Origin: Isle of slay (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 46%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Sherry Oloroso
Chillfiltered: No
Additional coloring: No
Owner: Kilchoman
Average price: € 90.00
Official website: kilchomandistillery.com
In Kilchoman’s 20th anniversary year, another celebrative special edition sees the first Loch Gorm at declared age, as always matured entirely in former oloroso sherry casks from the José Miguel Martin bodega.
An unspecified number of bottles from a total of twenty-three casks divided between twenty first-fill and three second-fill, released at the end of March 2025.
Tasting Notes
Soy sauce, pickled black olives, tamarind and sweet liquorice are the first impressions that come up on the nose, dark and sweetish, with a consistent umami part that intertwines with notes of salt and fruit. Dried plums, sour cherries, maple honey, candied orange and Barbour jackets spread over a bed of aromatic herbs (thyme, rosemary) and sea wood, with spicy punctuations (nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon). A mineral and metallic vein runs through the aromas, like a stiletto. Intense.
On the palate it is dry and pungent, between spices and citrus fruits that titillate the palate accompanying a distinct salinity and a much more consistent and decisive smoke than on the nose, of barbecue and crackling wood. Still in dark tones but with a certain sparkling vivacity, evoking cola gummies, with a bitter background note between coffee, rhubarb and cinchona. The vegetal part returns along with the metallic one, defiladed in the background.
The finish is quite long and saline, dry, with citrus, liquorice, spices, aromatic herbs, coffee and smoke that quite strong and full-bodied.
It flattens out a little on the drink, losing nuances to concentrate on sharper, more detached flavours. It lacks the depth that would make it soar, remaining ‘simply’ pleasant.
Vote: 86/100