Review #459 - Kilchoman 8 Year Ruby Port Finish - ImpEx Cask Evolution

ImpEx Beverages, a US-based spirits, partners with Kilchoman distillery to bottle a series of single casks, which they've named the 'ImpEx Cask Revolution.' These are Kilchoman single malts that are finished in a variety of barrel types; in the past, we've looked at a tequila cask version, but today, we have a bottle from the series finished in a Ruby Port cask.

Total maturation time for the whisky was a bit more than 8 years; the first 6 years and 10 months (roughly) was spent in a bourbon barrel, before the final year and 4 months was spent in the port cask. That Ruby Port cask might add more red fruit or berry flavors, as opposed to a Tawny Port cask, which generally adds caramel, oak, and nutty flavors.

As usual, this is heavily peated Kilchoman spirit - 50ppm for the peat. This new-age distillery is known for its quality presentation, and this single cask is no exception: we get a natural cask strength of 55.9% ABV, there's no chill filtration, and there's no coloring added.

Kilchoman 8 Year Ruby Port Finish - ImpEx Cask Evolution

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Price Paid: USD 149 (2024)

Current Locally Available Price: USD 149 (2025)

Age Statement: 8 Years

Strength: 55.9% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon barrel, finished for 16 months in a Ruby Port cask

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; cask 203/2013, distilled April 4, 2013; bottled June 8, 2021

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 5 months; bottles at 90%, 80% (blind tasting), 70% (blind tasting), and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Peat is strong - ashy, a little bit musty, even rubbery. Sweetness arrives from a variety of fruit flavors: cranberry sauce, lemon-lime soda, raisins, blood orange, and strawberries; in time, a tropical mango develops, too. Caramel and milk chocolate add more sweetness, but they're balanced by tobacco, slate, and brine.

Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness; medium to strong peat mingles with lots of fruit. There's a slightly ashy, almost cigarette-like side to the smoke; that's balanced by sweetness from raspberries, strawberries, cranberry sauce, and oranges. We also find some milk chocolate flavors here, and in the background, there are hints of charcoal and hot peppers.

Finish: Warming, with plenty of charcoal and peat smoke flavors lingering. There's a little more oak influence in the finish, adding cinnamon and some tannins, but this is still a rounded, sweet whisky overall. Buttery, oily, with lots of chocolate, brown sugar cookies, and malty notes; in the aftertaste, we get orange spiced tea.

Final Note: This is a nice example of peated port cask single malt. Port can sometimes overwhelm a whisky, but in this case, we found that the balance was still quite good - spirity notes of peat, minerals, and peppers were still present, while there were also plenty of fruit and chocolate notes, especially in the palate. This sometimes came across as more of a decadent pour, absolutely packed with flavor.

The prices on these ImpEx single casks from Kilchoman are a bit high - value, then, can't be too high. Still, this is a very good whisky, so value is okay - worth a splurge if you want that decadent peated dessert whisky.

Our Average Rating: 7.9 / 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: 5.94

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.