I’m still catching up on tasting notes from last year’s trip to the Loch Lomond distillery. This week, I’m diving into the Noble Rebel Smoke Symphony whisky—one of three expressions in the Noble Rebel blended malt Scotch whisky range, released by Loch Lomond in 2023.
The full range includes:
- Noble Rebel Orchard Outburst
- Noble Rebel Hazelnut Harmony
- Noble Rebel Smoke Symphony
I had seen the Noble Rebel range circulating on social media and was immediately drawn to its distinctive labelling. Unfortunately, it’s not yet available in South Africa, so I was thrilled to sample it during my distillery visit.
The Smoke Symphony label features a clean white background, bold black text, and a vibrant collage within an orange frame—a signature design element across all three releases that gives the collection a unified aesthetic.
The Spice Symphony collage is bold red with red fruits, hints of fire and smoke, and splashes of green mint leaves. The label has a musical theme, with an old gramophone and music notes.
Crafted by Master Blender Michael Henry, Noble Rebel whisky is a blend of carefully selected Scotch whiskies. According to Loch Lomond, “Noble Rebel is a mix of skilled distillation, careful maturation, and artful blending. It brings together the old and new worlds of whisky.” Loch Lomond designed this range for whisky lovers who appreciate bold flavours and a spirit of adventure.
The Noble Rebel Smoke Symphony is made up of a blend of peated malt from Loch Lomond‘s straight neck low collection stills (aged about 3 years), some unpeated malt from the swan neck stills (aged about 8 years) and some 5 year old partner malt.
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Noble Rebel Smoke Symphony Tasting Notes
While Orchard Outburst highlights fruity notes, Smoke Symphony emphasizes smoky elements. This peated expression is finished in Rioja red wine casks, adding depth and complexity. It features natural colour and is non-chill filtered.
ABV: 46%
COLOUR : Deep amber with ruby highlights.
NOSE: The smoke is subtle at first, allowing layers of apple, strawberry, blackberry sweetness, vanilla, and honey to come forward. As it stands a bit, the peat becomes more pronounced, blending with a rich caramel sweetness. There’s an intriguing mix of green herbs and spices with orange peel. A smoked meat note in the background.
PALATE: Bold campfire smoke followed by char-grilled fruit and creamy vanilla. The sweetness and smoke is balanced by pepper, cinnamon, and a faint oak note. More of the smoked meat notes on the palate mixed with red fruits. Water makes this blended malt smoother, but it’s delicious without water. Smoke Symphony is not an overpowering smoky malt but a sophisticated, layered dram with a modern twist.
FINISH: Long, lingering and pleasantly dry. Smoke, fried fruit with gentle vanilla, pepper and cinnamon.
RATING: EXCELLENT
The Smoke Symphony blended malt stands out as my favourite among the three Noble Rebel releases. The peat is bold enough to satisfy smoke lovers but balanced enough not to overwhelm, making it an excellent choice for those venturing into peated whisky.
Blended malts offer a fresh, modern take on whisky, allowing master blenders to create unique expressions that tell stories through flavour profiles. Like the character-driven stories seen in Big Peat and Scallywag blended malts, Michael Henry has achieved this with Noble Rebel.
Price and Availability
This style of whisky is more approachable than many single malts and presents a new way to experience diverse and exciting flavours.
The Noble Rebel range retail in the affordable category and is available on Amazon and select online retailers.
If you enjoy peated whisky with a modern twist, Noble Rebel Smoke Symphony is well worth exploring.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).
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