Origin: Isle of Islay (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 50%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: No
Additional coloring: No
Owner: Kilchoman
Average price: € 90.00
Official website: kilchomandistillery.com
Vote: 90/100
With 2022 we are in the twelfth year for Kilchoman’s whisky made from their barley (publican quality), in this case from the 2011, 2012 and 2013 harvests.
A minimum of eight years of maturation spent between 29 barrels ex-Bourbon and six butts ex-Oloroso Sherry for 12,500 bottles that represent the distillery’s spearhead, the embodiment of their philosophy of a whisky closely linked to the land and produced in an artisanal way, the only whisky from a single farm on Islay as proudly stated on the label.
And the consistently high quality of this bottling seems to give reason for such pride!
Tasting notes
The introduction is of a rather delicate and soft nose, in which the peat is earthy and vegetal with evocations of undergrowth, where sweet notes (of honey, vanilla and malted biscuit) and fruity notes (of apple, pear and plum) with veins of citrus fruit chase each other. A spoonful of salted caramel cream spreads over the aromas, which remain full and fresh with a masterful balance of earthiness and creaminess.
Crisp and lively on the palate, with black pepper, ginger and a hint of chilli pepper lashing the senses, bringing Kilchoman’s proverbial citrus notes to the fore along with the peat wearing its dark suit, with the smoke of grilled fruit mixed with honey and nuts, a sort of less sugary baklava. It doesn’t forget its agricultural origins, with moist, saline vegetal notes from autumn leaves and seaweed providing a pleasant substrate, giving lengthwise a balsamic freshness that cleanses the mouth. A handful of spices (nutmeg, cinnamon) complete a truly rich and multifaceted picture.
A long finish with saline traits, in which the ashy component combines nuts, honey, malt biscuits and vegetal notes in a sort of cliff notes of the tasting.
The value for money of this series remains very high, a rich and complex whisky that manages to be both consistent and iridescent with each release, showing all the firepower of a distillery that demonstrates love and care for every drop that comes out of its stills.
Chapeau.