Review #233 - Kilchoman Loch Gorm (2022)
Sherry and peat - a match made in heaven for a lot of us. This single malt from Kilchoman goes all in with heavy peat and sherry maturation - it's around 50 ppm on the barley for smokiness, and full sherry maturation for the casks. We should be in for a treat, as long as the quality is there.
The casks used for this release came from Bodega Jose y Miguel Martin, where they were used to age Oloroso sherry. It's a mix of first fill and refill casks, and while this release isn't age stated, the fine print on their website describes that the whisky aged for at least 8 years in these sherry casks. In fact, they give us vintages for each of the casks, some really interesting information:
2007 - 1 cask (theoretically around 14-15 years old)
2008 - 2 casks (13-14 years old)
2009 - 2 casks (12-13 years old)
2011 - 1 cask (10-11 years old)
2012 - 7 casks (9-10 years old)
2013 - 9 casks (8-9 years old)
Some nice age in the blend of casks, then, so there could be a few mature flavors, despite 8 to 10 year old whisky making up the bulk of the liquid.
Kilchoman always gives us quality presentation - no chill filtration, no added caramel coloring, and a 46% ABV bottling strength.
Kilchoman Loch Gorm (2022)
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 100 (2022)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 115 (2024)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: 20 first fill and 2 refill ex-Oloroso sherry butts
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; 2022 release, 17,250 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 15 months; bottles at 100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Barbecue in a glass - salty, saucy meat, medium to strong peat smoke, hints of balsamic. Plentiful fruit: torched lemon rind, candy orange slices, hints of plum and stone fruit, too. There's a soft mossy and medicinal character in the background, with hints of burning rubber and char. Later, more fruit: cranberries, pomegranate, and lime.
Palate: Tangy and tingling, with a nice mix of sweet and sour. The mouthfeel is medium; there's relatively strong peat smoke, with some dry oak and spices of peppercorns and red pepper flakes. Orange fruit is strong, while hints of tart stone fruit linger behind; a nice ashy, charcoal flavor as well, with more salt.
Finish: Medium-long, smoky for a while, but there's this brittle, ashy character to the peat. Orange fruit, even orange soda, adds sweetness, while lots of char, balsamic, medicinal notes, and drying wood add a more bitter side. At the end, it's like tasting those charred food remains on the grate of a barbecue grill.
Final Note: This must be one of the most mature-tasting bottlings we've tried from Kilchoman - the older casks in the mix really do add a nice oak element along with the rich fruity character from the sherry. Great flavors, and while the 46% ABV is nice, we wouldn't mind seeing that bumped up just a little bit for more flavor delivery.
Value is fine - about average, but this bottling is making its way into pricy territory, especially with the most recent releases in 2022 and 2023. With Kilchoman choosing to go with a seriously premium pricing strategy for their recent 16 year old release, will we see that status trickle down to these other bottlings in the coming years? Only time will tell, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see these limited release Kilchomans slipping from a value perspective.
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: 6.23
