Lochlea Sowing Edition

If you've not met Lochlea yet, this is the place to start. It's a Lowland farm distillery in Ayrshire — built on the land Robert Burns once farmed — that grows its own barley, draws its own water, and only started filling casks in 2018. The Sowing Edition is the bourbon-matured release in their seasonal range, and it's a brilliant showcase for how clean and fruit-driven their spirit is.

Matured entirely in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at a generous 48%, this is bright, orchard-fresh whisky. The nose is crisp red apple and ripe pear with a soft cereal note underneath and a lick of vanilla. The palate follows through — vanilla pod, caramel apple, a little toasted hazelnut and that slightly grassy, green-apple freshness that marks out young Lowland spirit. The finish is medium and clean, with a refreshing pine note that keeps it lively.

Lovely neat, and it holds up beautifully as a highball — top it with soda and a slice of green apple over plenty of ice. At £50 for single malt this characterful from such an exciting young distillery, it's properly good value.

How to Serve

Neat in a Glencairn at first to read the orchard fruit, then long: ice, soda water and a slice of green apple for a summer highball. At 48% it takes a drop of water well.

Where to Drink It

A young, easygoing malt for a lively room — Soho Whisky Club will happily talk you through the seasonal range, and Black Rock in Shoreditch is the natural home for a distillery doing things this differently.

Food Pairings

Works with fresh, simple things — smoked trout, a sharp Cheddar, or a slice of apple cake if you're leaning into the orchard notes.