Kilchoman Masterclass at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, June 25th 2019: Whisky #4 Nose: Less floral than the bourbon-wood matured Kilchomans, this nose has dark fruits balanced by a well-rounded and spicy bonfire peat-reek with a hint of cigar smoke. There are rich nutty aromas, raisins and chocolate all presenting facets of oloroso sherry. There is an earthiness to the nose, but the 2018 bottling is less maritime than it has been in the past – the bonfire has been moved from the beach to the farmyard. Palate: Rich, smooth, full and rounded arrival with good balance between the key elements. Warm smoke, pipe tobacco, dark cherries, hazelnuts, dark chocolate and raisins – almost like a wood-smoked fruit ‘n nut chocolate bar! A reminiscence of fruitcake. It has a good depth of palate with different notes emerging over time and the texture is luscious and slightly oily. Finish: Medium/long. Smoke and chocolate notes trail into a mouth-watering aftertaste and there are little hints of oloroso sherry and hot spices until the very end. Water makes very little difference to the nose but brings out quite a bit of spice on the palate – clove, black pepper and cayenne all make an appearance. It does, however, thin the texture and the whisky loses overall from dilution. Take this one neat. A rounded and well-integrated whisky, this Loch Gorm is slightly different to prior releases. Most notably it has only a trace of maritime character, but it also seems to have less presence in general than in previous years. However, you could justifiably say that it has gained subtlety, and it is still worth the price of admission. I’m giving this expression a one percentage point lower rating than I gave the 2017 Loch Gorm (which was truly “excellent” at 88/100) but I also think it deserves considerably more than the poor score of 79 given by Distiller - but that’s just my opinion. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)