46°
Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay
Oloroso Sherry Butts and Hogsheads
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Malt
Bottled in 2025
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured
Peated around 50 ppm
This is the 13th edition of Loch Gorm, first launched in 2013, and the 2nd to be aged to my knowledge, as the 2024 edition was 9 years old. 10 years old seems the right age to me, with 18,000 bottles going on sale, that's how established the product's reputation is with the public. This means that 23 Oloroso Sherry casks have been used, 20 of which were first fill, and they all came from Bodega José y Miguel Martin, one of the most renowned. All this should result in some fine quality.
Let's Taste It :
Despite the intensity of the peat, it's very delicate, warm caramel, blackberry jam, a pinch of blackcurrant, a good dose of soot, cola-flavoured granita, almost solid smoke, full of charcoal. Dark cherries and grapes, dark chocolate, a few coffee beans. Chocolate cake batter, with melted butter. After a while it really takes off, a real deep fullness sets in. The palate is full-bodied, with various red fruits, perhaps a little beetroot, and then a thick layer of peat, liquorice and muscat grapes. Large fragments of lignite. Not very strong spices, cloves, cumin. Fairly long finish, not very powerful, charcoal, cola, ginger, coffee grounds, a touch of bitterness, then it's like an oil-tipped beach, fuel oil, gas oil, tar puddles. Pure cocoa.
In Short,
Such rigorous cask selection and an acceptable age are bound to produce results, and what we have here is an excellent Loch Gorm, maybe the best. The red fruit and powerful peat blend together magnificently. On the other hand, I didn't smell any of the citrus, which several reviewers have mentioned. Never mind, it's really very good. The only remaining problem is the price, which is still too high for what it is. A promotion would be welcome, but there certainly won't be one.
Score : 88
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Nostakghia - Kingsom of Disturb
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