Lochlea Sowing Edition

Some people will love it - with time it might become a half decent dram - I'm slightly underwhelmed and shalln't buy a full bottle.

Spirit forward, funky barley, savory, green pear. Delicious. I really click with this whisky. The savoriness keeps me coming back. I named it my whisky of the year for 2024 (under $100 USD).

Promising, though as with pretty much all Scotch whisky this needs more time than the current 3 to 4 years of maturation.

S 6.5 Young and heavy. The cask isn't as active as I would've expected from an FF bourbon barrel, so it makes a good showcase of its heavy distillate. Though it'd be fun if I could taste this alongside their new make. 81-85 - Another dram welcomed

Lochlea Distillery became well known not so much because of its founder, Neil McGeoch, who was mainly a local farmer and businessman, but because of two key factors: its historical connection to Robert Burns, who lived and worked at Lochlea farm during his youth; and the arrival of John Campbell, a highly respected figure among whisky enthusiasts for having managed Laphroaig for many years. The combination of those factors, and a modern “farm-to-bottle” approach made many enthusiasts like me pay attention to Lochlea immediately. This is my second bottle from this new distillery, the first one being Our Barley. It reminds me a lot of other craft distilleries like Daftmill 12, to the point that I’d say that, once they finally release a Lochlea 10/12 matured in ex-bourbon casks, this will become the affordable alternative to Daftmill, whose bottlings have prices so ridiculous they can only be compared to Japanese whisky. It also reminds me of Irish whisky from Ballykeefe distillery (another farm distillery), and a little bit of Ben Nevis and Kingsbarns. But, even though I’m comparing it to legendary distilleries like Ben Nevis, this bottling is pretty rough, so keep that in mind. It is as spirit-driven as it gets, probably a 3yo. Let’s see what it has to offer: On the nose, freshly sliced green apples with the peel still on, powerful hard candy notes (almost reaching candy shop levels), all mixed with intense agricultural, very barley-forward and rural notes (silage, hay, cereal husks). There are also clear notes of lemon, freshly cut grass and other herbal nuances, almond, coconut, metal, a bit of funky dunnage and very distant vanilla. Extremely young, but very reminiscent of Daftmill 12. On the palate, it follows the nose very closely, as expected: apple, lemon, astringent oak, and all those cereal-driven, rural and farmy notes (raw barley, hay, porridge, grain whisky). The metallic and hard candy notes I associate with young whisky are off the charts here, as metallic as a young Ben Nevis, plenty of copper coins. Bitter almond, some pineapple and coconut, plus a touch of peach. Much more herbal than on the nose (green tea, fennel, rosemary, very Ballykeefe-like), and there’s something like rainy rural fields covering everything. Very alcoholic and a bit too astringent. Not as interesting as the aroma, definitely not as agreeable. The finish is short, dominated by earthy barley, metal, candy and lemon notes. And lots of apple peel. Some cardboard and questionable earthy and boozy funk too, though subtle. I mean, it is an almost transparent 3yo, so you’re not here for the finish. There are several kinds of farmy notes, and this whisky leans heavily toward cereal barnyard notes rather than farm animals or musty cellar vibes. It’s obvious that this bottle wants to showcase those cereal-forward notes that set it apart, while the ultra-fresh apple, herbal notes, and minimal oak influence play more of a secondary role. So I would define it as a rural, farmy, cereal-driven, fruity and herbal dram. The youth and lack of complexity work reasonably well with the unusual profile, letting it shine while also bringing the typical boozy, metallic, citrusy and hard candy notes in return. The distillate is very intense and very unique, since not many distilleries dare to offer profiles this out there. Almost impossible to miss in a blind tasting. So it accomplishes its unpretentious goal very competently, although it is undoubtedly a simple and very straightforward whisky. It doesn’t evolve much or reveal anything beyond the strong first impression it gives. Not something I would drink every day, but whenever I come back to it, I really enjoy this boldness and straightforwardness, since the overall quality is actually pretty high, especially on the nose. It never disappoints in that sense. But it’s definitely not for everyone, and if you dislike this specific profile, there is literally nothing here for you. Also, 65€ for such a young whisky (from a distillery without much prestige yet) feels very overpriced to me, almost a scam honestly. This is a 35-40€ whisky at most. Still, for me, it remains one of the most promising new distilleries, alongside Raasay, Lagg, Torabhaig, Ailsa Bay, Ardnahoe and Inchdairnie (plus new bottling lines from older distilleries, like Meikle Tòir). At the end of the day, it’s just a nice but far from great dram, though definitely in the upper echelon of “nice” I can’t wait to try a more mature version of this. One final note: although I usually don’t pay much attention to bottles in my reviews, I have to say that Lochlea’s bottle design is honestly a 10/10 for me. They are extremely small (taking up almost half the space of normal bottles) yet very solid, and their square shape makes them incredibly stackable above, below, or next to other bottles, with almost no wasted space thanks to the super compact design. For someone like me, with way too many bottles, this is an absolute blessing! Couldn’t all distilleries just agree to bottle their whisky in something similar? My collection would take up half the space it currently does! Well, maybe a 9/10 actually, because the neck could be even shorter (Nikka From the Barrel-style), and it also uses a traditional cork. For a true 10/10, it would definitely need a high-quality screw cap, like some Japanese whiskys. I’m sorry, I don’t care about the snobbery around corks, screw caps are exponentially more practical. For the love of God, corks are ticking bombs. The question isn’t if they’ll ruin the whisky, the question is when… which is absolutely unacceptable in the 21st century. But that’s another story…

Young spirit driven, fruity malt. Nose of citrus, creamy barley sugar, green apple, a bit of caramel and sourness. Light on taste and mouthfeel, vanilla, caramel, brioche, bready, oak, touch of barley sugar. Sourdough finish. The 46% hardly noticeable, very delicate and may need only a drop or two of water.. Lacks a bit of unique character ie not a funky as a Hazelburn 10. The bright fruit freshness gives off , dough/pastry notes, vanilla creaminess, barley purity. However The youth is showing through with metallic/alcoholic edges relatively short finish and limited depth versus more mature malts. Promising distillate with lovely springtime freshness, but still more spirit-forward than fully realised.

Lochlea Sowing Edition beautifully captures the spirit of spring on the farm. Matured exclusively in first-fill bourbon casks, it places the distillery's fruity, cereal-forward spirit centre stage. The result is a bright, elegant whisky with excellent balance between fresh orchard fruit, creamy vanilla, floral notes, and sweet malt. While youthful, it already shows impressive refinement and offers a glimpse of the distillery's considerable potential.