By far the youngst whisky with an age statement. That last bit is added because you don’t know how old the Naked Grouse is…

Kilchoman is the youngest distillery on Islay and is technically not much more than a big farm with some disitlling equipment and a malting floor. They do everything themselves and are a truly ‘Islay whisky’ if there is one.

I visited the distillery in 2010 but didn’t do the tour since the malt floor was just emptied and after a dozen or so distilleries that was the only bit we still wanted to see. The shop sold lots of non-whisky-related stuff from heather soaps to woolen sweaters. Of course they had to make money but it did put me off a bit.

Kilchoman 2007-2012

Sniff:
Really thick sherry at first, bit a huge blast of peat behind it. The wood stove is burning at full blaze too, with straw on the floor and heather somewhere around too. It does have some spiciness with clear hints of clove. It gets more fruity after it sits for a few minutes, which makes it a bit more fresh.

Sip:
Sweet and dry. The dryness can also be more because of the alcohol than the wood influence, but I’m not sure about that. It becomes a bit more full if you let is swim for a few seconds but it gains a lot of heat from alcohol and pepper. It does becomes a bit more fruity, woody and heathery.

Swallow:
The finish is even drier with leather and wood. Some furniture polish, heather and clove.

Kilchoman bottled on my birthday

I thought about buying this bottle because it is bottled on my birthday and it’s rather tasty. The flavours are really a punch in your mouth but still pretty delicious. It might even improve with some water but I didn’t try that yet (I still have a drop left in a sample bottle that might be tried soon).

Kilchoman 2007-2012, 58.4%, single sherry cask release, bottled for Whisky Import Nederland, around € 85 when it was still available.