Peat and sherry were just made to go together. Much like apple and cinnamon, like caramel and salt, or Abbott and Costello…
I like what Kilchoman is doing and how nicely their spirit matures. In fact, when visiting Kilchoman I tasted the new make and would actually buy a bottle of it, it’s that good. One of the things that enabled the distillery to become so successful in just a few years is the fact that their whisky matures rather quickly, and becomes quite good even at five or six years of age. Naturally, we’re now starting to see casks at 10 years old, and I definitely have high expectations from this expression, especially given how well the guys at TWE do at choosing their exclusive bottlings (which include, by the way, the legendary 40 year old Glen Garioch I reviewed here).
Kilchoman 2007, 10 Year Old TWE Exclusive Sherry Cask (58.5%)
Appearance: Copper, thick and coating on the glass with very slow legs.
Nose: Wood fire smoke and sweet sherry with subdued sultana raisins. Lemon and orange peel with some pickle brine, sea foam, and a bonfire on the beach. Some time in the glass brings out some mineral notes.
Palate: The first thing to hit the palate is the Kilchoman ash, followed by a sweet wave from the sherry, and some bitter citrus.
Linger: Pepper and ash in the gullet, and alternating spicy and sweet waves on the tongue. A little drying. This is a long and complex finish, with a mostly spicy finish with some sweetness mixing with the firey ash. There’s a hint of milk chocolate within the ash here.
Conclusion
If you like bitterness in your whisky, you’re going to love this one!
I am, however, concerned with the constantly appreciating prices of these expressions. This bottle is priced at £125, which seems a bit (or not a bit, actually) excessive for this lovely 10 year old sherry cask Kilchoman. As for the whisky itself, however, I only have accolades, as it’s truly lovely.
Official sample provided by TWE.