Lochlea "Our Barley" Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review & Tasting Notes

 

There is a recently established distillery in the Scotland Lowlands situated in Ayrshire, which used to be a location for pigs, cattle, and agricultural waste, more politely called a middery. It became operational in 2018 and named it Lochlea Distillery.  

 

“The land at Lochlea is important, and not just to the distinctive taste of our whisky. This was the land Robert Burns tended when he lived at Lochlea, inspiring his thinking and development as a poet. Burns toiled the same soil that we are privileged to grow our malting barley in today. We like to think he’d approve.” – Lochlea Distillery

 

Lochlea started with distillery manager Malcolm Rennie. He handed the reins to John Campbell, the former distillery manager of Laphroaig.

 

This Lowland distillery grows its own barley; this release is named Our Barley, slated to be the first of its core expressions. Our Barley is a single malt Scotch that’s been aged in first-fill Bourbon barrels, then to STR (shaved, toasted, re-charred) barriques, and finally, Oloroso Sherry butts. Lochlea is reasonably transparent with its cooperage. The former Bourbon barrels come from Maker’s Mark. The Sherry butts were sourced directly from Jerez, and the barriques held Rioja wine from Spain.

 

Our Barley is non-chill filtered, naturally colored, and bottled at 46% ABV (92°). It carries no age statement. You can expect to shell out about $63.00 for a 700ml package.

 

Lochlea’s exclusive US distributor is ImpEx Beverage, who was kind enough to provide me with a sample of Our Barley in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and delve into this Scotch.

 

Appearance: I poured this whisky into a Glencairn glass and sipped it neat. Inside, it presented as a light golden liquid. A thin rim was formed, and even more delicate tears crawled down the wall and back to the pool.

 

Nose: The aroma consisted of malt, grass, honey, butter, and Honeycrisp apples that all seemed to complement one another. When I breathed the vapor into my mouth, I found lemon zest.

 

Palate: The texture was like velvet, then turned oily. It was indeed a different experience! The front was a citrus bomb, with grapefruit meat and peel, followed by lemon, then apples. My mid-palate tasted barley malt, golden raisin, and fresh grass. There were oak tannins, almonds, and green peppercorns on the back.

 

Finish: Medium in duration, the finish featured grapefruit, malt, almonds, vanilla, and green peppercorns. There was also a slight astringent quality.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Our Barley is an uncomplicated Scotch. It does take a few sips to get past the grapefruit, especially. But once you do, this becomes quite tasty. The price is a little steep, but it isn’t out of the realm of reality. I’ve reviewed First Release and Sowing Edition “First Crop” and between the three, I preferred those up and above Our Barley. This one hovers somewhere between a Bottle and Bar, and when that happens, I default to the lower rating. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.