Lochlea Overtone

Lochlea Overtone

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Amber gold
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, honey, malted grains, white chocolate, nectarines, fresh cut grass, grapefruit. With water, peaches, nectarines, magic marker. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, hot, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Hoppy beer, malted grains, fresh cut grass, grapefruit, jalapeños, nectarines, honey, lemon zest. With water, hoppy beer, peaches, nectarines, black pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Jalapeños, grapefruit, black pepper, malted grains, hoppy beer. 

Comments: 

Beery and rich, with lots of stone fruit and spicy, grassy jalapeños. I like the combination of flavours, very Mexican. Water brings out some peppery spiciness and even more strobe fruit.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Lochlea 7yo

Lochlea 7yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Dark gold
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Nectarines, pears, malted grains, honey, green tea, lemon zest, hints of white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands, volatile, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sour. Pears, nectarines, fresh cut grass, malted grains, green tea, lemon zest, nutmeg. 
Finish: Short. Pears, nectarines, malted grains, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Complex and fruity, lots of zesty citrus and stone fruit. There’s some grassy tannins as well, like a good green tea. The finish is short and quite intense. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Lochlea 5yo 2019/2025

Lochlea 5yo 2019/2025

#17, The Heart Cut
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale green gold
54% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, green apples, honey, limes, lemon zest, malted grains, hints of peat. With water, limes, lemon zest, cinder toffee, toast. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, loosens slightly, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Limes, green apples, lemon zest, sourdough bread, malted grains, smoke, hints of charcoal ash. With water, sweeter, honey, toast, green apples, cinder toffee. 
Finish: Short. Smoke, charcoal ash, limes, green apples, sourdough bread. 

Comments: 

Quite tart and fruity. It’s an ex Islay cask, so the peat is gentle and light. Lots of bready notes underneath that sour fruit as well. Rather good, as all the Heart Cut bottlings are.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Lochlea Our Barley

Lochlea Our Barley

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Dark gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberry jam, pineapples, honey, malted grains, cinnamon, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, black pepper, honey, strawberry jam, pineapples, vanilla, hints of apple juice. 
Finish: Medium. Pineapples, black tea, black pepper, honey. 

Comments: 

Very sweet and jammy, the cask has done a lot here. Some spicy notes appear, but again I think that’s more due to the cask than the distillate. Decent and drinkable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lochlea Ploughing Edition Second Crop

Lochlea Ploughing Edition Second Crop

Official bottling
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale green gold 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, coffee, driftwood smoke, green apples, vanilla, lemon zest, hints of germolene. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, loosens, warm. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Driftwood smoke, germolene, leather, vanilla, lemon zest, green apples, rhubarb and custard sweets, hints of wet stones. 
Finish: Short. Vanilla, leather, ginseng, lemon zest, driftwood smoke. 

Comments: 

Remarkably smoky, I believe this has been aged in an ex-Islay cask. There’s a lot of flavour in this, tart fruit overlaid with smoke and flinty stone. Rather good.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lochlea Ploughing Edition First Crop

Lochlea Ploughing Edition First Crop

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Colourless
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, malted grains, wheat beer, sourdough bread, green apples, hints of vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour. Malted grains, leather, diesel exhaust, green apples, grapefruit, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Peat, leather, grapefruit, diesel exhaust, hints of vanilla. 

Comments: 

Odd lack of colour on this dram. It’s quite tart and fermented, lots of citrus and slightly ripe bread. On the tongue there’s peat and diesel exhaust. The flavours and harsh, perhaps a bit more aging will mellow this.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lochlea Sowing Edition First Crop

Lochlea Sowing Edition First Crop

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Pale straw
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, cinder toffee, sour cream, lemon sweets, salt caramel, sultanas. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, airy, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Cinder toffee, sour cream, salt caramel, vanilla, tarragon, white pepper, hints of lemon juice. 
Finish: Medium. White pepper, sour cream, tarragon, lemon juice. 

Comments: 

Lactic, quite tart, but also fruity and herbal. There’s a surprisingly strong cinder toffee note, which in my mind clashes slightly with the lactic sour cream note. But it’s pretty good for such a young whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lochlea Fallow Edition

Lochlea Fallow Edition

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Amber red
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cinder toffee, red wine, orange juice, lemon zest, allspice, brown sugar. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cinder toffee, red wine, raisins, lemon zest, brown sugar, hints of white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Red wine, lemon zest, orange juice, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Oloroso aged, but still not too sweet. There’s a tart, winey note that distinguishes this whisky from other sherry bombs. Cinder toffee and gentle spiciness complete the picture. Another pleasant dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lochlea First Release

Lochlea First Release 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Lowlands
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: New plastic, lemon sweets, vanilla, barley sugar, honey, dried pears. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, cool, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Lemon sweets, marshmallows, lime cordial, barley sugar, dried pears, fresh baked bread, hints of white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, lime cordial, vanilla, white pepper. 

Comments: 

A gentle yet complex dram. A very promising first release from Lochlea, heaped with dried pears and lime cordial, and a whisper of a spicy edge in the finish. I liked this, and would drink more from this distillery (not something I always say).

Verdict:

I like this.