Another new expression released recently from the farm distillery of Kilchoman, this time no cask finishes or wine casks at all, ex-bourbon only. This batch is bottled from a vatting of 35 such casks filled in 2009 and bottled in 2014 making the liquid 5 years old. 9,200 bottles of the nectar were made, and bottled an the natural CS of 59.2%, NCF No colouring. As natural as they come. nice! Let’s dram…
Kilchoman 5 Year Old 2009 Original Cask Strength , 59.2% ABV, £66
Nose: Nice and creamy for a CS Kilchoman, I’d say, butter, peat and quite some ash too, on top of a salty backbone with a nice smokiness. I was expecting something punchier and peppery at CS, but this is a nice surprise for sure! further nosing reveals more notes of citrus and some walkers shortbread. yes. Like.
Palate: Boom. This is where the peat kicks in. Dry ash, earth and soot, with a bit of double espresso – quite a bitter ashy experience at first, then it mellows down to reveal creamy cereals and some fruitiness (pear and apple as in younger spirit notes). It’s not hot at all, but it’s very dry.
Finish: Dry, salty, ashy and peaty with ground coffee, earth and a bit of oak.
Conclusion:
This is a great dram for die hard peated whisky fans. Bitter, ashy, but also creamy and not one dimensional on the peat. much better IMHO than the port edition. This is Kilchoman we like, Au Naturel.
Score: 88/100
official sample provided by Kilchoman distillery.