Kilchoman Spring 2010 Release Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)
News to many malt lovers will be the Kilchoman distillery. Beginning production in December 2005, this miniscule operation (one of Scotland’s smallest) is the first distillery to be built on Islay for over 120 years. The venture was the idea of a wine and spirit merchant, Anthony Wills who moved to Islay in 2000 after marrying a local. While Kilchoman is remarkably contemporary, it’s most notable for its adherence to old fashioned methods. There’s justification for Kilchoman’s slogan of “Taking whisky back to it’s roots”. It is essentially a ‘farm distillery’, as many were in the early nineteenth century. Just about everything to do with whisky production happens on site. Even the majority of the barley is grown and malted by the distillery - highly unusual nowadays when most are either purchasing barley from around Scotland or importing the raw materials. (Kilchoman do also purchase heavily peated malt (50ppm) from the Port Ellen Maltings on Islay). 80% of Kilchoman’s whisky sees maturation in x-Bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace distillery with the remainder aged in Oloroso Sherry butts from Spain. The house style tends towards a sweet, fruity and smoky malt.
Kilchoman’s third Release has just arrived in Australia.
The ‘Spring 2010’ bottling was matured for three years in a combination of new and refill barrels before being finished for three and a half months in Oloroso Sherry butts. Four refill Bourbon barrels were added to this mix. The Spring 2010 bottling marks the first time Kilchoman have used their own spring water to reduce the whisky. It is reportedly similar in style to previous releases, though naturally, each has a subtle difference that’s noticable when tasted along side each other. Bottled at 46%, non chill filtered and with no colouring added. Be the first to introduce your whisky friends to an official distillery bottling we can guarantee most will have never heard of.
Other reviews... [NOTE - these tasting notes refer to the inaugural bottling and are indicative only]. Wow, this is quite stunning! Old-fashioned in many respects: oily texture, with rooty, layered peat smoke, coal tar, shoe polish, and hints of wet sheep as the foundation for a complex array of additional flavors: toffee apple, caramel fudge, blackberry jam, golden raisin, grist, bourbon barrel char, and licorice root. Long, smoldering ember, dried herb, light toffee finish. It’s all balanced perfectly, and very mature for its age. If you like smoky whiskies, track one down. 92 points - www.maltadvocate.comsize>
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