Kilchoman Vintage 2007

Rating: 13/23 N: After a few minutes of air, this is fairly rich for roasty-toasty core, smoke oozing around it, and bits of spice like chicken roasted with plenty of black pepper and maybe a touch of cayenne. There's some slightly decaying grass as well, a bit of saltiness, a very slight tartness, and sort of a light chocolate scent that makes me think of peat. In one moment, I got a burst of tangerine, but it seems to have been a fluke. P: Less full than the nose lead me to believe. Still, fairly rich with malty and watery sweetness leading into woody mustiness. Some sweet pear as well and maybe I can convince myself that that hint of tangerine I got from the nose is real. There is a tad of nice complexity and maturity as the wood and air in this have transformed it in different ways from Kilchoman Comriach #3. There's a big prickly, spicy wall of baking spices. It's a tall wall, but it isn't thick. This doesn't have lots of herbal or vegetal notes, though they are present, with the vegetal being a bit more forward. Smoke is certainly here as well - moreso than in Kilchoman Machir Bay. There's some peat here too with definite iodine. The maturity and balance here give a good sense of how Kilchoman will age in the future. Though it seems that the underlying distillate may prove to be a bit mild. I get a bit of moldy cardboard as well, which is a flavor I haven't found in a while, but it works OK here. F: A layer of smoke with sweetness and faint malt and roasty flavors. This really flattens out, though some spice with a little bit of earthiness and just a touch of chocolate saves it. from being totally flat. - Conclusion - I like this, but I feel like the distillate is too mild to be aged much further. The whole thing is starting to flatten out. Laphroaig 10 strikes me as richer and more sophisticated than this is. Perhaps (perhaps) this comes across as more mature, but not in a more flattering way than a spirit that seems more mature because it has been over-oaked. This is much lighter in character than the Laphroaig as well, despite being slightly higher proof. To that extent, I suppose this reminds me of Copper Fox Rye. Would I take this over Kilchoman Machir Bay 2020 (11/23)? Yes. By a long shot? No. Does this beat Highland Park 12 (12/23)? Well, this is less flawed, but it's also less interesting. This is a tougher call because even on a fresh palate this loses most of its character fairly quickly. What about Compass Box Glasgow Blend (14/23)? I think I'd take the Glasgow over this because it has some more interesting flavors that stand out. This does have some more maturity to it, but the flavor is just too bland. It is close though, so this is going to get a 13.

Delicious peat and subtle pear

Good