Price: £73.50
ABV: 50%
Chill Filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Supplier: The Whisky Shop
Description: This limited edition Islay Single Malt is the first Kilchoman expression to be matured in Sauternes casks. Spending more than five years in the casks from Chateau d'Yquem in Bordeaux, the whisky has taken on the textured white age influence associated with Sauternes casks while remaining balanced with maritime peat smoke and sweet citrus. Only 6,000 bottles have been released at a strength of 50% ABV.
General Comments: Firstly, I'm a fan of the Kilcohman distillery and make no apologies for that. Much like Bunnahabhain, they have a small core range of just three whisky's; but release a number of limited editions throughout the calendar year. Also like Bunnahabhain, they treat their whisky right, refusing to chill filter or add artificial colourant. In addition, Kilcohman also get bonus points for more and more bottles are leaving the Kilchoman distillery at a Bruichladdich-esque 50% ABV.
This whisky has been sitting around oxidising for a while. It seems that this is the thing to do with Kilcohoman whisky ever since the 2008 Vintage was released in 2015. Kilcohman whisky's over the last couple of years; whether limited editions or core bottling's have transformed like no other liquid; particularly in the peat stakes. If you have a bottle of Kilcohman, be it this, 100% Islay, Loch Gorm, the 2008 Vintage, or whatever; please, save your judgement for a couple of undisturbed months time. Here, time has been my friend and has left a HUUUUUUGE whisky that meets and exceeds the expectation of any Kilchoman fan. Thanks to David Waller for this sample from a bottle that was opened sometime after Christmas, and that has allowed me too keep my bottle safely intact and on the shelf.
Nose: This is absolutely fantastic! Opening the bottle I get a huge waft of cultured peat; honestly the first words that come to mind, and may even have been verbalised are "**** me"! Nosing the glass the peat seems too have toned down and escaped into the ether a little, but with the lid off the of top of the glass I can smell it clearly whilst typing away. Its the fantastically dense, wet, fudgy peat that those Isaly peat monsters do so damn well. Right up my street. There is also a significant complexity too this; rich molasses and remnants of the Sauternes, lost in the wood, but unlocked by the spirit that followed it into the cask; adding all of its fortified complexity to this fabulously coloured liquid. Marshmallow is coming to mind; I don't no why, I'm not sure if you'll get it too, but somewhere binding the peat, the sweetness, the sugars and the wine together is the sweet fluffy, lightly flavoured confectionery concoction of white marshmallow. Damn, I want to drink this.
Palate: A small mouthfull at first; really rich, really dense, liquorice unsurprisingly doesnt take long to appear, Black Jacks too, along with a dense black treacle style molasses. All these flavours are nuanced though, heather honey, regular honey, white bourbon sweets, brandy, black grapes. The peat gives off that traditional antiseptic quality, and in something this rich, almost goes past what I call a Fisherman's Friend flavour and straight into black liquorice; almost; as that tingling on the tongue and gum line adds the medicinal note to the package. In addition the peat definitely gives a savoury vegetable matter element to the whisky; steamed cabbage, which combines with the oak tannin's to create; amongst other things, a familiar strong black coffee finish.
Finish: As with the vast majority of rich peated whisky's, i feel like i'm going to be tasting this for days. The mouth tingles from the medicinal properties and my mouth is just full of the thick treacly liquorice. The Sauternes cask maturation has been a roaring success as the problem with peated whisky's is that they cant have one note; it becomes dull; as a couple of weeks old bottle of Laphroaig 10 does. This whisky is exciting, nuanced, interesting and something you can truly explore. The Sauternes cask makes it come alive with subtlety that is almost beyond my ability to communicate; which is pretty darn rare.
General Comments: Firstly, I'm a fan of the Kilcohman distillery and make no apologies for that. Much like Bunnahabhain, they have a small core range of just three whisky's; but release a number of limited editions throughout the calendar year. Also like Bunnahabhain, they treat their whisky right, refusing to chill filter or add artificial colourant. In addition, Kilcohman also get bonus points for more and more bottles are leaving the Kilchoman distillery at a Bruichladdich-esque 50% ABV.
