Lochindaal : 17 Year Old Château Climens Orcines 2007

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the 17 Years Old Château Climens Orcines 2007 by Lochindaal

Tasting

Appearance

This 2007 vintage Lochindaal reveals a pale gold hue, typical of the peated single malts crafted at the Bruichladdich distillery on the Isle of Islay.

Nose

The nose surprises with its lightness and softness: the smoke is not immediately perceptible, giving way at first to notes of red fruits, a coastal dimension evoking shellfish and a light touch of brine, before a subtle smokiness emerges, accompanied by orange and lemon zest, barley and toffee.

Palate

The attack is indulgent, driven by fudge and salted caramel, before oak and black pepper take over. The smoke reappears on the finish alongside shellfish flavours reminiscent of Atlantic sea spray, while woody spices and notes of jammy fruit enrich the finish.

Pairings and Tasting Occasions

The marine notes and integrated smokiness of this Lochindaal make it a natural companion to seafood, particularly shellfish and oysters, whose saltiness resonates with the whisky's briny, iodine-like character. It is ideally enjoyed neat, at room temperature, perhaps with a drop of water to fully release its aromas, at the end of a meal or during a contemplative tasting.

Mixology

Given the rarity of this single cask and the complexity of its aromatic profile, it is best enjoyed neat and without embellishment, in order to preserve the subtle balance between sweetness, smoke and marine notes that defines it.

Lochindaal: a peated Islay single malt born at the Bruichladdich distillery

Lochindaal, the peated legacy of Bruichladdich on the Isle of Islay

Lochindaal originally refers to a distillery founded in 1829 in Port Charlotte, on the Isle of Islay, which closed in 1929. The name is being revived today through a peated distillate of Scotch whisky produced by the Bruichladdich distillery, notably during the 2007, 2009 and 2010 campaigns, at around 50 ppm, an intermediate level between Port Charlotte and Octomore. Reopened in 2001, Bruichladdich upholds a philosophy that affirms the importance of terroir, barley and the farming community of Islay, and in 2020 it was awarded B Corp certification, a world first for a Scotch whisky. Never developed as a brand in its own right by the distillery, Lochindaal is now distributed mainly by independent bottlers, who reveal its full singularity, cask after cask.

A 17-year-old peated single cask, distilled in 2007 and selected by Orcines

This 17 Years Old Château Climens Orcines 2007 is a peated single malt, distilled in 2007 at the Bruichladdich distillery on the Isle of Islay, under the Lochindaal name. This distillate, crafted at an intermediate peat level of around 50 ppm, sits between the Port Charlotte and Octomore profiles, without ever having been developed as a brand in its own right by the distillery. After seventeen years of maturation, the cask was selected by Orcines, the independent bottling range created in 2011 by The Whisky Lodge, a Lyon-based retailer renowned for its complete mastery of the production chain, from cask selection through to final distribution.

The Château Climens mention associated with this reference refers to the grand cru of Barsac, a Premier Cru Classé of Sauternes since 1855, now run biodynamically and renowned for its exceptionally fine Sémillon-based sweet wines. This dual signature, bridging the world of peated Scotch whisky and that of the great Bordeaux sweet wines, illustrates the curatorial approach claimed by Orcines, which states its aim to guarantee exceptional quality, a strong identity and total traceability in each of its selections.

Produced in necessarily limited quantities, as is the rule for Lochindaal distillates, which are rarely cask-filled and never marketed on a large scale by Bruichladdich, this 17-year-old peated single malt is aimed at enthusiasts seeking a rare and distinctive expression of Islay's peated terroir.