This whisky is the second bottling in the annual Red Wine Cask Series from the Lowland family-owned farm distillery of Lochlea. The series is designed to showcase the art of finishing spirit in red wine casks from different wine-making regions around the world. The Lochlea Red Wine Cask 2026 Edition was matured in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels for 4.5 years and finished in ex-Sangiovese wine casks from Tuscany, Italy for 18 months. It joins the inaugural release from 2025, which was finished in ex-Grenache wine barrels.
Lochlea Distillery is located in the Lowlands region in Ayrshire, Scotland. It is around 45 minutes south of Glasgow, near the town of Kilmarnock. Lochlea Farm, on which the distillery sits, was purchased in 2006 by Neil and Jennifer McGeoch as a pedigree beef cattle farm. The 222-acre farm always grew barley for cattle feed, however in 2015 they made the bold decision to turn 50-acres over to malting barley. With time and success this expanded to produce the 600 tonnes of barley needed for annual production. This produces close to 200,000 litres of new make spirit.
In 2017 the construction of the distillery began; converting the former farm buildings into the distillery. They also repurposed cattle sheds for bonded warehouses. Whisky production commenced in 2018 and the first whisky released in 2022. The distillery remains a true farm-to-cask distillery with all grain used to make their whisky grown on their farm. Around 20% of that grain is also floor malted on site.
The Lochlea Red Wine Cask 2026 Edition is released at 46% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It is available via specialist whisky retailers in the UK and other selected world markets. A bottle will cost £55.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is a deep coppery gold and the nose is fragrant, fruity and sweet. Vibrant and crisp red apple aromas lead the way and are quickly joined by sweet nougat and milk chocolate. Then comes caramel, plus hints of glacé cherry and orange peel. Everything is underpinned with a bold malty quality, which is reminiscent of malted biscuits. A pinch of baking spice rounds things off.
On the palate this whisky feels velvety, soft and creamy in the mouth. The elegant feel begins with notes of toffee and caramel before evolving into milk chocolate. The early confected nature is accentuated with a distinct note of hard strawberry and cream sweets. Then come further fruity hints of freeze dried raspberry, maraschino cherry and dried cranberry.
After the initial sweet and fruity characteristics, it is the maltiness that evolves nicely to dominate. This was never far away in the early part of the palate but is now allowed to come to the fore. Think of digestive biscuits and a warm malted drink like Horlick’s or Ovaltine. Late notes of honeycomb and cocoa powder come through, as do some drying wood tannins.
The finish is of decent length and becomes increasingly drying and woody. A peppery warmth also builds. The confected and fruity notes slowly die, allowing the bittersweet malt to dominate further. This, alongside the drying woodiness, adds extra grip and mouthfeel to the whisky.
What’s The Verdict?
This is another excellent limited release from Lochlea. We have long been admirers of what they are doing. The quality of their early releases and subsequent core range has been maintained despite a recent couple of significant changes to the whisky creation team. Wine casks can often be hit and miss, but this one nails it. A lovely mix of confected sweetness, expressive fruit and robust malt make for an enjoyable dram.
