Lochan Ora vs Drambuie
| Darcy O'Neil :: March 4, 2006 7:42 PM |
After doing a review of Lochan Ora, I decided I should compare it to the mainstay Scotch liqueur, Drambuie. With a quick trip to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of Drambuie, I sat down and did a head to head comparison. In my previous Lochan Ora post, it was brought up that Lochan Ora may be out of production. If anyone can verify this, please post a comment or email me and let me know. If no-one knows I'll make a couple of phone calls to see if this is true. In Ontario, there is still a good number of bottles at local LCBO stores.
Appearance wise, both these liqueurs look about the same. They are pale golden in colour. The Lochan Ora is more viscous than the Drambuie, which is probably caused by the amount of sugar (from honey) in the liqueur.
When nosing the glasses, Lochan Ora definitely smells more scotch like than Drambuie. There is a strong alcohol nose from the Drambuie (40%) and it has herbal notes, especially mint, with a slight hint of whisky. The Lochan Ora (35%) doesn't have the alcohol nose, partially because of the lower alcohol level. However, it does have a sweet, smoky nose with and hints of herbs and flowers. It is quite soft compared to the Drambuie.
When it comes down to taste, the Drambuie starts of with some heat and sweetness and once that clears you get the flavour of honey and a mixture of herbs followed by a licorice after taste. Again, the Drambuie doesn't express a lot of scotch character.
The Lochan Ora starts off soft with a slight amount of alcohol and more sweetness than the Drambuie. There is a stronger scotch character to this liqueur, and you can definitely get the smokiness and wood flavours. The finish is warm with subtle herbs and a woody after taste.
Sometimes with very sweet liqueurs my palate doesn't discern subtle flavours very well, that's when I recruit my wife. She is as far away from a scotch drinker as you can get. Strawberry zinfandel is more to her liking, but she did like the fig flavour vodka. Anyway, I gave her samples of both liqueurs to try, with some palate cleansing mineral water for in between tastings.
Well, she was very helpful and decisive about the herbal notes she was getting from nosing the glass. As for the tasting, it was like giving a three year old a spoonful of cough syrup! The faces she made were quite entertaining, but she made it through and identified some flavours that I missed at first, but once she picked them out, I found them also.
In the end, I prefer the Lochan Ora. It is smoother and has more scotch characteristics. The only time I drink this liqueur is in a Rusty Nail, and Lochan Ora just makes a better Rusty Nail. I think the scotch flavours compliment a good scotch, better than the herbal flavour found in Drambuie. If Drambuie Black Ribbon becomes available in my parts, I will revisit this comparison.
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14 Comments on Lochan Ora vs Drambuie
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I have been living in Mexico for the past 4 years, and I do want to find a bottle of Lochan Ora some place.
I do appreciate the Tequila, but this does not compare to the Lochan Ora, neither the Drambuie.
Please inform me if this liquor is available in this part of the world.
Regards.
Alex Moffat
As far as I am aware, Lochan Ora is still in production. I work for Pernod Ricard, who imports Lochan Ora to Australia. Although I cannot explain the decrease in availability.
I have a very old bottle of Lochan Ora which is 61% proof.
Sadly there is not much left.
I wonder if there is any old bottles still availiable.
Comment: That sounds like a very interesting bottle. To bad they make it at standard proof these days.
I got a bottle of Lochan Ora give nto me as a gift for xmas, and it has small yellow stick like things about 2 to 4 mm long floating in it.
It's the first time I have come across this..would it be safe to drink ?
I have a 375ml bottle of Lochan Ora with the number E303673 on the lable can you please tell me its history and value
Thankyou
I read your article comparing Drambuie and Lochan Ora with interest. I agree that the Lochan Ora has a better flavor. At least for me. A few years back, right after the importation of Lochan Ora to the US stopped, my wife purchased every bottle in Houston as my Christmas present. Well it is all gone. In your article you mentioned that it was still available where you are. Can you give me the name of someone that will ship to the US? Or a couple of websites where I can find it?
Thanks in advance.
Lochan Ora can be found at Royal Mile Whiskies, 379 Royal Mile, Edinborough (royalwhiskies.com). December 2005 they shipped a bottle to the states for £33. Lovely!
I've just tried the Lochan Ora on a trip to the Dominican Republic; I was mesmerized by the taste. I asked my cousin where to buy it, but unfortunately he told me that right now only you can find it at the Panama Canal duty free, and you cannot purchase more than 2. P
Help,
Lochan Ora isn't sold in the US anymore. What's the best way to get it.
Just found this thread while looking for a Lochan Ora source. I have an old bottle myself. 750 ml 70 proof and 3/4s full. Mine was imported by General Wine and Spirits in New York, USA
www.specialitydrinks.com will ship Lochan Ora, 35 proof, to the USA for about 70 Pounds.
I can't believe you prefer Lochan Ora over Drambuie!
Lochan Ora is still available to buy, although even in the heart of Glasgow it can't be found in any off-sales store. You'll have to order it specifically I'm afraid. My father works for CR and has been getting me bottles with his concession for years. About two years ago (although it could be longer) they stopped labelling the bottles, although I don't know why, and only a few hundred bottles remained. However they have since started labelling the bottles again and have resumed production. One bottle should cost about $45-50.
I have inherrited a bottle of LOCHAN ORA 4/5 pt- 70 proof. The seal is broken but the bottle is full,I cant find a date. It was purchasd @ Neiman Marcus in Houston TX roughly 25- 30 years ago. I live in Phx. Is there a market because it is rare? Should i save it, sell it or drink it?
Is it still good after all these years?
THX,
Ian Cameron