You
may find this strange, but single-malt Scotch whisky isn’t always a complete product
of a single entity or even a single region! That’s because the barley can come
from anywhere – even outside Scotland! Only seven Scottish distilleries operate
their own malting floors; that’s usually farmed out. Aging must occur in
Scotland, but it does not have to happen within the distillery’s region. In a
unique example, Glengoyne
literally hugs both the Highland region,
where its stills are located, and the Lowland region, where its warehouses sit.
Then,
there’s Kilchoman, one of only ten on the island and region of Islay.
This region is known best for its peaty whiskies. Kilchoman was founded in 2005
by former independent bottler Anthony
Wells.
"Our stills, the smallest on Islay and amongst the smallest in Scotland, create unmatched purity of spirit. Their unique size and shape produce unparalleled levels of copper contact, allowing for the marriage of earthy, maritime peat smoke and light floral citrus which characterises Kilchoman single malt.
Kilchoman is matured in an array of casks, sourced directly from the finest producers around the world. Each oak cask adds its own distinct colour and flavour to the maturing whisky, balancing the character of that particular cask with Kilchoman's classic peat smoke and floral sweetness." - Kilchoman
Everything
this distillery produces from start to finish is done on-premises. However, much
of its whisky production requires additional barley from nearby Port Ellen.
Kilchoman
100% Islay is a limited-edition Single Malt Scotch
that harkens back to the days when distilleries grew barley on their own farms,
used locally sourced peat, malted, fermented, distilled, barrelled, aged, and
bottled their whisky entirely on Islay. It is the only distillery in all of
Scotland to do this!
The
14th edition of 100% Islay is distilled from Optic and Publican barley
harvested in 2013 and 2014. The distillate contains 20ppm of peat and slept for
at least nine years in both ex-Bourbon casks from Buffalo Trace and ex-Oloroso Sherry
casks from Jose y
Miguel Martin. It is packaged at 50% ABV (100°), and
a 700ml has a suggested price of $120.00 and availability should begin
mid-October.
I
want to thank ImpEx
Beverages, Kilchoman’s exclusive US distributor,
for this #DrinkCurious opportunity in exchange for my no-strings-attached,
honest review.
Appearance: I
poured this whisky into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. The bright, golden
liquid formed a thin rim with slow, pencil-thin tears.
Nose: There
was peat; it was lovely, earthy, and almost leathery. Beneath it, I smelled apples,
apricots, orange zest, and vanilla. Drawing that air into my mouth, I tasted
cocoa and nutmeg.
Palate:
Kilchoman’s texture was thick and viscous. The front of my palate encountered torched
oak, roasted almonds, and ginger root. Flavors of vanilla, grilled pineapple,
and lemon citrus came next. The back included cocoa, charcoal, and leather.
Finish: The
peat turned slightly ashy, probably from the charcoal component. Meanwhile,
there was plenty of oak, roasted nuts, grilled pineapple, sweet vanilla, and
leather. I clocked the duration at 0:57, placing this in the medium venue.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The 2024
version of Kilchoman’s 100% Islay smells fantastic, tastes great, and has an
incredible mouthfeel. My one wish is that I wanted the finish to last longer
because I could imagine myself getting lost in it. A nine-year-old Islay single
malt at 100° can easily justify the price. There are only 13,000 units
available worldwide, and if I saw one on the shelf, I’d buy the Bottle.
Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.
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