Nothing terribly special to say about this one other than I got a concierge email about it and pulled the trigger.
Kilchoman Small Batch US Release No. 6, Islay Single Malt, 47.9% ABV
Minutia: Matured in ex-bourbon barrel, ex-Oloroso cask, and ex-PX cask. That sentence is weird because I’m unsure how many of each and don’t want to suggest one or more and be wrong. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
It's a bit late in the game, but I forgot to post it earlier this year. This post is about the Top 10 Whiskies I tried over the course of 2021. It is all about when I took the notes, not when the whiskies were released, and they are in no particular order.
Guess: Laphroaig, finish points to Octomore, maybe Port Charlotte.
Hm. I thought about throwing Kilchoman as a guess in there as I’ve been fooled already by a Laphroaig-y Kilchoman, but decided against it. That part of the finish that pops up screamed Octomore to me. So much so that it made me forget the mouthfeel is decidedly not cask strength. Anyway, this was a great dram, and the guesses should tell you how highly I think of it. Can’t wait to see what they can do with something like this with some real age to it.
Score: 90
Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:
As advanced statistics indicate a preference for peat and wine, I was very interested in this one. Glad it turned up in this year's calendar. How is it?
Kilchoman Red Wine Cask Matured 2012, Islay Single Malt, 50% ABV
Minutia: Distilled in 2012 and matured for approximately 5 years in Douro Valley red wine casks from Portugal before bottling on October 5. 2017. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.
Nose: Some smoke, spicy wood, medicinal, maybe a bit of sulfur.
Taste: Sweet, touch of smoke, some spice comes in and dances with fresh fruit. The fruit gets almost tropical at times.
Finish: Cereals, woody, toasted, wax. Medium.
Guess: Fire & Cane.
I’m not too upset about the guess, it felt like peat and a fruity cask, but it definitely didn’t scream Kilchoman. Though this is one I think I’d have preferred to try non-blind. I might have been better able to appreciate the notes as what they were under those circumstances. Post-reveal, things felt like they came more into place. My opinion improved a little bit over time and I adjusted my initial score slightly, but no adjustments occurred post-reveal.
Score: 81
Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:
A pretty neat expression from Kilchoman, as I’ve really only seen Laphroaig use quarter casks (at least with any regularity). I’m always keen on trying more Kilchoman as the most disappointing one I’ve had was still quite good.
Kilchoman Original Cask Strength, Islay Single Malt, 0% ABV
Minutia: Distilled in 2010, matured for 6 years in quarter casks before bottling on September 20, 2016. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.
Guess: I’ll eat my hat if this isn’t a Laphroaig. Feels a bit higher proof than a typical bottling, so maybe 1815 or possibly an IB.
I guess I’m glad I’m not wearing a hat. I was certain this was a Laphroaig from the first whiff, and the palate cemented that certainty. Based on how convinced I was of the origin of this dram, I’m guessing quarter casks might play a larger role than I thought in giving Laphroaig aspects of its character. Anyway, this is pretty good stuff, no surprise there; wish I had more than a dram.
Score: 88
Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:
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.
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”
Nose: Big banana, funk, dough, hand rub yields snuff. That banana and funk are really more a single aroma of banana taffy.
Taste: Banana taffy, burnt molasses, light smoke.
Finish: Smoke, green wood, apple, spices.
Guess: Springbank 15 Rum.
Hmm, other than a Bushmills, I haven’t had anything using Madeira casks before, I have to guess that’s where that prominent banana flavor came from. Overall this was quite interesting, but that banana bit is a touch too much for me
Score: 89
Musical Evocation: Johnny Cash & Joe Strummer – “Redemption Song”
Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:
Been looking forward to this one for a while. I’ve quite liked Kilchoman’s spirit, and have come to know wine casks seem to be my preferred wood. Not much experience with STR (if any), but still something I’ve been excited to try.
Kilchoman STR Cask Matured, Islay Single Malt, 50% ABV
Minutia: Put into 43 STR red wine casks in 2012 and bottled in 2019. Reviewed blind, neat in a glencairn.
Nose: Earthy peat smoke, dunnage/must, sweet tone to smoke. Meaty.
Taste: Oaky, smoke, spices, feels like dry wine.
Finish: Big musty smoke into citric quality into a citric smoke blend. Meat grilled and drizzled with lemon juice. Medium long.
Guess: Octomore. Maybe Ardbeg or wine Kilchoman.
