Lochlea – Ploughing Edition First Crop (46%)

Lochlea Ploughing Edition First Crop is the fourth and last bottling in the distillery's annual series of seasonal releases. It reflects the winter season on the farm, when the fields are ploughed ready for sowing barley in spring. The whisky is a warming, smoky version of the Lochlea house style, made with a combination of ex-Islay casks and peated quarter casks. The label is icy blue, for the cold, frosty Ayrshire winters. It is bottled at 46%, non-chill-filtered and without artificial colour, and 11,000 bottles were filled worldwide. The nose is baked fruit with light peat smoke, and the palate brings old-fashioned boiled sweets, cooked apples and Brazil nuts. The finish is lingering fruit and nut with a haze of Islay peat.