Lochlea Our Barley Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The first ongoing release of Lochlea single malt, Our Barley has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and shaved toasted and recharred (STR) casks to create a complex character. Aromas of pears in syrup, fruit bon-bons, freshly-cut grass and marmalade fill the nose, complemented by notes of golden syrup, black pepper, rye bread, macadamia nuts, orange, cream soda and beeswax throughout the palate. Distillery Notes

Located in South Ayrshire, which is in the Scottish lowlands a 40 minute drive from Glasgow and an hour and a half from Edinburgh. While this may seem like an out of the way place for a distillery, it is 45 miles as the crow flies from Cambletown and 65 miles from the shores of Islay. The distillery was conceived by the current owner of Lochlea farm, Neil McGeoch, who, after getting planning commission approval in 2014, went about converting the existing farm’s centuries old buildings into a condition fit for a 21st century distillery. He was also quite smart about who he put into place for this new distillery: Malcolm Rennie, who was named as the inaugural distillery manager. He had quite a journey in Scotch whisky production before Lochlea with 30 years spent at Bruichladdich, Ardbeg and Kilchoman. Michael Kennel, D&M