Generously_Paul
Kilchoman Red Wine Cask Matured (2017 Edition)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
March 23, 2018 (edited March 31, 2018)
I’m sure many of you have noticed all of the review transfers I’ve been doing over the past few weeks. This has been an effort to try and even out my totals between the two apps I use. I started out on Barreled at least a year before here. I’ve gone about as far as I can but there are some bottles that just don’t exist here yet. Anyways it was all leading up this this review, number 200 when counting on Barreled.
Well ladies and germs, I have now reached the 200 review milestone. For this occasion I have chosen another bonus sample from my friends in the Scottish Distillery Tour group. The Kilchoman red wine cask matured. A NAS from the newest Islay distillery (newest with product on the shelves anyway). It is matured entirely in casks that held red wine from Portugal, but not Port wine. Port wine is fortified with brandy and this wine was not.
Bottled at 50% ABV and it is non chill filtered and natural color of a dark copper. Only around 10,000 bottles were released worldwide.
The nose is a little closed off at first, even after 10 minutes sitting in the glass. Nothing but a little peat and a vague sweetness. I gave it another 5 minutes and the sweet red wines notes started to emerge along with some mint and an earthiness. Light honey and florals. Thick fruity notes follow. Raspberry and blackberry jams and plums. Subtle notes of toffee and chocolate, brown sugar and some maple.
Water brings out some oranges, tangerines and some light tobacco notes. A little more water brings out more florals like lavender and more mint.
The palate has peat, but it’s lighter than I have come to expect from Kilchoman. A dark fruitiness behind that peat. Mixed berry jam, red grapes, a touch of oak and dark chocolate. Red wine notes with a little orange rind. Kind of like a sangria without the rum and added sugar.
Water brings out more sweetness but not more flavors.
A medium bodied mouthfeel, a touch watery but it’s mouth coating and turns dry.
The finish is medium long with a light peat and wine notes and a distant mint.
Pretty good stuff here, but honestly I was expecting a little more. I had to coax the flavors out instead of being smacked in the face with them. Perhaps if this was finished with a strong Oloroso cask it would have given it that extra oomph I was hoping for. Still this is good whisky. $110 good? Maybe. Still, not a bad choice for number 200. 4.25 and another thanks to @Telex for the sample.
Cheers
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I did not see this review last week. Your reviews are always detailed, spot on and informative. Congratulations on 200!
@cascode yeah, sweeter than the Loch Gorm. This is a completely different animal.
@cascode I have not tried the Loch Gorm, but from what I remember of the Sanaig this is sweeter. Sweeter but less robust if that makes sense. Both are great
This sounds like a much sweeter and more wine-driven expression than Sanaig or Loch Gorm - would that be correct? If so, would you rate it at their level?
@Generously_Paul Congratulations on your double century, sir, and a great review as always. Here's to the next 200 (hic!)
Congrats :-).
Congratulations GP. Like Lee, I would like to see another 100 reviews by you, but, hopefully, not in the next two days. :)
Congrats @Generously_Paul as part of our next SDT round, you now qualify for a bonus vial of milk thistle. @LeeEvolved and I have those by the bushel
Congrats on 200, GP! Here’s to another 100, then 100 more, then a liver transplant, then 100 more. Cheers.