Lochlea – Ploughing Edition First Crop (70cl, 46%)

This is Lochlea Ploughing Edition, a Lowland single malt bottled at 46% ABV in a 70cl bottle, with natural colour and no chill filtration. It is the fourth in the distillery's annual seasonal series and the last of its First Crops. The name reflects winter on Lochlea's farm, when the fields are ploughed ready for sowing barley in spring. The whisky comes from ex-Islay barrels and peated quarter casks, and the label is icy blue for the frosty Ayrshire winters. The outturn is 11,000 bottles. The nose is baked fruit with light peat smoke behind it. The palate has old-fashioned boiled sweets, cooked apple and Brazil nuts. The finish is lingering fruit and nuttiness within a haze of Islay peat smoke.