Review #216 - Kilchoman 100% Islay 8th Edition (2018)
The premise of Kilchoman's 100% Islay editions revolves around Islay-grown barley - specifically, this is from the distillery's own farm. In fact, they take the self-contained production process a step further - this is grown, malted, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled all at the distillery and its farm. A true barley-to-bottle single malt.
This whisky isn't age stated, but based on the batch information given on the tag, we can surmise that the whisky in the bottle ranges from 5 to 10 years old, based on vintages from 2008 to 2012, and a 2018 bottling year. It is a blend of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, with a heavier emphasis on the bourbon side, which could help highlight the flavor of the peaty base spirit.
Kilchoman 100% Islay 8th Edition (2018)
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 105 (2021)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 120 (2024 - current bottling)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 50% ABV
Cask Makeup: 23 bourbon barrels, 7 Oloroso sherry butts
Details: 8th Edition; 12,000 bottle release; not chill filtered, no color added; distilled between 2008 and 2012; Optic barley variety
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 15 months; bottles at 90%, 80%, 70%, and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Strong peat and funk is the theme. Rich coastal peat, like a barbecue on the beach, and a decent brine influence; farmyard funk, moldy stone fruits like nectarine, and some moss add to the spirit character. Sharper notes comes from lemon and orange citrus, as well as ash in the smoke, but it's balanced by sweeter flavors of cream, custard, and a breadiness. There's a bit more grunge in the spirit, with minerality and machine oil coming later.
Palate: Malty, oily, with a decent amount of sharp flavors: white pepper, black pepper, dry oak, and sharp spirit. The peat level is medium, maybe building up toward strong smokiness, and it comes with a vegetal, damp hay sort of funk. Orange and lemon curd add a fruit aspect, and there's cream soda, anise, a buttery medium mouthfeel, and seaweed all adding more dimensions and texture.
Finish: Medium-long, and the smoke is the flavor that lingers the longest. A bit of sharp lemon, ash, and dry tannins add spice, while lime, sparkling soda, and other green fruits add a balanced sweetness. Later, peach and other stone fruit grow stronger.
Final Note: Very good whisky, which takes a long time to open up. It grew better the longer the bottle was open, but also grew better in each tasting with longer resting time. Given that time, it reveals plenty of complexity, with sweet flavors, spicy flavors, and spirit character all balancing each other.
Not the cheapest whisky in the world - of course, it's a limited release from a relatively new distillery. Because of that, value isn't amazing, but this does deliver lots of flavor, so if you're looking for a more special tasting experience, and you like Kilchoman's style, this isn't a bad pick.
Our Average Rating: 7.4 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.09