Kinda got it, the ABV felt too low for me to commit to Octomore, but it did have a lot of the flavors there. The taste was a bit lackluster (still good) and held this back from an even higher score. A whisky I very much enjoyed. The nose and finish are just super.
Score: 88
Musical Evocation: White Zombie – "Super-Charger Heaven"
Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:
Kilchoman and wine casks are both things I’ve come to know I like, so I’m very happy this one turned up. I’m pretty unfamiliar with Sauternes as a wine, so I’m pretty keen on seeing the influence on a whisky.
Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Finish, Islay Single Malt, 50% ABV
Minutia: Distilled in 2012, matured in 30 Bourbon barrels marrying for 5 months in Sauternes casks before bottling in 2018. Reviewed blind, neat in a glencairn.
Taste: Fruity smoke, bit salty, pepper, somewhat dry.
Finish: Big smoke, earthy. Long. Real nice.
Guess: Unfortunately in opening the sample I inadvertently saw some letters which I believed to be Sauternes, so Kilchoman Sauternes.
I’m disappointed I almost certainly knew this is the only Sauternes whisky I have (at least as far as the name that would have been on the bottle), but I don’t think I’d have gotten it. I suspect I might have guessed a Sherried Islay, but I’m not sure I’d have guessed Kilchoman. Maybe might have gotten a sense of wine rather than a fortified wine. Anyway, this is quite nice. I’m surprised it was 50% as the nose is burnier than I’d expect for that at first, but that tones down shortly. I’d say this would lose a point if that persisted, or gain a point if it was never a part of it. The taste offers the least. It’s not bad, but is the weakest part. The finish is the strongest. I really like the earthy/dirty feel of it paired with the smoke.
Score: 88
Musical Evocation: Surma – “Reveal the Light Within”
Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:
With this I finally complete my reviews of Islay’s currently available core range standard offerings. Regrettably I was only able to review this as a mini whereas all the others I bought and reviewed after spending time with the bottle. I started those pretty early in my whisky acquisition and now the amount of money and space currently taken up by my collection is just too great for me to have gotten a bottle of this. I’d have felt differently if I hadn’t had this several times in bars to build some familiarity, though.
Kilchoman Machir Bay, Islay Single Malt, 46% ABV
Minutia: Matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, the influence of this expression is primarily ex-Bourbon. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
Taste: Tropical fruit (specifically kiwi?), smoke, pepper. Rich.
Finish: Heat at first, smoke rises, overall maritime quality. Medium.
Nothing’s changed about how the other Kilchomans I’ve had have me excited to try more from them and watch them grow. This is on the lighter feeling side of what Islay generally has to offer while still being distinctly there, and is on the more robust side of what you generally get from the islands. Priced quite well, this is something I wouldn’t mind having on hand if I had the room, but for now there is just too much else to explore.
This was the second Kilchoman release I was reviewing this July 4th. I was expecting it to be similar to the other (100% Islay), but smokier from the peat and was a bit concerned that the ABV was lower. Let’s see how it stood up to those expectations.
Kilchoman 2007, Islay Single Malt, 46% ABV
Minutia: Distilled in 2007, aged 6 years in ex-Bourbon barrels. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
Color: Straw.
Nose: Smoked meat, salty.
Taste: Smoke. Funk. Maybe apple, like a fruity spread of some kind.
Finish: Taste comes right into the finish maybe the funk rounds out a bit and becomes a taste akin to cheese.
Well the lower ABV wasn’t an issue, but boy was I right about how interesting peat would be from this distillery. I can’t wait to try the various finishes they offer. I’m very excited for what’s to come from this distillery as it finds its legs among the other, more established, Islay distilleries.
I found myself needing two more spare 30ml bottles so when the celebrations for the 4th rolled around I picked the next two on my list and brought them along to sample before having any strong food or other drink. This was the first of the two I tried.
Minutia: Matured in ex-Bourbon casks, distilled in 2009 and 2010. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
Color: Pale wine.
Nose: Apple (green/yellow), maybe a floral quality. The apple aroma overwhelms. Dry wine.
Taste: Effervescent feel at first, much reduced on further sips. Tastes like a strong apply wine, maybe a chardonnay?
Finish: Medium. Strong at first but fades quickly, a general muted version of the taste.
This was intriguing. I was surprised how interesting but somewhat one-dimensional it managed to be simultaneously. That might be the wrong word but the apple was so strong I didn’t get much else. I don’t think this would hold up well to low proof, but I am very interested in this with more peat and/or in various finishes.
