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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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November 25, 2015 |
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Not enough Kilchoman on Whiskyfun,
he said |
It’s one of our most distinguished readers who’s recently noticed that we haven’t tried any Kilchoman since… Ages! Well, not quite, that was in March of 2015, but still, time to remedy the situation, with a little panache (hopefully)… |
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Kilchoman ‘Machir Bay 2014’ (46%, OB, 2014)  I had found the 2013 version a little sweet, but let’s see… This is a vatting of ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso casks. Colour: white wine. Nose: there is a sucrosity indeed (opening a large bag of marshmallows) but on the other hand, the coastal peat – lime combination works very well. What’s quite impressive is the purity in this, even if that’s also what makes it a little simple. Mouth: sweet ashy peat. Brine, almonds, lemon squash, lemon drops, perhaps two sultanas (not more) and faint liqueury side indeed. Barley sugar. That ought to be the short sherry finishing. Finish: rather long, clean, with some lime and some lemon, and always this sweet roundness. Many ashes as well. Comments: it’s a little mezcaly, in fact. I think I like it better than the 2013. SGP:537 - 83 points. |
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Kilchoman ‘Loch Gorm 2015’ (46%, OB, 2015)  A vatting of ex-oloroso butts and ex-sherry hogsheads. Colour: amber. Nose: much, much dirtier than the Machir, and you see, we love dirt in our whiskies. Soot, damp gravel, saltpetre… In fact it’s got something of Longrow, which just can’t be bad news. Cigar ashes, smoked fish, brine, new plastic, engine oil, moss… All great! Mouth: oh very excellent! Same dirty side, ashes, sooty things, bitter oranges, plenty of salt, brine, our beloved olives, a touch of caramel and raisins, caraway… Well I guess I don’t have to oversell it. Finish: quite long, extremely well constructed, always appropriately dirty, a little leathery, citrusy (cleans the dirt), ashy… Comments: it’s a winner in my book, and it’ll join the same cluster as Benromach 10 and Kilkerran Bourbon. I should have tried it earlier. SGP:457 - 90 points. |
This goes too fast, way too fast… Oh wait, we had an earlier Loch Gorm! Silly me… |
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Kilchoman ‘Loch Gorm 2013’ (46%, OB, 2013)  I believe it was a 2007. Colour: gold. Nose: its softer, leafier, more polished, and in a way, more ‘Caol Ila’. Fresh walnuts and apple peelings. Perhaps a little more engine oil as well? Mouth: excellent as well, but perhaps a little more mono-dimensional than the 2015. A little more towards sappy and soapy tones, putty, plasticine… But very excellent it remains. Finish: long, lemony, salty, always with a little putty. Or putty-like flavours. Comments: you got it, I liked the 2015 edition rather better. But the 2013 was lovely too. Great work in the Rhinns of Islay! John MacLellan is a magician. More proof that you can be ultra-competent while being the sweetest and the humblest person on earth. Gives you faith in Scotch again! SGP:457 - 87 points. |
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Kilchoman '100% Islay 5th Edition' (50%, OB, 2015) A vatting of the 2009 and 2010 vintages, supposed to be lightly peated. The barley was entirely grown on the estate, so this is much more ‘single malt’ that others. Just saying. Colour: white wine. Nose: it hasn’t got the brightness and the high impact of the Loch Gorms, and perhaps is it a little wishy-washy in comparison, despite the higher strength. A gentler one, and you have to nose much deeper to get the eucalyptussy side as well as the unexpected tangerines. The jury’s still out… Mouth: much, much better! This ain’t no nosing whisky, everything happens on the palate, with some kind of smoked and salted bread, some salted peanuts (as Dizzy would have said), and a mix of fresh butter and… Oysters! A touch of mezcal that I already had found in the Machir. Finish: medium long, salty and almondy. A touch of putty. Salty margarita in the aftertaste. Comments: philosophically, I like this better. Organoleptically, the Loch Gorms rule big time! SGP:445 - 84 points. |
We’ve got another 100% Islay, a single cask! |
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Kilchoman 2009/2014 (55.2%, OB for De Tongerse Whiskyvrienden and Massen, Luxembourg, 100% Islay, PX finish, 218 bottles)  Colour: dark amber. Nose: leather this time, as well as Virginia cigarettes (unlit). Plus some hay, manure, anything from a farm (that’s good timing, isn’t it), chocolate, and a little Barbour grease. Mud. With water: feels sweeter. Raisins and earth. Mouth (neat): simply very excellent. Powerful, ultra-lemony, and quite spicy, with a sherry that never quite gets in the way, even if some raisins are to be found, somewhere, sometime… No, wait, in fact, after just a few seconds, the PX speaks out and you just have to like that. Walnuts and raisins. To be honest, this is getting a little ‘too much’ for me. With water: PX everywhere. Finish: PX everywhere for a pretty long time. Comments: PX freaks will kill for this. As for this very taster, I love Luxemburg, and the people behind this bottling, and the Rhinns, and Islay, and the world… But this is a little too much. Sincere apologies, friends. SGP:635 - 77 points. |
