Lochlea Ploughing Edition (First Crop)

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 04 February 2023). Smells like: Pastry, orchard fruits, berries, very faint damp peat smoke, mild baking spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) Tastes like: Bright and spirit-forward, orchard fruits (pears and berries), cereal. A hint of Islay character in the light smoke. Leaves you with: A medium-long finish. More fruit on the finish which transitions into a distinctly more peated note. Dry smoke and wood ash on the finish. Finished in Laphroaig casks. This is clearly a young, vibrant spirit with minimal cask influence, but the cask influence present is highly effective. The Islay cask adds subtle wisps of peat smoke that grow and develop into a more intricate dram on the palate as it sits, becoming more prominent on the finish and aftertaste. Quite nice. It tied for last place out of the six samples, receiving 0% of the final vote for favorite of the night. 45% of those present indicated they enjoyed the whisky. Two selections were significantly more popular, which may have unfairly impacted the voting for the other spirits.