Tastes

(This an exclusive bottling for Whic at cask strength with 73 bottles released.) The nose opens up directly with amazing and intense fragrances of vanilla, butter cookies, butter and honey on warm toast, citrusy jam, créme brûlée - incredibly smooth and delicious, all amidst a really well placed peat. The palate hits very direct & strong and really delivers on what the nose introduced. It is as sweet and creamy as the nose promised. The peat is much more intense here. A medium strong peat with leather qualities and sun dried hay. The color is liquid gold and the finish long and citrusy with a bid of fruity smoke. What an incredible whisky. Rich, intense, well balanced, very complex and deep. This is what you drink on a warm summer evening after a hearty barbecue out at the lake ... well the Loch if possible. I want more of this. I will very likely try to get more. (Edit: I got more.) Thank you @Der-Duesseldorfer again for all the amazing samples.

It opens with an interesting nose. Medicinal, fresh wood, vanilla, cold campfire, sour tangerine, strawberry. The palate is very sweet with orange oil infused dark chocolate, all kinds of sour berries. Wow, very impressive. After the initial taste the smoke on the nose intensifies and delivers some caramelized salty crispy smoked bacon. I enjoyed this scotch. What a nice change to other Islay whiskies I had lately.

Mild and fruity on the nose with a soft peat. It is a fresh wooden fire smoke but it is coming through quiet sweet. It is not very intense on the nose but very inviting and smooth. The palate is equally nice. A base sweetness accompanied by a light leathery smokiness. Later there are also plums, canned pineapple, and some floral blossom aromas. Very enjoyable yet still a bid on the sharper side.

Nose: a nice subtle peat with a equally balanced fruitiness. Also marzipan, nutty chocolate, later fresh ground coffee and more dark chocolate and soft dates. Palate: super sweet with a gentle peat, very smooth and while still very flavorful more on the light side of intensity (but not at all weak - just gentle) also some very nice oaky cask character. A very round and well combined whisky. This is one of those few whiskies that get better with every sip. There is not much this one doesn’t offer. I really like it especially because of the mild peat note. Glendronach doesn’t usually do peated whiskies as far as I understand it - they really should - works really well together with their base character.

The nose starts with sweet trail mix, lots of wild honey, blueberries, peach, fresh warm butter apple pie - with a strong base of fruit juice (a little irritating is a fragment of apple vinegar) The palate is sweet and spicy. Ripe apples, cotton candy, whole grain crackers. Nice whisky with an intense palette of flavors and aromas with a quiet long finish. Impressive also that just a few drops of water makes it even more intense and sweet. Really well crafted. A good all-rounder that offers quiet a big variety of features.

Nose: a delicious mild but present peat with fresh and savory citrus note along with other mixed fruits. The nose doesn’t have much variety but it is really enjoyable with what it has to offer. Simple, approachable, delicate, fruity and sweet. Really great. Palate: not what I expected with that charming nose. It is really harsh and dry. Next to the smokey peat there isn’t much from the fruitiness left. I get a interesting pine needle taste (obviously in a combination with the nose) and it is kinda sweet. The finish is long and pleasant again and presents itself with ripe peaches. The nose is really nice and with water release some vanilla as well. I would rate the nose 3,75. The palate though isn’t very great. The peat and smokiness is nice but that’s about it what is noticeably interesting to me. Not bad - just not great. That would be a 2,0. That leaves me with a 2,75. While I wouldn‘t buy a whole bottle of this I would gladly taste other Kilchoman expressions. I think it can be nice with some more years in nice finishing-casks. Anyone any recommendations from this distillery?

Fruity with a light but distinct peat on the nose. Citrusy and slightly nutty. A round and smooth nose that is very friendly. Later there is some vanilla Very sweet and noticeably strong from the 55 ABV. The oak is really present but even though quite young it remains somewhat smooth. Water transforms most of the peat to actual smoke. The palate becomes really delicious when brought down to like 48 ABV. There it offers everything from sweet to sour over bitter to hot. Very round and interesting. I enjoyed it but it is a bid to much for me on the alcoholic intensity which overlays a lot of the actual taste.

The nose is very shy but when you give it some time there is dry spices (nutmeg, anise and a mixture of others), ripe but sour orange, green mango. Also pine-cone. The palate arrives soft and with some sweetness but hits you shortly after with a fruity sourness and not unpleasant alcoholic chili burn. Now you get some mature wood. Sadly adding water doesn’t do much to the nose but brings out some more spices and fruity acidicy on the palate. Doesn’t really improve it though. So only add a few drops and be careful not to water it down. All in all it is simply an OK whisky. It definitely has character but it is missing vibrance and and smoothness. It is quiet sharp and harsh. Also I don’t know what kind of wine Marsala is supposed to be but I don’t taste anything special that could be defined as this unique cask type. It can’t be first or even second fill. But that’s probably because I don’t know what to look for in the first place.

Very aromatic and full on the nose right from a fresh pour. Fresh orchard fruit, blackberry, sour kiwi, marzipan, apple peel. Then some ginger, bitter & sour grapefruit, fresh ground black pepper, a bid of pumpkin spice and saw dust. Finally old sherry cask aromas. The taste is surprisingly sharp with a hot pepper burn. Underlying are the fruity notes, some dark honey, also some vanilla and a distinct floral wood taste with a mild bitterness. It becomes much sweeter (creamy fudge) after a few sips but the burn stays and is really surprising for its 43 ABV.

The nose is soft peat, really smooth, caramel, sweet apple juice, green banana, damp leaves in autumn. The palate arrives intense, it is briny and really quite salty, with a young burn to it. The peat is actually really nice but I didn’t expect it to be that intense. It is on the more heavy side of PPM for sure. I just had a Bunnahabhain Toitach A Dha just before this one and they are very very similar - both on the nose and taste. Who knows - maybe it is.