Whisky : Kilchoman 5 Year 100% Islay; Binny’s Beverage Depot

Country/Region : Islay

ABV : 58.3%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon (Buffalo Trace) (Distilled 14 April 2011, Bottled 15 Aug. 2016)

Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ Home

Nose :  Meat, smoke, and a bit of candy— the nose is rich and slightly sweet.  Loads embers smolder in an earthen oven, faint whiffs of charcoal, and grilled prawns awaken the appetite.  Is it a swamp on fire, a beef stew, or a wet mop?  Intriguing bits of lemon and fennel almost feel antiseptic among the smoke.  The wife summed it up as smokey candy.

Palate :  Lovely layers of sweet, savory, earth, and spice roll out.  It is maple bacon sizzling in the pan, a roasting herb covered loin of beef, and a pan of buttery baked mushrooms.  The body is nice and oily carrying pepper, coriander, and cardamom across the palate.  There is a bit of fruit, but it is still starchy and not quite ripe.  Sweet earthy ginger comes near the end.  

Finish : Long and sweet, faint bits of swamp and decay linger on the palate with some tingling spice.

Score : 7

Mental Image : A novelty perfume: Apple eating in a smoker’s jacket.

Something Better : Amrut Double Cask 2017 ed. (similar earthen oven, bits of veg., more balanced)

Something Similar : ‘Ledaig’ 11 Year; The Exclusive Malts (similar swamp, less smoke, more salt)

Something Worse : Nikka Black; Night Cruise (thinner, less intense, similar prawn and profile)

Notes :  What an absolute treat this was.  I have been singularly impressed by the consistent quality of the Kilchoman single casks selected by retail stores in the US or by Impex, the US distributor.  While I did not really enjoy the custom Machir Bay blend I reviewed earlier in the year, the single casks have all been wonderfully rich and unique.  This selection from Binny’s in Chicago was no slouch.

While distributor speak celebrating Kilchoman as “Islay’s newest distillery,” “revolutionary approach,” “challenging the status quo,” is all fine and well— even if maybe not entirely accurate— the liquid inside the bottle speaks for itself.  I regret not coming to Kilchoman sooner, hesitating after I was a bit turned off by the hipster-esque emphasis on “farm to bottle.”  My wife would probably admit that we are plenty hipster, but in true hipster fashion anything that sounds too hipster must be too cool and therefore not really hipster at all.

The beautiful layers of malty sweetness and savory peat combine absolutely brilliantly with just a bit of wood spice and sweetness from the Ex-Bourbon cask.  I think some drinkers get absolutely carried away with searching out interesting cask maturations or finishes— and why not, it is fun— but there is a lot to love in a great ex-bourbon cask.  I would hate to think anyone skipped over this bottle thinking the ex-bourbon maturation was a bit plain-jane.  I would hate to think I might do that as well, because I would have missed out on quite the treat.