Whisky : Kilchoman 5 Year; Salon de Shimaji & Shinanoya Cask Selection

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 59.9%

Cask : Oloroso Sherry Butt

Age : 5 Year  (Distilled 27 Sept. 2009, Bottled 29 June 2015)

Nose : A roaring fire place on a cold winter’s night.  Dry pine, roasted ham, shepard’s pie, and a mug of hot chocolate next to the sweet smoke and warm heat of the fire place.  A faint earthy funk peeks out from time to time along with fragrant pipe tobacco.

Palate :  Oily and dry.  The dram starts off with sweet charred desserts; smoked chocolate, homemade rice crispies, and caramelized flan.  More savory notes build with time; a chocolate mole sauce, leather, beef jerky, and grilled abalone.  Smoke lingers on the back end after the sweeter dessert notes have faded.

Finish :  Long and lingering, dry dark chocolate and cocoa nibs.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Chocolate Bar for Santa

Notes :  Sometimes Santa wants milk and cookies, sometimes a few veggies for his Reindeer, and sometimes a single origin dark chocolate bar— the kind that satisfies any chocolate craving with just one bite and costs an arm and a leg.  The nose on this Kilchoman was beautiful, I absolutely loved the varying levels of fireplace soot, meat, and hot chocolate.  As soon I poured it I ran to have my wife try it, I was just so taken with the nose and wanted to share the memory of sitting by the fireplace on a cold night.  I cannot recall a Kilchoman whose aroma I did not like, though there have been a few that fell apart once I started sipping on it.

This held together well, the palate started off sweet before transitioning into deeper bitter and savory notes.  I do think the nose was a league ahead of the actual flavor profile, but this was pleasant to sip on and I enjoyed the maritime grill notes that came out toward the end.  This was held back a bit by its youth, there were some rougher spirit notes behind the slightly sharp sweetness.  After the nose, I was really hoping for some more meaty notes on the palate.  Overall, this was a solid single cask Kilchoman that, in spite of its youth, showed a lot of great depth and complexity.