Lochlea First Release
Official Bottling 2021| 46% ABV
Score: 5/10
Average. In A Good Way.
TL;DR
Lochlea’s first whisky is mild and pleasant - just don’t expect fireworks
Does It Justify The Hype?
We are currently witnessing a massive boom in the whisky industry. On the downside, this boom has resulted in many bottles selling out swiftly at rising prices and diminishing ages so that former staples will soon disappear from the market (did someone just say Lagavulin?) or are hardly available these days (ever heard of Springbank?).
On the upside, whisky’s rise in popularity has resulted in more independent releases, some experimentation, and a mushrooming of new distilleries – some of which are making a quite exciting spirit. And while we as consumers are eagerly waiting for prices to get back to normal and for the bubble to finally burst, we’re also responsible for whisky’s continuing inflation as we seem willing to put our money on any polished bone that the industry throws us. (Does Ardbeg Fermutation ring a bell?).
The Big Bang could be just around the corner or in several years to come. Who knows? It’s impossible to estimate the repercussions that this will have. Will Ardbeg close its doors again? Will Scottish warehouses drown in new-make? Will the whisky industry survive? It’s hard to tell from where we stand now. The only thing that seems certain is that ‘the good old days’ are gone and they are gone for good.
In the meantime, new distilleries continue to be built all over Scotland and around the world. And with so many opening their doors, it’s easy to lose track (myself included). So, it has become increasingly difficult for new distilleries to make a name for themselves and leave a lasting impression. Brora, Port Ellen or Rosebank are not exactly new and can thrive on their mythic reputation. Other new distilleries must find their own ways to stand out from the crowd. Some talk of terroir but then dilute it with a wild mixture of casks. Some use blockchain technologies to create full transparency about their production process. Some pioneer sustainable production and produce organic whisky. Others take a dive into history and work as farm distilleries – Kilchoman has blazed the trail, Daftmill has walked it to perfection, and others have followed in their footsteps.
Some distinguish themselves from the others by getting renowned names onboard and putting their fame on their whisky – Jim McEwan teaming up with Stewart Laing at Ardnahoe or Billy Walker boosting GlenAllachie come immediately to my mind. At Lochlea, people must have monitored the market closely and have opted for the two latter options.
Farm distilleries tend to do most – if not all – of their whisky production on site: They grow their own barley, have their own malting floors, they ferment and distil their own wash, fill their own casks, and mature them on their premises. They bottle their whiskies on the farm too. Doing the lion’s share on site is labour intensive, and farms are usually quite small. Consequently, the production capacity of farm distilleries is rather low (Lochlea produces 200,000 litres of alcohol per year) so they tend to only produce single malts. In return, the hands-on mentality of these farm distilleries goes down well with those single malt folks who appreciate a few drops of ‘good old’ romanticism in their whiskies.
“you don’t see too many of these inaugural releases opened, that’s not what they are designed for”
As whisky producers, farm distilleries live off the stories they tell, but theirs seem to be more down-to-earth than the spaceships launched by others. Personally, I appreciate that these small distilleries do things differently and that their team work hard on producing fine whisky. Yet, I find it hard to tell what difference in taste a farm makes. So, I’d be happy to hear your opinions and read more about what differences in taste a farm distillery makes to the whisky in the comments section below.
Lochlea started distilling in 2018 and aimed to produce an ‘orchard fruit and elegant’ Lowland-profile whisky. From early on, their team was joined by Malcolm Rennie who had previously worked at Kilchoman, Bruichladdich and Ardbeg for almost 30 years and now brought his experience into this project. Just a few weeks before launching their first release, Lochlea caused a stir on social media when Laphroaig’s former distillery manager John Campbell joined their team as production manager. David Ferguson from Beam Suntory has also recently become part of the Lochlea team. Some big names are on board with this project, and these men have certainly not only added their name to the product. So, let’s get to it and see what their whisky is up to.
How about?
Three opinions of the same whisky?
