Kilchoman Calvados Finish

If you ever visit a Scottish distillery, the first thing you have to do, is to ask if they have any distillery exclusive releases, and if they do, you have to take that opportunity to taste one of their rarest and not overly expensive whiskies. At Kilchoman, i was happy to taste this 10yo (for kilchoman that is quite rare, since they still are a young distillery, despite their great flavor) which was finished 2 years in a Calvados cask, a type of apple brandy. On the nose, Oranges; Orange peel and Barley and mostly cereal notes. Feels farmy. After a first sip, the aroma changed into gooseberries. Vanilla pop corncereal. On the palate, it is very easy drinkable. Vanilla, oranges, lemon peel. Sulphuric super pleasant. Homemade toffee. Aftertaste is where the peat is. Earthy, peaty  Sugary. peppery and Ashy. Overall, this was a very fruity and sweet dram, fairly peaty in the finish. I really liked it but it wasn't as impressive as some other releases from this distillery. My score for this one is 84 over 100.

What is not to love about Kilchoman. Even an average one is better than a lot of whisky. The calvados influence isn’t very strong. However the core of this pour is excellent. Great bottle and clearly Kilchoman. I’m not disappointed but would have loved a touch more apple.