I'm a long-time fan of Kilchoman, the small, family-run distillery on Islay, but I have to admit that their price point (everything hovers around or above the $100 mark) tends to dissuade me from buying too many bottles. However, I saw this dusty bottle on a back shelf at Batch 13 liquors on 14th St NW here in Washington DC, and couldn't resist.
Kilchoman releases occasional special cask small batch releases, and this is the second one, from 2019 is somewhat unusual. As the box explains, it's a no age statement vatted single malt of the standard Machir Bay (46%, mostly bourbon with a little sherry cask influence) and then combined with whisky aged in a Madeira hogshead at natural strength.
The end result is 70% bourbon, 25% Madeira, and 5% sherry (!) - a very uncommon arrangement. The final bottling strength is 48.5% ABV. Only 1260 bottles produced, and only for the US market. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are very few reviews of this online. Let's explore this discontinued Kilchoman:
Nose: Very buttery and peaty all at once. Brown sugar wafts out, as does a little fresh cut grass, and the merest, vaguest hints of sherry (dried up cherries, maybe almonds). Coastal salt-and-smoke. Some vanilla or caramel, a little oak. A little sweet orange oil, and a little bit of sweet red BBQ sauce. All in all a fairly controlled, almost sedate nose that is pleasantly aromatic but doesn't blow me away.
After some time in the bottle, a pungent "singed lemon peel" note emerges which somewhat takes over. I added a little water, and immediately got a lovely heathery fragrance rising from the glass - water is highly recommended here, as it dulls the char flavors and accentuates a really lovely floral quality that floats overtop the citrus/vanilla flavors.
Mouthfeel: Surprisingly light and thin for an Islay.
Palate: Better on the tongue that in the nose: vanilla combines with what might be a drier expression of Madeira wine combines with smoke and peat and salt and a surprisingly robust mineral presence. Grapefruit! Perhaps some lemon: semi-bitter citrus. A little pepper, a little oak. Actually, this is strikingly like a vaguely wine-touched version of Talisker: and as such, I like it. It's more coastal than I expected. The mineral-and-citrus flavors are really nice together: salty and sweet.
With water, this expands a bit and the Madeira finally rears its head a little. Again, this really shines with water added. Sweet lemon candy comes out as well with some water. Maybe even a touch of grapefruit soda.
Finish: Decent longevity on the finish, medium length all-in-all, mostly pepper, rock salt, smoke, and sweet vanilla.
Verdict: This is a tough call. It's an interesting bottle, so much like a heavier Talisker in a number of ways, but at the end of the day it's still just a slightly stronger Machir Bay with added citrus and brown sugary sweetness in the mix, but priced quite a bit higher. It's good, but not great - if you find this on sale, and like semi-interesting peated scotches, this is for you. All others would probably be underwhelmed.
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