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Quick hit review. It is great to see all these new distilleries popping up in the Lowlands, a region that has far too long been neglected. Citric and slightly floral, the nose of this Lochlea emphasizes lemongrass, orange peel and hints of sage. On the palate, citrus fruits, honey and ripe pears accompany the intense and warming arrival. Good mouthfeel. The sweet and zesty finish fades on lemon cream and mild oak spices. A lot of work went into this young malt, and it shows. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

Quite well put together, but I would like to see a few single cask expressions so I can work out what the distillate is like. Worth trying if you see one out and about.

He smells rather delicate has the Lowlands nose, dry grass, nice notes of wood. I don't smell the bourbon neither does the sherry. What remains is this beautiful oak barrel. Plus some gum. But then… The full broadside! Extremely strong! It looks a bit spicy the barrel notes remain. a slight sweetness, it probably comes from the wood. Yes, he can do something! I'm always excited about this new distillery...

While certainly palatable, this clearly has some ways to go before it'll be a well-rounded single malt.

It still needs some time. Nice beginnings, but the sherry cask isn't noticeable. Too young and too alcoholic for me. Let's wait another 5 to 7 years.

From the Lowlands: Nose: spiced, raisin, dried flowers and honey Mouth: peppery spices, coffee, rancio in a shot, flowers, perhaps the base of a rum taken before; lemon, ; of course citrus fruits and cooked orchard fruits, honey in return Finish: Lemon and peppery spices. Dry wood, rancio on raisins, warmth emanates from the glass.

It is maybe too young, but it shows the great character of this new distillery. Clean and sharp, not aggressive.

On the nose, wood and slightly astringent cereals, lime-cured wheat, salted barley, puffed rice, creamy vanilla. Raisins, a zest of lemon, a pinch of cinnamon on warm apples, and discreet mineral touches. Dry earth, spring-like breadth. On the palate, more cereals, this time well roasted, toasted wheat, malted barley, which combine very well with pulpy fruits, mirabelle plums and greengage plums. The vanilla is not left out, and lets shimmering spices emerge, white pepper, cumin, cloves. Powerful and much longer than expected finish, blond tobacco, ginger, caramel toffee, smoked peel, orange peel and braised chestnuts. It is true that the palate is still a little light, but for the rest, I finally notice a beautiful character and a nice mix of flavors. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2025/10/lochlea-cask-strength-batch-1.html

Lochlea is a young distillery with young whiskys that is still trying to build an interesting range. Hopefully there will be enough whisky left over to build up a stock for bottling older and more mature whiskys. This is the first batch of a Cask Strength series, bottled from ex-bourbon and Oloroso casks. The color is already nice and strong golden. Whisky will be available in early 2024 for €55 – €65. glen-efze.de

One can look forward to the new distilleries. The quality keeps getting better and when they have matured for 20 years, then there will be many new standards, Lochlea, N'cean, Dornoch, Daftmill and other farm and quality distilleries. The first Cask Strength Batch 1 makes you want more and is a new representative of Lowland Malts. Laphroaig and Lowland, that has a future :-) For 60 euros you can put a few bottles in the cellar and open them in 20 years. But please store upright!

A Lowland whisky with real oomph! Interesting. It's still reserved, but then it gets going. Quite balanced for its young age.

Color: amber

The Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 1 is intensely aromatic from the very first sip, yet pleasantly approachable. On the nose, red berries and cherries mingle with a lovely spiciness, accompanied by oak, juicy apples, and a subtle hint of coffee. This creates a well-balanced first impression of fruit, sweetness, and spice. This impression continues on the palate. Sweet cherries and dark blackberries take center stage, complemented by raisins, caramel, and dark chocolate. A pleasant oak spice and a touch of leather add further depth to the whisky. A subtle hint of orange brings a touch of freshness and ensures that the sweet and spicy aromas remain well-balanced. The finish is medium-long and lingers with the fruity notes. Caramel candies provide a sweet finish, while the oak becomes more pronounced towards the end. Overall, the Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 1 is a robust and aromatic whisky that impresses with a successful combination of dark fruits, sweetness, and spice. The cask strength delivers a lot of flavor to the glass without masking the individual aromas. The combination of cherries, blackberries, chocolate, and oak spice, in particular, makes it an interesting and complex dram that is enjoyable until the very last sip.

Nose: Barley sugar farminess, chalk, gristy barley, touch of wax Palate: Sharp, young, concise. Barley, lemon, chocolate and oramges. Finish medium to short, chocolate and some dried fruits

Good lowland rendition. Sweet malty, dark fruits, caramels, honey marmite type notes of savory.sweet barley. Quite oily which I like. Tasty malt

sharp and young, fruits including peaches and apples, very simple structure, and rich body, a little lactic acid and bitter

