Kilchoman 100% Islay (12th Edition)

I haven’t been blown away by previous Kilchoman tastings, but i was intrigued by the 100% Islay using all local barley that was floor malted in house. According to the box (which actually made it home this time), the peat is local to Islay also. The nose is lemony-vanilla, banana, and a hint of permanent marker (credit to someone else for that note, but it’s spot-on). Slight earthy note. The peat isn’t really hitting me strongly in the nose. Some ethanol shows up, it noses all of 50% ABV, if not a bit higher. The palate is more rewarding than the nose. The lemon vanilla comes through. Also the banana. Peat smoke is more prevalent here and through the finish. The peat is more smoky than earthy, as in the Loch Gorm. Also salty, seawater. Minerals. The finish is fairly short for an Islay, but pleasant. I like this. It’s probably my favorite of the 3 Kilchomans I’ve tried. It’s an enjoyable whisky. However, I haven’t tried the Machir Bay, and I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t significantly better. I do appreciate what the distillery is doing, and I don’t mind paying more for the extra work they’ve put in here, but I kind of expected a little more. It’s good, but if you’re not into paying more for the story, your money can go further with other Islay malts.

Nose: peaty with bananas skins, seaside salty Palate: salt and more salt, rock salt, bottom of the river Finish: Long savoury finish

Nose: Buttery almost shortbread cookie note, vanilla, lemon citrus, rubber, medicinal Palate: Shortbread cookie, salted caramel, some farmyard funk, peat smoke rolling in Finish: Smoke, hay, mineral note I think the only thing that keeps this from being a great whisky in my opinion is the grassy, hay note on the finish. I don’t like to sit with that. Everything else is great!