Whisky Discovery #451

Kilchoman 2007 Single Cask (60.9% abv)

Islay Single Malt Whisky

Sadly No Longer Available

I came across this discovery via #TheDramOGram,  the follow-up to our #12Blends Tweet Tasting hosted by Tom Thomson of Toms Whisky Reviews. Whilst the 12 blends was immensely entertaining it was very time consuming and seemed to take up almost all of my spare time over the first 12 days of April this year.

#TheDramOGram was a similar blind tasting event, but this time each of the participants were required to send a single dram to their chosen recipient, while receiving just the one blind dram. All notes and guesses were to be tweeted on the day/evening/night of 31st May. Unfortunately it didn't quite happen with the 'togetherness' of the 12 Blends, and so while I thoroughly enjoyed my blind dram from +Gal Granov I didn't feel the connection we all had when we were all tasting the same whisky at the same time.

I made myself a tasting mat and posted the photo above on Twitter at the start of my tasting. As I made my mental notes I decided to scribble them onto the tasting mat, so I could post a' before' and 'after' photo while I tweeted my notes to Gal.

So What Did I Think?

The finished tasting mat - complete with scribbled notes, wild guesses and an empty glass

From the instant I opened the bottles I was very happy The medicinal Islay peat nose is a particular favourite of mine and it was immediately reminding me of SMWS 127.31 'Right of Passage' a dram tried at the London lounge just before we left for Whisky Live

On opening the bottle I thought could this be Ardbeg? (mostly because Ardbog Day was the following day) but this was way peatier! With my first sip, I was thinking that there couldn't be much more peat left in Islay with the levels in this dram. It was hitting all the right spots for me.

I thought I would try to determine the abv while scribbling my notes, but thought it might be difficult with the peat levels so dominating. I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol burn or the peat smouldering in my mouth That I was experiencing. I'd recently learnt of the 'bubble test' and by comparing that with other samples on the shelf this was putting it at around 45-46% abv yet my mouth was saying 60%!

• Nose:  Intense peat at first, earthy; stable straw, bracken, heaps of pepper, maritime notes; salty with some hemp rope. Recharging the glass I was getting spent coffee grounds too. With water, the first few drops enhance the earthy notes. Some sweetness trying to punch through the pepper.
• Taste: Initial sweet hit turns salty immediately followed by intense pepper which fades to peat smoke. With water the sweetness found neat lingers a little longer, the peppery spice is not so fierce, but over all a very similar profile.
• Finish: Is very long with peppery peat smoke, lightly salted with charcoal.

With SMWS 127.31 'Right of Passage' the 10 Year Old Port Charlotte (bottled at 64.2% abv) on my mind I was torn between an Ardbeg and a Port Charlotte, and my wild guess was Port Charlotte PC8 an 8 Year Old bottled at 60.5% abv - it fitted with my thoughts

The reveal was a pleasant surprise. Although I was checking out Kilchoman releases on one of the well known whisky retailer websites I had dismissed them for the Port Charlotte. I must get some Kilchoman on my whisky shelf soon!

Slàinte! Dave

Whisky Discovery #100

Kilchoman 2006 Machir Bay NAS (46% abv, OB, 2012)

Islay Single Malt Whisky

Circa £39.00

Machir Bay from Kilchoman

Named after one of the most beautiful beaches on Islay, Machir Bay, released in February 2012 is a vatting of 3, 4 and 5 year old whiskies, matured in fresh bourbon barrels and finished in oloroso sherry butts for 8 weeks. Each year more mature malt is planned to be added to the vatting.

So what did I think?

I wrote in my notes ‘Peaty Heaven’! The first Whisky of my journey was an Islay malt, and I think it is rather fitting that my 100th Whisky Discovery is another. I loved all four of the stunning Kilchoman drams tasted at the show. The Sherry Release got my vote for my favourite, but any of the other three were very close seconds. 


