Lochlea Harvest Edition

Lochlea Distillery appeared on the Scottish distilling scene completely unexpectedly. Usually with new distilleries, we learn about the construction plans, the permitting process, we follow the progress on the construction site through the eyes of the public media, we look at how it manages to finance the "empty mileage" for the first three years (gin, independent whisky bottling, or other ideas), and finally we hold our breath at the news of the announced release of the first whisky. And then we either delight in it or criticize it.

Quite different was the case with Lochlea, one of at least a dozen new whiskey makers that have sprouted up in recent years in the seemingly dying distillery region of the Lowlands. At the end of last year, we learned that their first full-fledged whiskey would debut any day now. And that was the moment when most of us first learned of the existence of a distillery called Lochlea. The second surprise was the news that Lochlea's team would be headed by John Campbell himself, who had just left Laphroaig, where he had served as distillery manager for many years.

After the debut Lochlea First Release, which saw the light of day in January 2022, and Lochlea Our Barley, destined to become the backbone of the distillery's core offering, the time has come for special, limited editions. Such is the just-released Lochlea Harvest Edition First Crop.

The new whisky is a beverage matured in hogshead port casks, oloroso sherry butt casks, and first-fill bourbon casks. In its bouquet you will find notes of candy canes, compote apples and oatmeal cookies, while on the palate you can expect accents of strawberries, violets and marshmallows. Bottled as a 46% vol beverage., without cold filtration and without caramel coloring.

Lochlea has been in operation for just over three years, and is located south of Glasgow, in the Ayrshire region, near Kilmarnock. The site is associated with the figure of Scotland's most famous poet, Robert Burns, who lived on Lochlea Farm from 1777 to 1784.


[14.09.2022 / photo: Lochlea]