Award winning Ayrshire farm-to-cask distillery Lochlea has released its second ‘crop’, or batch, of its seasonal release: Harvest Edition.
The South Ayrshire distillery's celebrated seasonal small batch release single malt whiskies showcase Lochlea’s household style across the year, with each season being celebrated through the selection of different casks being used for maturation.
The new release from the Craigie distillery – Harvest Edition Second Crop – has been matured in a combination of carefully selected Tawny and Ruby Port casks, STR barriques and first-fill Bourbon barrels to offer a deliciously different twist to the Lochlea house style.
Production director John Campbell said: “As a working farm, these expressions tie in to reflect our farming calendar here at Lochlea.
"For this year’s Harvest Edition Second Crop we have incorporated a much higher proportion of Port casks as the spirit is another year older and we felt that it could stand up to the richness and intensity these casks add.
"This has really helped to enhance the whisky’s creaminess, whilst also introducing a delightful peppery, floral spice that the spirit gets from the STR barriques.
"We are really proud of this release, which has been inspired by the end of summer, when our golden barley is harvested and eventually used for the next year’s production.”
Lochlea’s seasonal releases are: Harvest Edition: inspired by the annual harvest on the farm; Fallow Edition: reflects the season of autumn on the farm when the fields are left fallow to rest after a busy harvest; Ploughing Edition: released in winter when the fields are ploughed in preparation for spring; Sowing Edition: inspired by spring when the seed if sown for the year’s barley crop.
As with all of Lochlea’s whiskies, Harvest Edition Second Crop is non-chill filtered. It has been bottled at 46 per cent ABV - the same strength as Harvest Edition First Crop, so that the annual releases can be compared and contrasted. RRP is £51.60, available now from Lochlea stockists.
In addition to the seasonal limited edition releases, Lochlea has a core whisky expression available all year round - Our Barley.
This unpeated single malt has been matured in a combination of three different casks: first fill ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry casks and STR barriques, all of which add depths of flavour to the spirit. Launched in July 2022, Our Barley has received much acclaim as a superb example of a young non-age statement (NAS) Lowlands whisky, made entirely from the distillery’s own home-grown barley.
Lochlea was originally a 222 acre livestock farm before being purchased by Neil and Jen McGeoch in 2006.
After much consideration of the future of the farm and a successful trial to grow its own barley in 2015, the couple transformed the land and existing farm buildings into a fully-operational distillery in 2017 and started distilling the following year.
The farming side has remained a unique part of Lochlea, with the move into barley production – paving the way for Lochlea to be one of the very few fully grain-to-glass distilleries in Scotland.
It also has a rich Scottish heritage with strong links to Robbie Burns, with the bard having worked and lived on the farm for several years.
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