Review
Lochlea First Release, matured in first-fill bourbon and Pedro Ximenez casks 46% ABV
Limited to 7,385 bottles - sold out at retail
Apparently, people are craving something new or different in whisky at the moment (or they speculate on high return rates) as inaugural releases tend to sell out in an instant. This is great for new distilleries that probably have loans to pay off. However, it’s a pity for us drinkers, as not many inaugural bottles seem to be opened or enjoyed… as has been the case with this one. It flew off the shelves only to sink into oblivion.
It comes without added colouring or chill-filtration and was bottled at 46% ABV. As with other inaugural releases, there’s no age statement to be found on this one; but Lochlea started distilling in 2018 and launched its inaugural release in 2021, so the maths should be fairly easy.
Full disclosure: I have procured a sample of the Lochlea First Release from a colleague in a whisky group.
Nose
The nose is round and appealing, malted barley, ripe orchard fruits, and a dash of honey remind of a fine breakfast cereal, the whole aroma has a pleasant nutty touch to it.
Palate
The arrival is round and smooth, but then it flattens out rather quickly. The breakfast cereal with fruit slices and honey remains present on the palate and it keeps this pleasant nutty touch which becomes more prominent in the all-too short finish.
The Dregs
The nose is very appealing and aromatic, but this youngster can’t keep up on the palate and promptly evaporates in the end instead of delivering a finish. The nutty touch is quite intriguing. Otherwise, there’s not much depth which is not surprising given its young age, but I don’t get any of the metallic notes I find in other youngsters either, so they seem to have a keen eye on their distillation process. All in all, this is a mild and pleasant dram without any heights, depths, or flaws – inoffensive and a bit boring. Meanwhile, I remain to discover what difference in taste a farm makes.
Score: 5/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AC
Wally’s Notes
Nose
Initially sweet and floral, with a runny honey and oaky warmth. A little raw. Poached pear and green apple. A biscuity note brings sugared shortbread or malted milk to mind, inviting, but they fight a little with a white wine acidity and resinous oak.
Palate
A soft, sweet and nicely unctuous arrival quickly morphs on the mid-palate to a youthful heat with a difficult to define spice. Not pepper, not chilli, perhaps mustard seeds. Too young. It might seem obvious to say, but it’s obvious to taste: this still has some reckoning to do with air and wood. No obvious faults and things are in clean balance, but it’s just all too youthful. Water tames the heat and brings out the floral side with a warm biscuity note. Lots more water renders it generic. Think every too-young Speysider indie you’ve encountered at 46%. Close to that. Nothing bad or wrong, just not ready yet.
The Dregs
There’s no doubt this will blossom into an elegant thing. There’s a fresh cleanliness to things and everything is nicely balanced; just so. There are no distractions outside of youthfulness to make you curious about the future, which can be both a good and a bad thing. I’d like a little more character if I’m honest. They ran in stealth mode for a long time, they might have done well to stay there a bit longer. This seems like decent malt released far too early.
Wally’s Score: 4/10
See A Trend?
Just one more to go
Mhor’s Notes
Nose
Quite soft actually, rose petals is the first thing I’ve written down, then honeysuckle and buttered almonds. Barley sweets and redberries - so you can sense the cask interplay already, in some respects it has an STR cask aspect to it. Very clean though, perhaps too much? A nice density on the nose though, porridge oats, and with time, toffee. But the best aspect is the foam shrimps note!
Palate
Pretty shallow let’s be honest. It’s all over in a few seconds. A young whisky that’s upfront and relying too heavily on the cask interplay. A nuttiness, more barley and honeyed oats. Sour green apples, a pack of Refreshers that brings an artificial or synthetic aspect to the experience. Fresh shortbread and water wasn’t beneficial whatsoever.
The Dregs
I’ve had so many of these inaugural and youthful whiskies in recent times. They exist for an economic purpose; to unlock revenue and make a statement that something new as arrived. As a drinker, it’s hard to feel compelled to immediately go back. I’m no further forward as to what Lochlea is about - or more importantly - why it will stand out amongst a massive pack of distilleries.
Kudos to those distilleries such as Ballindalloch that are waiting for the right moment to bottle their first whisky. Yes, it is the more expensive and time consuming approach, but ultimately, all round, it is the one that pays dividends for all sides.
Mhor’s Score: 4/10
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