Kilchoman tasting evening at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, June 25th 2019: Whisky #5 Nose: The port note is instantly detectable with red berries and grapes clearly apparent along with rose-water and hibiscus tea. The Kilchoman distillate character is there but obscured by the sweet cask influence. As it sits and rests an earthy peat smoke develops along with a tinge of orange. Palate: Sweet, fruity and spicy arrival – dark honey, strawberry, cherry, plum, red grape, cinnamon (very faint), Turkish delight. The sweetness continues to build as it develops, with the focus squarely on the cask. It is balanced (but see below) and rounded with a spicy tang. Very supple and satisfying texture. Finish: Medium. Raisin fruitcake aftertaste with a little spicy smoke. Although I said the palate is balanced this needs more explanation because there are two clearly defined layers at work in this whisky. The foundation distillate (which is balanced and satisfying in its own right) and the very sweet and fulsome cask influence. Smoky whisky can work well with a hefty PX, port or sweet wine influence and when these elements all integrate you get something that is greater than the sum of the parts. However if the two components of distillate and cask don’t cooperate so well you are left with two easily distinguishable, and often competing, layers. That’s the case here. This does not necessarily produce bad whisky, but it is idiosyncratic. For those who have a sweet tooth and enjoy sherry-bombs or a heavily fruity finish to their whisky this could be just the thing. On the other hand if you prefer a dry profile or a balance between sweet and savory influences the whisky will seem unbalanced and over-sweet. Water does bring out more distillate floral notes on the nose. It also melds the palate a little and brings out a tiny hint of licorice, which for me was an improvement. One thing the port layer does do well here is modulate the smoke and keep it as a more subtle background note. I enjoyed tasting it, but it was too sweet for my palate and it's not a whisky I’d bother to buy. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)