A Scottish distillery that was recently built at the site of the former farm of Robert Burns will release its first single malt whisky on Burns Night.
The whisky production site at Lochlea Farm in Ayrshire, which is known for being the home and workplace of Scotland's national poet from 1777 to 1784, will launch Lochlea Single Malt First Release on January 25, coincidentally marking 245 years since Scotland’s bard moved to Lochlea.
Speaking about the exciting first release, John Campbell, Lochlea Production Director and Master Blender, said: “This is the first opportunity for people to enjoy a dram from Lochlea, just in time for Burns Night.
“We’re looking forward to seeing bottles of Lochlea being opened, shared and enjoyed. This will provide a taste of what’s to come as we prepare to launch our core expression and some limited small batches this year.”
The distillery in Ayrshire began quietly distilling, casking and maturing their whisky in 2018 utilising their own barley and natural water resources to ensure full traceability from field to cask.
Mr Campbell added: “Our first single malt release isn’t quite what you expect from a typical lowland malt. For us, on the nose, it is bursting with fresh orchard fruit and zesty orange, with vanilla fudge and a lovely cereal note in the background.
"The palette is rich and sweet with burnt caramel and hazelnuts with a medium mouth coating to finish while still holding on to that fruit."
Bottled at 46% ABV, the Single Malt whisky was matured in first-fill Bourbon and Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks. It is bottled naturally with no added colouring, and is non-chill filtered.
Commercial Manager David Ferguson explained that it will be priced at £50, with the follow-up release planned for this spring.
He said: “This is an exciting moment for us. The team have worked tirelessly to get everything organised and bring our first whisky to market. Now we can’t wait to hear what customers think.
“We already have plans in place to release our ongoing core single malt whisky this year, alongside quarterly small batch bottlings. So this is very much just the beginning for Lochlea.”
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