Weekend Briefs Sept. 2023: Kilchoman Tasting at Pint & Jigger II
The tetralogy of reviews below was done during a Kilchoman charity tasting event at Pint & Jigger and hosted by Kilchoman’s Catherine MacMillan, with all proceeds donated to support relief efforts on Maui. It was one of a series of whisky events to raise money for recovery efforts as people continue on the long path to recovery and renewal.
Kilchoman provided half the lineup via their US import partner ImpEx and local retailer Fujioka’s. The reviews below cover those core products and some recent special releases. Those reviews can be found here. The reviews below cover the bottles Chris Uhde of ImpEx provided from his personal collection. They were predominantly older releases— whether by distillation or appearance in the US market. They were big, brash, characterful malts with occasionally odd or weird notes, undoubtedly different than the current releases, which are more well-rounded with a mass appeal.
Many thanks to Pint & Jigger, Fujioka’s, Kilchoman, and ImpEx for hosting the event and donating whisky to raise money.
Whisky Details: Kilchoman Summer 2010 Release, 46%
Nose: Old tractor tires and medicinal herbs, camphor and menthol, maritime and coastal, dried grass and subtle heather.
Palate: Medium to light mouthfeel, bright and intense flavors, citrus and citrus peel, pine and charcoal, menthol and medicinal herbs, acrid follow-on to citrus, cedar wood sauna toward the end, metallic bite with tingling brine.
Finish: Medium finish with ash, herbs, and citrus.
Score: 6
Mental Image: War Ruins on the Coast
Narrative & Notes: Youthful and vigorous, I thought this very early Kilchoman release, the first in the US, had a bit more character than the contemporary Machir Bay. It was a proto-product for the evolutionary line that became Machir Bay, and the Kilchoman DNA is present throughout. It is not hard to see how they went from this product to the current core release. During the charity tasting, I was one of a handful who enjoyed this more than the modern Machir Bay. I found it more maritime and medicinal with a stronger, acrid follow-through. It had more tractor tires and industrial notes than I think one typically finds from the distillery these days.
Overall, a lovely peek into the distillery’s past. While I thought this was more characterful than the Machir Bay of today, it was less refined and a bit rougher around the edges, so it is not hard to understand why most might pick Machir Bay over this as their favorite. I seem to like my scotch a bit weird and a bit rough around the edges if that means they stand out more.
Whisky Details: Kilchoman Sherry Cask, 46%
Nose: Meaty and industrial with subtle rubber, tar, and old tractor tires, hints of worn field turf, pine and fermented lemons, coastal brine and minerals, subtle smoked kippers and trout.
Palate: Medium to light-bodied, lemon and pine notes lent the impression of cleaning agents, peppercorns, saltwater swimming pools, minerals, subtle tar and coastal sand, chlorinated pool water and antiseptic solutions.
Finish: Medium to long with old tires, maritime brine, and subtle earth.
Score: 7
Mental Image: Abandoned Seaside Natatorium
Narrative & Notes: Another blast from the past, this 2011 special release from Kilchoman, was the primordial Loch Gorm. Loch Gorm is Kilchoman’s current annual special-release product with 100% sherry maturation. It is the closest thing the distillery has to a third core product, even if it is not always available and highly allocated between its international import partners. I found it significantly more medicinal than your typical Kilchoman today; I do not recall another bottle with quite so many antiseptic notes, much less some beautifully sweet chemical hints of chlorine. It was much dirtier than I remember the Loch Gorm being— though it has been a while since I had the chance to try one of those. I loved the sweet rubber and old tire notes; they occasionally verged on producing a nice farminess, but the coastal salinity always pulled affairs back. Overall, lovely stuff.
Whisky Details: Kilchoman 8 Year (2013) ImPex Cask Evolution 02/2021, Ruby Port Finish, 55.9%
Nose: Earthy ginger and baking spices, leather, new rubber shoe soles, salted fruits and plums, bitter orange, lemon, hints of herbal pine.
Palate: Medium-bodied, oily and viscous, dried fruits and salted plums, tobacco and ginger, peppercorns, cedar wood, preserved lemons, more earth, dried leaves, and chocolate toward the end.
Finish: Medium to long with dried fruits, earth, and hints of bitter chocolate.
Score: 7+
Mental Image: New Shoes, New Me
Narrative & Notes: My wife rated this as her favorite of the Kilchoman tasting. She reckoned that the whisky was chock full of dried fruits with just enough savory elements to keep it from becoming too sweet. She particularly enjoyed what she described as the contrast between sweet, buttery white chocolate and bitter dark chocolate. She was not alone, and I heard from several people that this bottle was their evening favorite or at least in the top two. I would put it second to the bottle blow and final review on this list. It was brilliant, and my initial fears that it would be too sweet or simple were put to rest with the fruit sip. Yes, fruit played a significant role, but there were tons of delicious tobacco and autumn notes so that the rich ruby port cask perfectly complimented the bold peaty malt. Overall, excellent stuff. I had never had Kilchoman in port before, but now I need more.
Whisky Details: Kilchoman 14 Year (2006) Cask 18/2006 for Impex, Bourbon, 53%
Nose: Earthy and coastal, dried grass, slightly farmy musty grass with animal fur, zoo animal exhibit in the morning, chocolate, graham crackers and dark chocolate, hints of cream and citrus.
Palate: Medium-bodied and oily, earthy, dried grass, animal exhibit with musty hay, hints of licorice and lemon peel, slightly rotten or bruised citrus fruits, animal farmyard funk, hints of melon and salty prosciutto with more time, brine and dried grass always in the background. A few drops of water brought out more earthy clay and beef fat.
Finish: Medium to long with lemon peel, salt, and subtle maritime grill smoke.
Score: 8+
Mental Image: Stolen Port Charlotte Cask
Narrative & Notes: Wild and lovely— this was not familiar to me at all. Blind, I am confident I would have thought this was Port Charlotte, and when asked, I described it to people as “What if Port Charlotte and Kilchoman had a baby.” That is it. There was a beautiful farmy quality to this that I had never encountered with Kilchoman before, and I wish I knew I could find it again. This was a brilliant cask— only the 32nd cask of Kilchoman ever filled at the distillery. Clearly, the distillery’s style has changed a bit over time; while this had some elements I would describe as essential: citrus, maritime, and grass, they were not quite the rounded and softer package I think of with more recent releases. A few drops of water altered the order of flavors so that the whisky became much earthier; it was stunning how much the whisky changed and developed over time.
There was something wilder and untamed— maybe unrefined— about this cask that I adored. I was not alone, and I heard from a few other funk lovers at the tasting that this was their favorite, or second favorite, of the evening. Overall, fantastic and a real unicorn bottle to experience.