This reminded me a lot of another whisky that I've had relatively recently. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't immediately the two other Lochlea's I've tried - the Our Barley (first-fill Bourbon, Oloroso Sherry and STR) or the Harvest Edition (Port, STR and first-fill Bourbon), but a different Lowland altogether with a similar cask makeup - the King's Inch, which I been told via a reliable source is actually unpeated whisky from The Glasgow Distillery. I don’t know the balance of casks used in the King’s Inch, but here I’ve heard they are 70/30 bourbon/sherry. The Lochlea is less sulfurous, but there is still a vague hint of umami that works well against the sharper influence of the Makers Mark barrels. I've enjoyed this with and without water. It drinks incredibly well for its 60.1% ABV. Neat out of the bottle, it's bright, sweet and lip puckeringly tart. With water and time, out comes vanilla in a slow cakey expansion and the malt gets supercharged. I didn’t actually get that much malt in the nose, it was mostly bold tropical fruit, vanilla cake and toffee with a light floral perfume. Further back, I got more of the wood itself and accompanying wood spice adding some zing. The malt picked up in the palate though, arriving as clean barley sugars as the oiliness registered immediately after a momentary opening of red and black berries cooked and strained to a fine cooly. A measured balance of spritely black pepper and warm tingling white pepper established itself and managed to maintain a moderate level from mid palate all the way to the end, adding a nice thread of consistency through the oncoming rich vanilla custard, cake, lightly grassy citrus and golden stone fruit. The finish is nice and long. More citrus: lemon at first, muddled with ginger and fresh mint took up a good section, then twisted into bitter peel via a quick stint as juicy mandarin and then returned as buttery curd. The longer I left the glass to air, the more malted it got. It almost has a second complete tail with its own persona and alter ego as a Belgian trappist beer, with fine effervescence hinting at fermentation and savoury crusty bread. I’m actually super impressed with this. I’ve been sampling it alongside the Arran Quarter Cask, which I’ve had since the summer, and I have to say, I’m enjoying this more. The Arran burns the roof of my mouth a little, whereas the ABV in the Lochlea is much less noticeable. I still feel like the Lowlands are not getting the love they deserve despite the recent boom in quality releases from the region.

Nase: Süß, Vanille, helle Trauben, Apfel, Malz, etwas Eiche | Geschmack: Süß, würzig, Eiche, Vanille, etwas helle Trauben | Abgang: Mittellang; süße Noten, Vanille und Eiche blieben. | Fazit: Die Nase ist süß. Vanille und eine Mischung aus hellen Traube und Apfel folgt. Malz und etwas Eiche sind außerdem da. Eine leichte säuerliche Note nehme immer wieder etwas war. Der Geschmack beginnt intensiv süß und würzig. Eiche und Vanille stehen im Vordergrund. Ein wenig helle Trauben sind außerdem da. Ein recht einfacher Whisky. Hauptsächlich ist hier Vanille wahrnehmbar. Gerade im Geschmack ist er wenig komplex. Der Alkohol hat Kraft und ist relativ gut eingebunden. Fehlnoten habe ich keine. | 82-83 Punkte

In aroma, it doesn't give me youth. Or is it just mush from the field? It's youth, cherry fruitiness, graininess, earthiness and maybe the oloroso in the background, but maybe just because they said so on the bottle. But it's a feat, driving a tractor through a field and getting that aroma of overrun grain in the dirt into the bottle. And there's new-make youth back there. Isn't it still under the law? I wouldn't like braids. In taste, the oloroso shows more and tries to overpower the youth. But the classic "youth forward" is not possible and it keeps getting pushed forward. Grape fruit, spices and spicy pungency with a hint of oloroso and youthful inexperience. The oloroso tries in the finish too, and even though it sounds quite nice there, it doesn't save the overall impression. No really, I didn't agree with that, maybe the older ones will be better over time.

Really surprisingly good! Very good distillate. Nice fruitiness, creamy, spicy with lovely menthol/eucalyptus aspects. A lot to expect with increasing time and maturation!

German Youtube Review: https://youtu.be/jXFFAIQaezY

Sweet, fruity, medium long finish

Lochlea CS batch 1 sample from LC Young, vibrant, sweet Slightly put off by the synthetic sweetness and youthful heat

Colour: amber Lots of flavour, fruit and sweetness. Nice mouthfeel, Young, but not overly so. ABV works well. Finish: long

Still very young and a bit high in alcohol. Fruity, with some nutty notes and a hint of bitterness. The 46% versions were better, especially for the price. Frankly, at this price, I'd rather support other young distilleries.

Lochlea and Annandale, two reasons to look at Lowlands for some real treasures.

Pears, juniper, pepper, citrus

Banana lollies Putty Ozone

First impressions: Quite a smack in the face at first but once it settles down it's nice and creamy. Add some water to release some more of the sultana notes. This is my first lochlea, I've got to say I love the texture of the bottle in the hand. edit: found it the best with 2 teaspoons of water and leave for 30-60 minutes before enjoying.

young but balanced and fruity whisky Much more marked by the bourbon barrel than the sherry barrel

Mit 3 Tropfen Wasser wesentlich komplexer nussig ,Kaffeebohnen Orangensaft und im Nachklang würziger Tabak

Nose: Rising with notes of yeast, caramel, vanilla wood, and tobacco. Then all the dried fruits, ripe tropical fruits, plums, and candied oranges appear. Palate: Powerful, rich, fruity, and spicy. Flavors of nuts and candied fruits. Full-bodied and delicious. Finish: long, salty with a return to pepper and wood then sweet with tropical fruits and orange brandy. What a masterstroke for this first cask strength! My impression was more mixed on the “our barley” version. Everything is in place here, with a power/precision ratio and guaranteed pleasure. A very successful combination of bourbon and oloroso sherry casks. However, more marked by bourbon than by Sherry. With water, the fruit takes on an extra dimension in the mouth and the tobacco is more pronounced on the nose. I really like it.

Fruit jellies (orange), vanilla. some mulling spice. Rich for a (young) NAS. Hot and needs a drop or two to open up.

This is a really delicious, well-made bourbon cask whisky. But the malt flavor shows up. It would have been really good if it weren't for that flavor. It's a shame.