In recent years Loch Lomond have engaged in a number of high profile sponsorships and partnerships, most notably sponsoring The Open golf tournament. Now the distillery continue to go against the grain with an experimental new whisky and a relationship with an artisan bakery.
Loch Lomond have launched their Remarkable Makers Series, which will be a range of collaborations that explore the synergy between whisky and various creators and craftspeople in the worlds of food, drink and science.
The first stage in the series is with London’s Bread Ahead bakery. Founded in 2013, this artisanal bakery is hugely popular with food lovers in London and around the world.
Pairing bread and whisky might seem a little half baked at first, but the two are more similar than they originally appear to be. Both bread and whisky making are crafts that are as old as time; they rely on a limited number of ingredients, with the true craftsmanship lying in the ability to produce a wide spectrum of flavours using these limited resources. Bread Ahead share Loch Lomond’s ambition to explore the depths of these flavour possibilities, making them perfect partners for this venture.
Yeast will be the focus of this crossover. Unless you’re already an avid brewer or baker, yeast probably isn’t a fun topic of conversation. However, Loch Lomond and Bread Ahead hope to change this by highlighting the importance of this mighty single celled organism and the influence it has over both bread and whisky.
As part of the collaboration, Loch Lomond have released their first Distillery Edition - a 9 year old, 2010 vintage single cask single malt - that uses Chardonnay Wine yeast in their fermentation process. It’s not a strain of yeast commonly used in whisky production and is known for its distinctively zesty flavour. The resulting whisky promises aromas of lemon peel and white peach, with notes of vanilla, grapefruit and pineapple on the palate and a spicy, citrusy finish.
Inspired by this innovative approach, Bread Ahead have created a ciabatta using the same strain of yeast. It is said to give the bread a slightly sweeter flavour, and I’m sure it would make the perfect accompaniment to the new Loch Lomond.
It will be exciting to see what other collaborations will come from the Remarkable Makers Series, and what whiskies will come from them. I’m sure plans are in place, but they’re currently on a knead to know basis. We’ll leave the crumby jokes aside for now…
The Loch Lomond Distillery Edition is available now for £65.