of their single cask releases and blends such as the popular Velvet Fig. It's not inconceivable that one day Kingsbarns spirit could end up in the Lord Elcho blend thereby completing the Fife connection.
Lord Elcho was the eldest son of the 5th Earl of Wemyss, James Wemyss, and had a remarkable life. A supporter of Bonnie Prince Charlie he was present at many of the battles that took place across Scotland and England. Faced with defeat by the government forces in 1746 he made his escape to France and safe passage. Unfortunately his support of the Prince came at great cost with Lord Elcho being unable to return to his homeland or inherit his father's lands and titles when he passed away. Hence the motto 'Lord Elcho. A noble whisky with a noble heritage'. on the packaging here.
Distillery: a composite of several malt and grain whiskies to create this blend
Age: the youngest whisky in here has to be 15 years old
Strength: 40% vol
Price: expect to pay around £50
Colour: candied orange
Nose: crushed digestive biscuits, floral notes with buttercups and daisies. The light aromas continue with coconut flakes, carrot peelings and a little Parma violet.
Taste: the digestive cereal linkage continues onto the palate. A little black pepper, banana fritter and a little caramel.
I've spent a few weeks with this bottle now in an attempt to scour more flavours out of its shy exterior. It has been a challenge and my conclusion is that there isn't a huge level of detail on the palate. Rather this blend has been created to be very easy drinking and an enjoyed by all. As a more experienced whisky drinker I'm a little disappointed by the experience and actually prefer the No Age Statement Lord Elcho that is around half the price.
