If you’re new here, welcome to Two Drams A Day! Each article is a personal journey where I pair two whiskies, often Scotch single malts among others, to discover the subtle differences that make each one unique and special. My approach is hands-on and intimate: I taste these whiskies side-by-side and share my real-time observations, from unexpected delights to the occasional letdowns. In the end, I choose a favourite, and along the way, I hope to learn something new and share that knowledge with you. If you’re curious about the nuanced and fascinating world of whisky and enjoy a personal touch in your reading, you’re in the right place. Stick around, subscribe, and join me on this flavorful adventure, two drams at a time!

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I’ve been away from my collection for a while, travelling abroad for business and for pleasure, and now I’m back, happy to pick up exactly where I have left off. Today, I’m sipping on the 15th dram from the 2022 Advent Calendar by Cask Explorers (Diamond Collection), which is a really impressive offering halfway through this journey, next to a perfect companion from my personal collection, which I’ve also tasted before (since it was the 5th dram from the same collection) but never fully popped a cork on. So here we go, folks! Let’s jump into this pairing, but first, we need music! Now playing: Josh Varnedore – the thunder might save us.

The Loch Lomond is a non-chill filtered, uncoloured, 30-year-old single malt, matured in American oak casks with half of it finished in first-fill ex-Oloroso casks before being married and then bottled at [and slightly diluted because it’s not a cask-strength whisky] 47.0% ABV. The nose is a fantastic blend of stewed fruit, caramel, ripe plums, honey, and fragrant sherry. It’s very inviting, and I suspect it to be a bit misleading because my nose tells me it should be sweet, but I think it may be a bit dry, like all great Oloroso. Now, comparing this to the 30-year-old Peat’s Beast, I can tell there is more smoke in the latter. It’s not as pronounced as I would like, but it is clearly there, albeit light, with just a bit of wood, but more like cedar, in the background. It also signals being a bit dry, but we won’t know until we taste it! And we must start at once! First, without water. Okay, the Loch Lomond is sweeter than expected, but it quickly moves into the wood territory, then nice sweet and sour stewed plums again, malt extract, and an incredibly long finish that still moves on and on. Let’s add a drop of water, let it rest for a while, and then come back. The Peat’s Beast, even though a 30-year-old is bottled at a [much] higher ABV of 50.6% – impressive for that age, so I know it will kick stronger. Oh wow, it’s light on the arrival but still oily; the peat is present all the way, and now it’s as gorgeous as an old Laphroaig. I’m very much excited by all the complexity I’m peeling apart here because when I had it up against TBWC’s 20-year-old Laphroaig, it wasn’t that impressive, but here, next to a wonderfully rich Loch Lomond, it still shines bright! I’ll add the same amount of water and come back to see how it holds up, but so far, it’s like a well-handled kitten that once was a roaring lion. Is it Lagavulin? No, I don’t think so. Maybe Port Charlotte, which was my guess last time.

Let’s see now what the Loch Lomond says now [which, by the way, is twice the price of the Peat’s Beast]. The nose has changed with water. There is a [delicious] confectionary tint to it now, almost minty on the edges. It’s such a pleasure to inhale that I’m nearly reluctant to drink this incredible serum. And yes, wow, there it is, with water, softened, mellowed, and smoothed out. I’m, once again, picking up on a beautiful play between the sweet and the sour that you can find in dried apricots and prunes. It’s such a lovely dram. What says the beast? Oh, it retorts! It keeps the sweetness, drops the veil, retains the smoothness and raises with the smoke! It’s not an “after dinner, by the fire” drink because it brings its own damn fire. I’m loving this a lot more than I did before, and now I am happy that I have an entire bottle! But which one wins this round? Which one, if I close my eyes, would I reach out for next? I want them both, but should I pick? Let me collect my thoughts, and finally, I will taste them in reverse. If I had to be honest, I think the price point may be the real deal breaker here, but then again, at this age, the price could be anything that one is willing to pay for it. What is a 30-year-old Macallan? What is a 30-year-old Laphroaig? What is a 30-year-old undisclosed Islay single malt? I can tell you it should be much cheaper than a brand name, right? Ultimately, I may just be drinking a 30-year-old Caol Ila, but you know something, so what? If what I like here is worth my money, then it is what this whisky’s worth. Is the 30-year-old Loch Lomond worth it at 600 quid? Again, it’s what you’re willing to shell out for this experience at this level. For me, the age of the whisky is starting to play less and less importance in the decision, as it’s becoming more and more about the taste. Do I like it? Am I willing to pay for it?

Name	Loch Lomond	Peat’s Beast 30-year-old
Distillery / Region	Loch Lomond / Highlands	Not specified / Likely Islay
Producer / Bottler	Loch Lomond Distillers Ltd.	Fox Fitzgerald Ltd.
Stated Age	30 years old	30 years old
Cask Type	Mix of American oak and other casks	ex-bourbon barrels
ABV / Cask Strength	47.0% ABV / not cask strength	50.6% / Yes
Non-chill filtered / Uncoloured	Yes / Yes 🌟	Yes / Yes 🌟
Price	~600	~300
Did it win? / Did I like it?	No / Yes – I still enjoyed it very much!	Yes / Yes – I can’t wait to sip on it again!
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	No / No – the price point is just too high	Yes / Yes – a well-aged Islay kitten

I can tell you that the 30-year-old Loch Lomond is an outstanding single malt, unlike anything I’ve tasted before. But to be honest, I think that £600 is a bit of a stretch unless there is some kind of sentimental value here (as in, it was distilled on your birth year, you dig?). The punch for a pound here comes from the Peat’s Beast, even if it’s from an unknown [Islay] distillery. And with that said, I think I’ll pause here and proclaim the Peat’s Beast as the winner of the round.