After months of work perfecting the whiskies and packaging, the three new whiskies in Lochlea’s standard range have arrived: Orchard & Oak, Dark Briar and Smoke Without Fire. Together with Our Barley, these now form Lochlea’s core range.
Jill Boyd, Master Blender at Lochlea, says: “Our new Single Estate Range is a further development of our limited seasonal bottlings and reflects both the increasing maturity of our stocks and our confidence in the distillery and our ability to continue producing consistently high-quality spirits here on site. With access to a wide range of matured stocks and the consistency of casks required to produce a complete core range, now seemed the ideal time to put this range together. We want each whisky to build on the character and creativity of our previous seasonal bottlings, but at the same time offer something more: classic, popular whisky styles with a distinctive Lochlea touch – and that’s here to stay.”
Orchard & Oak
70cl | 46 %
Orchard & Oak is part of Lochlea Distillery’s standard range. It has been matured in a combination of first-fill bourbon, virgin American oak and Calvados casks and offers lively notes of fresh apple, buttery caramel and sweet oak, with a soft, grassy freshness and a smooth, spicy finish.
Colour: Light gold
Nose: Sweet apple notes, earthy, freshly cut grass and slightly floral notes
Palate: Freshly cut green apples, buttery caramel, fresh grass aromas and oak spice. Apple pie, rich and buttery, with cream and fruity freshness.
Finish: Sweet oak, caramel and light grain in the finish
Dark Briar
70cl | 46 %
Dark Briar is part of Lochlea Distillery’s standard range. Inspired by the Fallow Edition, this rich single malt is matured in a combination of Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso sherry and port casks, offering notes of juicy red fruits, gingerbread and velvety baking spices.
Colour: Amber
Nose: Rich and sweet, red fruits, colourful sweets, with a hint of vanilla caramel and fresh baking spices
Palate: Strong, full-bodied and juicy, with lots of cherries and sweet, sticky plums, warming tannins and gingerbread
Finish: Long and rich, with velvety tannins and baking spices
Smoke without Fire
70cl | 46 %
Smoke without Fire is part of Lochlea Distillery’s standard range. This whisky is a further development of the Ploughing Edition and is matured in a combination of former peated bourbon casks and red wine casks. It offers a beautifully balanced profile of soft red fruits, floral sweetness and gentle campfire smoke. This whisky captures the subtle complexity of the peat influence without masking the natural elegance of the distillate.
Colour: Light gold
Nose: Sweet red berries, flower buds, cherry blossoms, lemon peel and gentle smoke
Palate: Salty sea smoke, freshly cut oak, campfire smoke, light citrus fruits, light, delicate fruits, a hint of sorbet
Finish: light smoke, gentle flowers, smooth finish and fresh phenols
About Lochlea Distillery
Lochlea Distillery is an independent single malt distillery located on Lochlea Farm in the heart of Ayrshire. Under the leadership of renowned former Laphroaig distillery manager John Campbell, the family-run farm grows and harvests its own barley, ensuring complete traceability from field to bottle – the only stage of production not currently carried out on the farm is malting, although this is likely to be done on site in the near future.
Historically, Lochlea is the only distillery on whose farm Robert Burns actually lived and worked from 1777 to 1784.