Kilchoman is surfing the wave of exclusive single cask bottlings. There has been cask #232 for La Maison du Whisky, #154 for The Whisky Show, #120, #211 and recently #252 for The Netherlands… A quick look at Whiskybase tells us they’ve released at least 50 expressions already!
This single cask was bottled for the Belgian whisky festival Spirits of the Sea. It was distilled on the 10th of October 2007 and bottled on the 14th of October 2010, perfectly timed to call it whisky.
Kilchoman 3 yo 2007
(62,4%, OB 2010, bourbon cask #334)
Kilchoman 3 yo 2007Nose: starts peaty and sweet with remarkable notes of olive juice and mild green chilli pepper. Quite oily as well. None of the synthetic sweetness that we disliked in earlier Kilchoman. Water brings out ashes and walnuts.
Mouth: hugely peaty and smokey with a citrus sweetness and big briney notes. Salt water. Olives again. Water highlights the smoke again. Like a concentrated Laphroaig.
Finish: long, half sweet, half briney with a few hints of dark smoked tea. Ashes.
This is one of the best releases I’ve tasted from Kilchoman. It’s also one of the first to hide its age. I would say they’re on their way to success if not for the price: around € 75 seems to be a standard price for recent single casks.
Score: 85/100
ps/ Even though the original price was very heavy already, soon after the festival it was being offered on different websites for € 149 and € 170. You have to be out of your mind to pay such prices. It’s not worth it and I seriously doubt it will become a valuable collectors item if so many are dumped on the market and collected by so many people.