Lochlea Fallow Edition (First Crop)
Rich, Dried Fruits2022-12-14
The single malt Scotch whisky was matured 100% exclusively in Oloroso sherry butts. There are a number of whiskies on the market that have also undergone such ageing - will the Lochlea distillery manage to stand out once again?
Smell
Crystal clear: Ripe dark fruits, leather, dark chocolate. We expected this and got it. Pleasantly, raspberries, strawberries and cinnamon still resonate. Somewhere, after some time in the glass, we find a few wine aromas and some burnt wood. Beautifully defined profile with exciting secondary aromas.
Taste
Fresh and at the same time heavy-oily, the Fallow Edition lays in the mouth. As in the nose, we have a red berry mix, some tannins and oak spice. Not as dry as we would have expected, the Lowland single malt qualifies as an excellent sherry bomb.
Finish
In the warming, medium-long finish, we find the dark chocolate from the nose again.
Thoughts
For 3-4 years of maturation, this is a pretty well-rounded Single Malt. In a blind tasting, we would have rated it older due to the precise development of the aromas. All in all, a very classic single malt matured in sherry casks. It is almost too Christmassy for the autumnal flavour profile, as it reminds us very much of a mulled wine with a shot. In any case, the distillery once again easily reaches the already very high bar for young bottlings from a young distillery.