Review #541 - Lochlea Harvest Edition First Crop
The Harvest Edition of Lochlea's limited edition Seasonal Releases celebrates the end of summer, when barley is harvested for use in the following year's whisky production. This First Crop version, the first release (arriving in 2022), sports a bright red label, which the distillery claims to represent the Ayrshire sunsets seen on their farm.
The Harvest Edition is matured in a combination of Port, Oloroso sherry, and ex-bourbon casks; while there's no age statement, we know the spirit to be around 3 or 4 years old, as this was in the inaugural year of Lochlea releases. Lochlea gives us quality bottling specifications: 46% ABV, no chill filtration, and no added coloring.
Lochlea Harvest Edition First Crop
Scotland/Lowland - Single Malt
Price: USD 74 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry, and Port casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; bottled 2022
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle 40% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: A little musty - barley grain husks, barley sugar, a strong spirit character. Honey-drizzled lemons bring some sweeter fruit, and the oak influence is quite soft.
Palate: Quite interesting, a bit spicy to start - amaro and anise. Honey, butter, and some soft oak mix with white pepper; dark fruit arrives, like fig and dry cherry. More dark red berries - raspberry, as fruit continues to intensify. The mouthfeel has a medium thickness.
Finish: Medium-long, still full of pleasant barley notes. There's still a spicy side with anise and licorice, a bit of pepper; dry fig and grapefruit linger in the aftertaste.
Final Note: Another solid whisky from Lochlea's seasonal series - they did a good job with these First Crop releases, ensuring that, despite being youthful, the spirit is well integrated with the oak influence. We didn't find as much of the dark fruit on the nose, but those Port and Oloroso casks showed up quite a bit more on the palate.
Value is okay - a little expensive for its age, but that's not uncommon for these new distilleries, which need to recoup some of their startup investment costs.
Our Average Rating: 6.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.67
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Lochlea reviews:
Review #542 - Lochlea Ploughing Edition First Crop
