After what has been an extremely extended hiatus, I’m back!

In truth, I hadn’t planned on returning to blogging for a while and thought that it was best to utilise the time to concentrate on my business.

However, fate has a way of bringing things back into focus and this return to blogging has definitely been influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic which has been wreaking havoc across the planet.

Therefore, I thought that the time was right to announce my return with a blog post and this week’s review focuses on an expression from Kilchoman!

This Kilchoman was distilled in 2007, matured in a single bourbon cask (#145) owned by Patrick B for 12 year before being bottled at a cask strength abv of 54.6% in June 2019.

So, let’s dive right into the review!

Kilchoman 2007 12 Years Old Single Bourbon Cask (54.6% abv)

Colour: Bright gold

Nose: Initial entry presents hints of oak, malt, green leaves, smouldering peat, citrus and sea salt. With time, hints of grilled pineapple, creosote, white wine, cinnamon and nutmeg emerge. (21/25)

Palate: Initial entry presents sweet malt, smouldering peat and a fair bit of alcohol followed by sea salt, lime, white wine, nutmeg and oak. With time, the cinnamon and grilled pineapple emerge and the green leaves evolve into green tea. (23/25)

Finish: Long and lingering finish, with the peat, grilled pineapple, lime, oak, sea salt and nutmeg well in control alongside some cracked black pepper and green tea notes. Gets rather drying towards the end, but the fruity nature never fades. (23/25)

Balance: A rather well-balanced dram which takes a while to get going, but rewards the drinker when given enough time in the glass. The grilled pineapple and lime hints intermingle very well with the peat and wood spice notes. (22/25)

Rating: 89/100

I very much enjoyed this expression and it is a testament to what happens when a great distillate meets a great cask. There’s a very Ardbeg-esque note to this, which shouldn’t be surprising considering that the distillery purchases the same malt specification as Ardbeg from Port Ellen maltings facility.

This expression is available in very limited quantities through select individuals and I purchased it via a friend (thanks Danny) who helped to facilitate the purchase and delivery to Singapore.

If you’re in Singapore, please definitely give this expression a try and it can be sampled at The Swan Song when it reopens after the current lockdown ends.

Until the next review, have a wonderful week ahead.

Slainte!

Brendan

Facebook: https://facebook.com/WhiskyMate 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWhiskyMate 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/WhiskyMate

More reviews: https://www.thesinglecask.sg/blog-1