This is the latest release in the 100% Islay range, which is a quite unique Islay peated malt as it is the only Single Malt in Scotland where every stage of the whisky making process, from the barley grown in the surrounding fields to the malting, distillation, maturation and bottling, takes place at the distillery, as it should be in a ‘Farm’ distillery, just like in the olden days. Nice, right?!
This 3rd edition is a vatting of four and five year old fresh bourbon barrels and bottled at a nice 50% abv , just like we prefer! Only 10,000 bottles of the limited edition will be available worldwide. It was a long time ago since I reviewed any Kilchoman on the blog, so let’s get it going…
Kilchoman 100% Islay , 3rd edition, 50% abv, RRP £59.95
Nose: Love the nose on this one : starts with soft notes of vanilla, pear drops and barley sugars on top of peat fire, BBQ smoke, fried bacon , leather and some medicinal notes too. Very smooth for a 50% malt, and also rather dry, with no added sherry sweetness, pure peat, and that’s nice.
Palate: Boom! What a powerful palate this one packs: tons of peat and smoke , with a peppery kick and cinnamon-y edge. Peat smoke. Peat reek. Peat avalanche. Great mouth feel all around, thanks to the generous abv.
Finish: Bitter ash , peat and some earth. going a long way.
This is a peat lover’s delight. Well made, with a great mouth feel, enough peat and pepper, ash and all those lovely aromas to keep you smiling for a while. Good work Kilchoman, and although it might not be ultra complex (hey it’s not even 5 yo) It delivers what we expect of a young Kilchoman, and more.
Score: 87/100
Official sample provided by Kilchoman distillery
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