Lochlea Our Barley Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700ml Bottle

Tonight’s dram takes me (virtually) to the Lochlea Distillery on the Lochlea Farm in Ayrshire, Scotland. This is another recently opened Lowland distillery (August 2018) and does everything on-site grain-to-glass. Their first single malt is Our Barley. It opens with pears, unripe peaches, freshly-cut grass, and vanilla, followed by apricots, granny-smith apples, and liquorice, then black pepper makes an appearance in a big way, accompanied by a bit of grapefruit zest, with the black pepper becoming more prevalent with subsequent sips. The silky mouthfeel and thin-but-clingy legs deliver a medium-long finish that is dominated by black pepper, but includes rye bread, baking cocoa, and spicy ginger in the background. This is a young dram that would benefit from more years in-the-wood. Our Barley is not bad for a first dram from a newly established distillery. Drink slow, drink long, drink a variety, drink often.