Telex
Kilchoman Red Wine Cask Matured (2017 Edition)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
January 27, 2018 (edited October 21, 2024)
I'm in love! Nothing but adoration for this dram. The nose brings fantastic peat, pork belly, bacon, caramel, fat sizzling on a wood stove. The Douro Valley cask is very nicely present here. Floral properties like roses show up in time. Coastal brine and a sweet tomato too.... Wow! The palate brings smoked barbecue, balanced with the sweetness and a lot of peat remains. Even at 50%ABV, it's not hot. A couple drops of water on it will not kill it either. Reminiscent of a Lagavulin 16 blended with a Glendronach 15. I don't know what Kilchoman is doing to make a younger whisky taste like this, but kudos to them. I have to give it a 4.75. This finish is long and has sherry notes, woody tones, earthy peat and campfire. The theme of this dram is "Magic" by The Cars. What a classic!
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Ah it was a great drop. I hadn't bought a bottle for months but this and the Hazelburn broke me. So good and so limited....have to have it! To echo something LeeE said a while back you get to a point and try so much so many distilleries you start to realise there are really just a handful you really love and you need to focus on. The criteria I have is simple for my top 10...Do I get really excited when they release something and have to try it? I've tried 80+ and there are several in a couple of tiers which fit the category I reckon.
Looking forward to trying this in our next round. Was holding off buying it till I tasted it. Well, that plus the new rules in our household
Great review, @Telex. Making me excited for round 5