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The Distillery: Lochlea
| Established: 2014 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Craigie |
| → website |
At Lochlea, our independently-owned distillery has been quietly producing, casking, and maturing our spirit over the last few years, patiently waiting to share the fruits of our labour with the world.
Initially led by the experience and expertise of distillery manager Malcolm Rennie, and now under the management of ex-Laphroaig Distillery Manager John Campbell. Having built up one of the top ten Scotch brands in the world over the past 27 years, John brings a wealth of knowledge and a burning ambition to help Lochlea fulfil its potential.
And the result? A whisky for drinking. A whisky that’s not just a bottle to be admired, collected, or saved. It's a whisky that should find its home in cocktail cabinets, around campfires, in wedding hip flasks, and in your favourite bars, pubs and restaurants.
Love, care and attention from field to cask has been paramount in creating this whisky. The family-run farm grows and harvests their own barley with draff used to feed local cattle. The water is raised from aquifers in the limestone deep below the steading.
Rooted in Scottish history, we are very proud that Robert Burns called Lochlea his home throughout his formative years, from 1777 until his father’s death in 1784. By day, Burns worked hard on the farm and in the evening he enjoyed the company of his friends, debating at the Bachelors Club in nearby Tarbolton. The ground here has inspired the honest, passionate and progressive nature of Lochlea whisky.
When David Ferguson started selling used Maker’s Mark casks to Malcolm Rennie, he knew the whisky veteran was up to something. That something was Lochlea Distillery, the only independent whisky distillery in Ayrshire – and, at the end of this year, it will release its first single malt Scotch whisky.
If you’re scratching your head wondering why you haven’t heard of Lochlea until now, stop: its goings on have been a well-kept secret since the wheels really started turning on the project in 2015. Such was the level of secrecy that when the Malt Whisky Yearbook came out last year, Lochlea was the only operating distillery not included.
The radio silence was a deliberate move, allowing distillery manager Rennie and his team to work on their liquid without disturbance – bar some input from close industry pals.
The team have a fascinating story to tell. The distillery is housed on Lochlea Farm, which was once owned by Robert Burns’ family, and on which Burns himself actually lived and worked from 1777-1784. Current owner Neil McGeoch gained planning permission in 2014 and the last six years have seen the farm’s existing buildings converted to make way for a state-of-the-art distillery. Now, it can produce around 200,000 litres of pure alcohol a year.
The distillery started producing single malt whisky in 2018.
Initially led by the experience and expertise of distillery manager Malcolm Rennie, and now under the management of ex-Laphroaig Distillery Manager John Campbell. Having built up one of the top ten Scotch brands in the world over the past 27 years, John brings a wealth of knowledge and a burning ambition to help Lochlea fulfil its potential.
And the result? A whisky for drinking. A whisky that’s not just a bottle to be admired, collected, or saved. It's a whisky that should find its home in cocktail cabinets, around campfires, in wedding hip flasks, and in your favourite bars, pubs and restaurants.
Love, care and attention from field to cask has been paramount in creating this whisky. The family-run farm grows and harvests their own barley with draff used to feed local cattle. The water is raised from aquifers in the limestone deep below the steading.
Rooted in Scottish history, we are very proud that Robert Burns called Lochlea his home throughout his formative years, from 1777 until his father’s death in 1784. By day, Burns worked hard on the farm and in the evening he enjoyed the company of his friends, debating at the Bachelors Club in nearby Tarbolton. The ground here has inspired the honest, passionate and progressive nature of Lochlea whisky.
When David Ferguson started selling used Maker’s Mark casks to Malcolm Rennie, he knew the whisky veteran was up to something. That something was Lochlea Distillery, the only independent whisky distillery in Ayrshire – and, at the end of this year, it will release its first single malt Scotch whisky.
If you’re scratching your head wondering why you haven’t heard of Lochlea until now, stop: its goings on have been a well-kept secret since the wheels really started turning on the project in 2015. Such was the level of secrecy that when the Malt Whisky Yearbook came out last year, Lochlea was the only operating distillery not included.
The radio silence was a deliberate move, allowing distillery manager Rennie and his team to work on their liquid without disturbance – bar some input from close industry pals.
The team have a fascinating story to tell. The distillery is housed on Lochlea Farm, which was once owned by Robert Burns’ family, and on which Burns himself actually lived and worked from 1777-1784. Current owner Neil McGeoch gained planning permission in 2014 and the last six years have seen the farm’s existing buildings converted to make way for a state-of-the-art distillery. Now, it can produce around 200,000 litres of pure alcohol a year.
The distillery started producing single malt whisky in 2018.
from LochLeaDistillery.com, Whisky Magazine