Lochlea Ploughing Edition Single Malt Whiskey 700ml

Lochlea Distillery is an independent, family-owned farm distillery on Lochlea Farm in Ayrshire, in Scotland's Lowlands, where the site was converted from a working farm into a bonded distillery ahead of its first production in August 2018. The farm carries historical weight of its own, having been worked by Scottish poet Robert Burns in the late 1700s. Led by Production Director John Campbell, a 27-year veteran and former longest-serving manager at Laphroaig, Lochlea grows all of its own barley and draws water from limestone springs beneath the property, giving the distillery full traceability from field to bottle.

Ploughing Edition (Third Crop) is the fourth and final release in Lochlea's Seasonal Trilogy, a series built around the farming calendar, and closes out a three-year run that began in 2023. The whiskey is matured for its entire term in ex-Islay whiskey barrels, one year longer than the previous release, making it the smokiest Lochlea bottling to date according to Master Blender Jill Boyd. It is bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered and at natural color.

The nose is malty and fruity, with tart green apple, gooseberry, and rhubarb alongside wildflower and honey sweetness, cut through with a wisp of bonfire smoke. The palate is bright and creamy, echoing the apple and rhubarb with a touch of ginger and licorice. The finish carries sea salt and lingering peat.