We sell gift vouchers - for more details call us on 0115 911 0555 or email us at eann@gauntleys.com
We sell gift vouchers - for more details call us on 0115 911 0555 or email us at eann@gauntleys.com
Region: Lowlands
Owner: Lochlea Distilling Company Ltd
Founded: 2018
The £6 million Lochlea Distillery was built on the site of a farm situated in Mauchline, East Ayrshire which resonates with Scottish history as it the home and workplace of Robert Burns from 1777 to 1784. Plans were first put in place for the distillery back in 2014 and 4 years later production began.
Owner Neil McGeogh has lived on the farm for years has assembled a team at the distillery which feature a couple of industry heavyweights, those being distillery manager Malcolm Rennie which has been involved at Lochlea since the start and is has previously worked at several world reknowed distilleries, such as Ardbeg, Bruichladdich and Kilchoman. Also brought on board as production manager is ex-Laphroaig distillery manager John Campbell.
Several years before McGeogh had converted the farm to arable production, especially high quality barley for brewers and distillers. One assumes that this was the beginning of his thought process which has resulted in a fully self-sufficient distillery. Given that sustainability and eco-friendly, low carbon production is such an important part of the modern whisky landscape it is pretty much par for the course that any new distillery project is going to have those values at the core of its being. It is definitely what lured John Campbell from Islay to the mainland, but also, I would imagine, the opportunity to craft a brand new spirit which encapsulates the character of the region.
The distillery has taken a unique path with regards to its releases. Not only have the created a core bottling, called ‘Our Barley’, which like most new distilleries feature the spirit aged in a combination of casks, those being ex- Makers Mark Bourbon, Miguel Martin Sherry Butts and STR wine Barriques.
They have also decided to release four limited editions each year which reflect what has been happening on the farm. So, in spring, the ‘Sowing Edition’ appears, featuring spirit wholly aged in ex- Bourbon in order to showcase the bright, fresh, fruity distillery character. The second release in summer is the ‘Harvest Edition’, which features spirit aged in port, Sherry and Bourbon casks. The third release in autumn is the ‘Fallow Edition. In order to reflect the sense of leaving the earth to rest after the harvest, the release features spirit that has been wholly aged in ex-Sherry casks. The final release of the year is the ‘Ploughing Edition’. For this release, the distillery wanted to create a warm and smoky version of their spirit, but as they only produce an unpeated spirit that smokiness has to come from somewhere else, thus the release features spirit that has been matured in ex-Islay barrels and quarter casks that once held peated spirit from guess which distillery!
All I can say is that I love the quality of the spirit and love the unique path that the distillery has taken, and I can assure you that once you have tasted one of their bottlings, you too will love it.
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