Lochlea – Cask Strength Batch #3 (70cl, 59.8%)

A cask strength single malt from Lochlea in the Lowlands, the third annual limited release in the series. Master blender Jill Boyd combined Oloroso sherry butts with former Islay casks that carry peat influence, a pairing used for the first time in this series. It was bottled without added water at 59.8%, non-chill-filtered and with no added colouring. The barley is grown on the Lochlea farm, where the whisky is also matured. The nose offers ripe red fruits and berries with savoury barbecue smoke and a hint of smoked bacon. Cherries, berries, dark molasses and dark sugar lead the palate, with ginger cake, toasted rye and charred-wood smoke. The finish is long, with baking spices, salty smoke, oak tannin and delicate red rose.