I was bidding in an auction a few months ago and this happened to come up. Kilchoman IBs are rather rare (as far as I know only a handful of casks have been released by other bottlers, and about half of them were SMWS casks from about ten years ago) so I bid on it, and while it cost a pretty penny, I ended up getting it for much less than what X.1 bottles can go for, particularly from favored distilleries. Anyway, while it tanks the value of the bottle, that’s not why whisky is made so I opened it up and here are my notes.
Kilchoman 5, 2006 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 129.1, Islay Single Malt, 60.2% ABV
Minutia: Distilled on June 28, 2006 and matured in a 1st-fill bourbon barrel for 5 years yielding 235 bottles. This bottle predates the creation of their flavor profiles and was named “A Smoky, Peachy, Yoghurt of Loveliness”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
Color: Deep gold; 0.8.
Nose: Damn. A minty, stingy (related to stinging, not cheap), salty, medicinal smoke. Snuff. Some kind of candy, maybe mixed up with incense. Could smell this forever.
Taste: Intense. Spice (cayenne), vanilla, medicinal/anise (like one of those lozenges that reminds me of a Rollo or whatever that disc candy is that nobody wanted on Halloween). You can find some peach in there.
Finish: Long. Oaky smoke, a floral note. Tobacco on the back end.
Damn, what a shame this was the first Kilchoman cask the SMWS released. It’s one of the more enjoyable whiskies I’ve had the pleasure of tasting and a lot of the X.1s end up unopened as collector’s items. It’s one of those drams that remind you what made you fall for whisky in the first place. Way more going on than a 5 year old should have.
Score: 93
Musical Evocation: Meat Loaf feat. Marion Raven – “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”
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