.kilchoman - sherry cask release

46% abv, €65, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: earth, warm, sweet, honey, a hint of smoke, fruit, apples, pear
Palate: dry, sweet, honey, smoke, red fruits, liquorish, spicy, white pepper
Finish: dry, smoke, sweet, liquorish, more smoke, long
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: I liked it, but... she is rather young and the smoke has a dominant role on especially the palate and finish. Only a whiff is noticeable on the nose, making the surprise bigger when you have your first sip.

Unsurprisingly, the stock of this 6000 bottles is long gone. Kilchoman is still going strong though, and they have released new series of whiskies, most in small batches, slowly building their portfolio to a distillery to take into account in the future.

More info from the website: "The Sherry Cask Release is a limited bottling of 6,000 worldwide and is a vatting of 5 year old sherry casks at 46%. This is the first release to have our smart new 'Sherry Cask' packaging."

The Sherry Cask Release has been rebranded into Loch Gorm, "named after a famously peaty loch at the end of the Kilchoman drive, Loch Gorm is the only fully ex-sherry cask matured release from Kilchoman. As with other ranges in our portfolio, Loch Gorm will be periodically re-released as a more mature expression. Each bottling will be differentiated by distillation and bottling years printed on the label. Loch Gorm combines rich sherry fruits and spices with smouldering peat, cloves and lingering sweetness."

From the one sip of the 2013 Loch Gorm I have tasted, she has matured greatly in a short period. This first release was very good, but I am looking forward to have a go at future releases.