Kilchoman Fino Sherry Matured (2020 Edition)

Odeur : bacon fumé

Whisky Tasting : The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 14 January 2021. Whisky #5 Nose: The initial impression is of a crisp, fresh coastal spirit with an aroma of olives in brine and a restrained smoky note. Further nosing reveals delicate fruit (citrus and tropical) and unusual aromas of moss, damp earth, mustard and also (bizarrely) burning electrical cables and hot metal. I can only imagine that it is the combination of the fino sherry cask and peat smoke that reminded me of soldering phenol-resin turret boards. Palate: Considerably smokier on the palate than the nose – a tarry, earthy type of peat smoke from the first moment of arrival. It’s more briny and drier than other smoky Kilchoman expressions. Tropical fruit in the development with salted lemon, bitter walnuts, mild chilli, olive oil, coffee and cocoa powder. The texture is good, but not remarkable. Finish: Medium/long. Smoky, citric, bitter and briny. The dry, astringent walnut skin character of fino sherry is most noticeable here. This whisky has a dry, austere, winey profile which makes it hard for me to review as I do not like that style. Fino sherry has never appealed to me (oh, how terribly unsophisticated I am) and I make no apologies for having a sweet-tooth. Give me a big syrupy PX sherry any day. This is very well made (well, it’s Kilchoman after all) and I’m sure it will appeal to many palates … just not mine. As far as my personal taste is concerned I’d only rate this at 74/100 but I’m giving it a high rating here because it is a highly characterful and interesting experience, just not one I would seek out. Also, I thought it was much better when taken neat. Water brings out the dry qualities to a degree where I was unable to finish my tasting glass. I would strongly recommend a trial pour of this before buying, if possible, as it is a polarising profile and at the asking price you’d want to be sure you really desired a whole bottle. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

This is Kilchoman’s newest offering, their first fully fino sherry matured. I don’t think I’ve had many fino matured whiskeys , and I’m no sherry expert. But a quick google on fino sherry shows that it’s one of the sweeter variants, and strong tastes of almonds. I’m expecting the sweetness somewhere between oloroso and PX I guess, and I’d imagine the Islay character to match well against it. So...about 14k bottles of this. To me, that’s not “limited” despite the marketing tag. I only bought a sample though...had no interest in a full bottle. What surprised me the most immediately is the color. It’s pale yellow...so, maybe the casks weren’t as active? The nose is immediately bonfires and smoke. Taste is really well balanced—-you get the campfire but then followed by a dry-smoky sweetness. It’s not overly sweet, thankfully, but the sweetness is there, just plays second fiddle to the smoke. If you like your Islays sweeter, this may not be for you. But if you like the upfront smoke, with a bit of almond-y sweetness, this is worth the attention. I think I bottle is about $60-70. For that price, it’s worth it.