Lochlea Distillery in Ayrshire is revealing the third ‘Crop’ of its renowned and much celebrated Seasonals range of whiskies

Lochlea Distillery in Ayrshire is revealing the third ‘Crop’ of its renowned and much celebrated Seasonals range of whiskies, kicking off with the third and final part of the trilogy series – Sowing Edition (Third Crop) at the end of April.

 The multi-award winning grain-to-cask distillery celebrates the farming calendar with the four Seasonal releases during the year, each one showcasing a different side to Lochlea’s house style of spirit. The four whiskies in the First Crop were released from early 2022, followed by Second Crop kicking off last spring with Sowing, ending with Ploughing in March earlier this year.  Once the Third Crop has been released this year, there will be no more Seasonal releases from the distillery.

 This latest and final release of Sowing has been matured exclusively in ex-Bourbon barrels, allowing floral, fruity notes to really shine through in the final dram. All the casks that have gone into the final recipe have been hand-picked by John Campbell, Lochlea’s Production Director, and his team at the distillery. With each new Crop, the whiskies in the Seasonals range are getting older, with this latest release being nearly the same age as the recently released and sold-out Lochlea 5 Year Old.

 Sowing marks the point of the year that the new barley crop is sown around the distillery on the farm – the start of spring and new life appearing. This spring will be the 8th year of barley grown on the farm at Lochlea.

 John said: “Our third and final Crop of the Seasonal releases will offer whisky lovers the chance to taste our maturing limited-edition releases and even compare them with the past two Crops, so they can see how our whiskies are evolving.

 “The Seasonal Editions have been a brilliant platform for us to showcase our whisky in different cask types and highlight the farming calendar.

 “One of the main differences between our last Sowing Edition (Second Crop) and our new Third Crop is when the spirit was distilled. Second Crop was distilled in warmer months, whereas the new release in colder months. Distillation during warmer periods results in more of a stewed fruit flavour, whereas in the colder months we see much more of a crisp, fresh fruit flavour – in the case of this spirit, delicious green apple and pear.”

 In terms of what the distillery plans next, John continued: “We have a wealth of ideas at Lochlea within the team and our ability to explore and innovate easily without too many constraints means there will be many more exciting whiskies to emerge from Lochlea beyond our Seasonals.”

 Lochlea Sowing Edition (Third Crop) will be available from 25th April onwards via Lochlea stockists whilst stocks last, RRP: £51.50. And for those looking to enjoy other whiskies within the trilogy, First and Second Crop whiskies can be sought out via Lochlea’s retail partners here. Those who want to then taste with John and the team can take part in a live, virtual vertical tasting the distillery is planning this spring – for further information sign up to Lochlea’s mailing list at www.lochleadistillery.com  or follow the distillery on Instagram @lochleawhisky

 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.

Sowing Edition (Third Crop) tasting notes:

• Nose: Almonds, rose petals

• Palate: White pepper, a vibrant burst of apple blossom

• Finish: Warm straw, fresh grass

• 46% ABV

• Non-chill filtered

• Natural colour

About Lochlea Distillery:

 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-cask 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 a several years.