Whisky: Kilchoman 6 Year (2015) 100% Islay for Warehouse Liquors

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 57.4%

Cask: PX Sherry Cask

Age: 6 Years (Distilled 27 May 2015, Bottled 27 May 2021)

Nose: Smoked meats, nuts, and spice. A velvety sweet smoke infused everything— smoked honey cured ham, oysters, rosemary, and kippers. A holiday roasting pan of charred parsnips, thyme, sage, and black pepper— all we needed was the leg of lamb. A nutty richness appeared with time, as honey-roasted peanuts and roasted pecans came to mind with a hint of maple.

Palate: Full-bodied with spice, tobacco, and caramel. Thick and oily, a sweet smoke of smoldering pine and eucalyptus married with mellow herbal tobacco and a roasting pan full of peppercorns, star anise, rosemary, and fennel bulbs. Brown sugar and caramel brought to mind banana’s foster and fruity desserts flambéed table-side. The wife found it was sweet and dessert-like with roasted peanut and boot polish.

Finish: Long and lingering notes of sweet candied smoke.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Holiday Smoke Out

Notes: The market for single cask Kilchoman seems to have jumped up a couple of price points in the last year or two. At the beginning of the tit-for-tat tariff war, distillery representatives interviewed on Whiskycask explained how they planned to split part of the tariff expense along with their American importer ImPex. At least for a time, the price of their single cask bottles appeared to hold steady— it was already a bit high, but the quality was often top-notch, and few other distilleries offer a similar single cask program. The dam seems to have broken— for Kilchoma and the rest of the market— bottles that once sat in the $120-130 range now are fifty dollars more expensive.

This was one of the better single cask Kilchoman I have had the privilege to try. It was sweet and meaty on the nose with a beautiful layer of spice that carried through to the palate. More dessert than bbq, the cask played a decisive role in elevating the underlying sweetness of the 100% Islay malt. The finish was ridiculously long and settled across the palate with a sweet, velvety smoke.

Overall, the price of single cask Kilchoman has increased, but casks like this remain worth the occasional splurge.