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Kilchoman 2009/2014 (59.3%, OB, for Whisky Circle Pinzgau, Austria, PX finish, cask #379/2009) And he insists… Colour: gold. Nose: more Kilchoman, less PX, it seems. It’s also a little more mineral, let’s see… With water: mud, smoked malt, barnyard… And little PX furia. Refill? Careful rinsing? Mouth (neat): really punchy, citrusy and even citric, with the PX’s sweet raisins kept at bay. Balance is kept s well. There’s also a funny medicinal side, not unlike some artisan cough syrup that would contain plenty of peppermint and sharp lemon. With water: all good. Earthy, rooty, smoky… Even if the raisins are getting a little more talkative. Finish: long, a little sweeter. Not the best part. Comments: extremely fair, and many will love this, rightly so. It’s just a little too sweet for me, even if it’s less extreme in that respect than the Luxembourgian. Have I already told you how much I loved Luxembourg? And Austria? SGP:546 - 79 points. |
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Kilchoman 2009/2014 (58.3%, OB, for Abbey Whisky, PX finish, cask #285/2009, 270 bottles) I agree I’m mad, but while we’re at it… Colour: dark gold. Nose: ah, this one’s shy, in comparison. Blood oranges, lemon juice, wet sand, a moderate peatiness… With water: perhaps salted almonds, but other than that, it remains a little introvert. Not obligatorily a bad thing, mind you. Mouth (neat): all fine, there’s even less raisins, and rather more citric and floral tones? Lavender bonbons (no FWP, before you ask), seawater, smoky lemons, bitter oranges… With water: smoked oranges? Finish: rather long, sweet and briny. Comments: I’m not 100% sure Kilchoman – or any other peater – tangos very well with PX. Oh and really, I love Luxembourg. But then again, that’s just one man’s opinion. SGP:546 - 79 points. |
Even more PX finish? Are there are some limits to malty insanity?… |
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Kilchoman 2010/2015 (58.3%, OB, for The Whisky Exchange, PX finish, cask #679/2010, 262 bottles)  Colour: gold. Nose: I don’t know. As often with very young whiskies, it’s not in the nose that things happen. Well, this is fine. A feeling of young Demerara rum, perhaps. Candy sugar, you see. With water: farmier. That’s nice. Mouth (neat): it’s very okay. They may have managed to improve the recipe between 2014 and 2015. Still not quite my style, and there are still many dissonances as far as I can tell, but this is rather more… fulfilling? (what a waste of kilobytes and time, S.!) With water: no, wait, this kind of works. There’s an odd sweetness remaining, but this feeling of, wait, salted and honeyed roasted almonds is pleasant. Finish: medium, with some mint. Amongst the salted raisins. Comments: very okay. Oh, did I tell you that I’d love to buy a house in Luxembourg, and end my life there? (but not drinking PXed peaters, that’s for sure)… SGP:545 - 80 points. |
So, more PX finish… No, I’m joking, let’s get serious… |
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Kilchoman 2010/2015 'The Trilogy' (60.6%, OB, for LMDW, sherry butt, 642 bottles) I hope this is no PX finish, let’s pray… Our Father, who art in Heaven… Colour: gold. Nose: fine. Peat and walnuts, some leather, some tobacco, and no f**** raisins! H.u.r.r.a.y.! With water: fine, clean, almondy, relatively rounded… Hessian, cough syrup, oyster juice, and then more and more plasticine. Playful ;-). And marzipan. Mouth (neat): bye-bye raisins indeed. Sharp and whistle-clean, almost angular, very lemony, with a feeling of peated kiwis. There. With water: very very good. The youth shows, but this is bright and the sherry is rather minimalistic. Coz, in my opinion, sherry on young peaters can make it all apocalyptical. Like mustard in coffee. Finish: quite long, quite good, balanced, rounded and nervous at the same time… Comments: a very good bottle for sure, but I miss that thing that they managed to get in Loch Gorm. Come on, what’s the secret? SGP:456 - 83 points. |
Time to have a very last one for the road… Quickly! |
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Kilchoman 2007/2014 (60.4%, OB, for Whisky in Leiden, Holland, cask #239/2007) Early distillate, that’s cool. And bourbon, that’s cool, gives us a break. Colour: white wine. Nose: ultra-raw, kind of chemical, hyper-grassy, super-austere. Water may be needed. With water: young raw peat, good provenance. Mouth (neat): it’s strong, but it’s kind of excellent. Sweet peat, with a lightish body but an easiness that’s most appealing. As long as you can stand 60+% vol. With water: yeah, very good, simple, narrow, sweet, with good smoke and good lemons. Finish: long, simple, peaty, vegetal. Sweets in the aftertaste. Comments: very fine for sure, I’d say it just needs ten more years in ‘moderate’ wood. SGP:456 - 81 points. |
(and thanks Pieter and gang!) |
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