This whisky has been sitting around oxidising for a while. It seems that this is the thing to do with Kilcohoman whisky ever since the 2008 Vintage was released in 2015. Kilcohman whisky's over the last couple of years; whether limited editions or core bottling's have transformed like no other liquid; particularly in the peat stakes. If you have a bottle of Kilcohman, be it this, 100% Islay, Loch Gorm, the 2008 Vintage, or whatever; please, save your judgement for a couple of undisturbed months time. Here, time has been my friend and has left a HUUUUUUGE whisky that meets and exceeds the expectation of any Kilchoman fan. Thanks to David Waller for this sample from a bottle that was opened sometime after Christmas, and that has allowed me too keep my bottle safely intact and on the shelf.
Without Water
Nose: This is absolutely fantastic! Opening the bottle I get a huge waft of cultured peat; honestly the first words that come to mind, and may even have been verbalised are "**** me"! Nosing the glass the peat seems too have toned down and escaped into the ether a little, but with the lid off the of top of the glass I can smell it clearly whilst typing away. Its the fantastically dense, wet, fudgy peat that those Isaly peat monsters do so damn well. Right up my street. There is also a significant complexity too this; rich molasses and remnants of the Sauternes, lost in the wood, but unlocked by the spirit that followed it into the cask; adding all of its fortified complexity to this fabulously coloured liquid. Marshmallow is coming to mind; I don't no why, I'm not sure if you'll get it too, but somewhere binding the peat, the sweetness, the sugars and the wine together is the sweet fluffy, lightly flavoured confectionery concoction of white marshmallow. Damn, I want to drink this.
Palate: A small mouthfull at first; really rich, really dense, liquorice unsurprisingly doesnt take long to appear, Black Jacks too, along with a dense black treacle style molasses. All these flavours are nuanced though, heather honey, regular honey, white bourbon sweets, brandy, black grapes. The peat gives off that traditional antiseptic quality, and in something this rich, almost goes past what I call a Fisherman's Friend flavour and straight into black liquorice; almost; as that tingling on the tongue and gum line adds the medicinal note to the package. In addition the peat definitely gives a savoury vegetable matter element to the whisky; steamed cabbage, which combines with the oak tannin's to create; amongst other things, a familiar strong black coffee finish.
Finish: As with the vast majority of rich peated whisky's, i feel like i'm going to be tasting this for days. The mouth tingles from the medicinal properties and my mouth is just full of the thick treacly liquorice. The Sauternes cask maturation has been a roaring success as the problem with peated whisky's is that they cant have one note; it becomes dull; as a couple of weeks old bottle of Laphroaig 10 does. This whisky is exciting, nuanced, interesting and something you can truly explore. The Sauternes cask makes it come alive with subtlety that is almost beyond my ability to communicate; which is pretty darn rare.
With Water
Nose: The Sauternes is coming to the surface more now; there is an element of Ouzo on the nose; not Pernod; as its richer, sweeter, denser, more liquorice than aniseed. An unusual fruitness too; one that's familiar, but hard too place; maybe papaya.
Palate: The amber liquid feels even richer in the mouth now. The peat takes a second or so to get going but builds as you hold the whisky on the palate. The peat has a charcoal element too it now; replacing the vegetative element. The flavours feel more relaxed now, merging together into a pleasant, sweet, honeyed and floral whole. Grape and raisin fruitiness kicks in after the sweetness, an element of black grape juice flashes across the palate and its trail lingers; obviously an effect from the Sauternes. Oddly the peat is giving off a kind of beeery flavour; not IPA but something deep, strong, hoppy, but not overboard; something like Oakham Ale's Bishop's Farewell. As it becomes a touch sweeter it becomes reminiscent of the cask finished Innis & Gunn beer; although not quite as sweet.
Finish: The peat buzzes away pleasingly (if you like that kind of thing) on your tongue, gum line and even esophagus; like mild acid reflux, but in a good way. That mild Innis & Gunn beer flavour is still lingering, and as part of that the remnants of some vanilians. The finish seems to be shorter as well, or at least less intense, but youre left with a pleasant, slightly vanilla, slightly floral hoppy, slight beery, slightly black grape juice fruity taste; pehaps along with some Black Jack's and Cola flavoured Maoams.
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