I have read on their website that you can spend a week at the distillery, where for a fee you get the opportunity to shadow their production team and get hands on experience of every facet of malt whisky production – from barley to bottling!  If anyone would like to sponsor me for this trip I would be eternally grateful! (I've had to 'borrow' this photo from the Kilchoman website too)

Whisky Discovery #99

Kilchoman 2006 Sherry Release 5 Year Old (46% abv, OB, 2012)

Islay Single Malt Whisky

Circa £50.00

The first Sherry Cask release

This is the first sherry cask matured release from Kilchoman.

Peated at 50 ppm, it has been matured for 5 years in Oloroso sherry butts.

It won the dram of The Whisky Lounge London Fest 2012 Show award and quite rightly so, although any of the four I tasted would have gotten my vote!

So what did I think?
Rich golden in colour, taking the colour from the sherry casks, and soft peaty aromas with soft fruits and spice on the nose. Again after the initial sweetness, the nose seems to be duplicated on the palate. Wow – absolutely stunning and another must for my whisky shelf.

The camera phone was still playing up, and this was the last photo we took that day (sorry about the quality of the photo, but the quality of the whisky was stunning)

Whisky Discovery #98

Kilchoman 2006 5 Year Old (46% abv, OB, 2012)

Islay Single Malt Whisky

Circa £50.00

Kilchoman's first 5 Year Old

Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland with an annual production of approximately 100,000 litres of alcohol, and with their current distillation program are filling just 18 casks a week

The majority of the annual production is filled into 1st fill bourbon barrels sourced from Buffalo Trace Distillery, Kentucky, USA. The remainder of their new spirit is matured in Oloroso Sherry butts from Miguel Martin, Jerez, Spain.

The 2006 Vintage release is their first 5 Year Old. Peated at 40ppm and matured from 80% first fill and 20% refill barrels and bottled at 46% ABV.

So what did I think?

A little darker than the 100% Islay, but not much. On the nose lovely peaty smoke, pear, ginger and some citrus along with the vanilla and a touch of butterscotch. On the palate, lovely tangy peat, a little salty, vanilla and the Islay medicinal notes. Just stunning! I really loved this whisky too, and it has got to be destined for my shelf soon. (with my camera phone playing up I have 'borrowed' the photo from the Kilchoman website)

Whisky Discovery #97

Kilchoman 100% 3 Year Old 100% Islay Bottle (50% abv, OB, 2012)

Islay Single Malt Whisky

Circa £70.00

Kilchoman 100% Islay

Kilchoman, (pronounced kilhoman) was the first distillery to be established on Islay in over 124 years. The distillery was built in 2005, with the first run of new spirit coming off the stills later that year. It’s also is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland with an annual production of approximately 100,000 litres of alcohol, but gives everyone the opportunity to see all that is best in the grass-roots traditions of malt whisky distilling, from barley to bottle.

Kilchoman is one of only six distilleries to carry out traditional floor maltings, but the key difference is that the barley is grown right there on their farm, whereas other distilleries purchase barley from around the country.

100 tonnes of malting barley (variety – ‘Publican’) is grown and malted at the distillery. This represents 30% of their annual production. The balance of malt is purchased from the Port Ellen Maltings on the island. They are one of only six distilleries in Scotland that carries out its own traditional floor maltings. The majority of distillers purchase their malt from large commercial maltings.

Both malts are kept separate throughout the production process, and this 100% Islay single malt whisky - from barley to bottling was recently created.

The whisky has been produced from barley grown, malted, distilled, matured and bottled at the distillery. Peated to 20ppm this inaugural 100% release has been aged in a combination of fresh and refill Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels for over 3 years.

So what did I think?

Light and Golden in colour and far more complex that you would ordinarily expect from a young whisky. On the nose there were soft peaty aromas, citrus, pear drops, fennel and vanilla, and after the initial sweetness on the palate the soft peat smoke, vanilla and even a touch of butter scotch. A really enjoyable whisky and this is destined for my shelf.