Hi everyone,
Kilchoman have been putting out some new whiskies that I’ve been trying to try as I’m quite a big fan of the distillery and what they put out.
So I’ve got some small batch stuff they released this year for your enjoyment and salivation.
Kilchoman Sauternes Finish 50%
Colour: Yellow-y Gold
Body: Full
Nose: Classically Kilchoman, smoky and sweet, slightly sugary, white sugar, stone fruit, fresh plum, a little funky and sugary candies, Mezcal.
Taste: Mineral arrival, then soft with sea salt and lime, little actual smoke, creamy sweetness, then more minerals come in with lots of smoke.
Finish: Medium/Long length. Peaty and mineral, the smoke really takes over, very little sweetness by this point.
The latest of the Kilchoman small batch releases and unusual in that it’s a finish rather than a full maturation as all the others have been. Nice but doesn't quite pull off the smoke and sweetness together. Here it’s one or the other.
74/100
Kilchoman Small Batch Rum Finish 56.2%
Colour: Gold
Body: Full
Nose: Oh so fruity, fresh fruit and peat smoke, kiwi, lime juice and cigarette smoke, PUB LIFE memories, complete with sticky floors, literally smells like a night out. Nougart candy note and banana now too.
Taste: Soft arrival, great transition into white sugar, kiwi, tropical and smoky, quite soft for cask strength, the classic mineral notes coming in now.
Finish: Short/Medium length. More smoke kicks up here, more mineral, some hard candy- candy cane.
4 casks, 2x 2011 & 2x 2012 bottled in late 2018 for the German market. Great unique nose but the taste is a bit out of kilter and lacking some staying power. Was quite excited by this as I hadn’t seen any other Kilchoman from Rum casks… Hypefully (intentional spelling) more of this to come.
77/100
Kilchoman Machir Bay Cask Strength 59.8%
Colour: Light Gold
Body: Full
Nose: Very smoky, very mineral, very intense, cutting lemon citrus and creamy vanilla.
Water: Opens up with time, more creamy biscuit and vanilla blending with the smoke. More citrus and lemon too.
Taste: BIG, malty, lemon juice, mineral notes building. Powerful but lacking in the complexity department.
Water: Tequila, lime, sugar and salt, smoke. Better balanced and opens up.
Finish: Short length. Creamy with vanilla and biscuit and some smoke but it’s gone far too quick.
I preferred the normal Machir Bay I tried back in 2014. This was released as part of the European Tour 2018.
73/100
Thanks for reading!
Scotch Reviews #706-#708
Whisky Network Reviews #843-#845
Network Average: 75.1
Best Score: 94
Worst Score: 12
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just About OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent
Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.
No comments:
Post a Comment