54,5°
Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay
Bourbon Barrel
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Cask
Bottled in 2023
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 20 ppm
Kilchoman 100% Islay represents around 25% of the distillery's production. They are made from barley grown on Islay at their own farm, Rockside Farm. Malting and bottling are also carried out on site. Echoing the 100% Islay Single Cask distilled in 2011 that I wrote about here, this one was entirely made with malted and kiln-peated barley, hence the nickname 'Islay Kiln Peat'. 244 bottles have been released and included in the Collection New Vibrations, which implies an exclusive sale in France by La Maison du Whisky.
Let's Taste It :
It seemed to me that the peat was very intense, mineral, refreshed by whiffs of iodine, slate, quartz and bits of salt. Grainy smoke, enriched by pulpy and oily white fruits. Molasses, mountain honey, limestone. On the palate, cereals come to the fore, puffed rice, malted barley, muesli and porridge, but the charcoal hints of peat are still very much present. Small notes of vanilla, lively spices, cumin, pepper and cloves. The finish is long, explosive, full of gas oil and minerality, with just a few peanut and hazelnut crumbs and a zest of lemon.
In Short,
In general, I'm not a big fan of Kilchoman's 100% Islay, which I find too light. Here, on the contrary, it's very intense, with a radical and very seductive character. The distillery is instantly recognisable, with its great minerality and slightly rough cereal notes. It's like nothing else on Islay. So it's very interesting, but unfortunately the price is disproportionate, which is a shame.
Score : 89
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Eluveitie - The Call of the Mountains
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