Loch Dhu, 'The Black Whisky' was made at Mannochmore by Diageo in 1996-7. Although the marketing story was that the whisky was matured in 'double-charred' casks, the pitch-black colour of the malt was achieved by the addition of vast quantities of spirit caramel (while contemporary rumours attributed it to anything from a deliberate lack of filtration to the addition of powdered charcoal).
Reviled by whisky writers and industry critics, the Loch Dhu experiment was shortlived - however, since production was stopped the brand has assumed a cult status, and is extremely popular in the American market. Dwindling stocks and an increased demand due to its rarity have transformed this much-maligned malt into a collector's item - a situation that has sparked the copycat Cu Dubh black malt from Speyside distillery and caused much exasperated head-shaking amongst whisky purists, many of whom have named it on lists of the worst whisky ever made.
