Kilchoman Distillery, the newest of the Islay distilleries, by over 120 years is a farm/distillery and its aim from the beginning was to grow their own barley, malt it in traditional floor maltings, distill, age and bottle on the premises. They have just bottled their first Inaugural 100% Islay bottling, meaning they used only barley grown on their farm on Islay.

In general, their maltings produce about 30% of their grain needs; the rest is sourced from Port Ellen maltings in Islay, but in this case it is 100% grown and malted on premises.

Of all the Islay distilleries, only Bruichladdich and Kilchoman (pronounced, kil HO men) bottle on premises, so the water used to cut the whisky from cask strength to bottling strength is the same peaty Islay water used to distill the spirit. All other distilleries on Islay, bottle on the mainland using mainland water sources.

Kilchoman has won several awards. Their Kilchoman Spring 2011 Release won a Gold (Best in Class) award at the 2011 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) (Category: single malt, Islay, no age stated). The IWSC is a blind tasting done by a large panel of judges. John Hansell of Whisky Advocate, formerly Malt Advocate gave that same dram an 89. My review gave a BUMS rating of 90-95.

Kilchoman Inaugural 100% Islay Release, 50% ABV, about $100, is their most recent general release bottling although there have been a few single cask bottlings, bottled for and available from specific whisky retail shops.  Only 780 bottles of the new 100% Islay Release are available in the US.

For this bottling all the barley was grown and malted at the farm/distillery as well as being distilled, aged and bottled on premises. This whisky was aged in fresh and refill Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels for over three years.

Distillery notes are:

Color: Light golden

Nose: soft peaty aromas and a blend of citrus, lemon and pear drops.

Palate: An initial sweetness is followed by soft peat smoke and the mixed fruits.

Finish: Long and clean leaving hints of peat smoke and mixed fruits.

BUMS tasting notes:

Nose: Light smokiness followed by white grape fruitiness, lemon and a whiff of bacon

Taste: Juicy sweetness, smoky vanilla, oily, slightly malty and a bit of charred meat

Finish: Lingering citrus tartness and almonds

Rating: 80-85

Lucas, on the Edinburgh Whisky Blog, has this to say regarding the 100% Islay, “If you like Ardbeg and Caol Ila, you are likely to appreciate Kilchoman. It lives in the same cluster of citrusy, marzipany freshness with heaps of smoke on top. It doesn’t quite have the punch of Ardbeg or the balance and clarity of Caol Ila but that’s not the point. It is great in it’s own way and it sits comfortably between the two giants it is often compared to. This particular expression shows deep smokiness and mineral complexity which I love.”

Gavin D. Smith and Tom Cannavan of the Whisky-Pages website, have these notes, “Lots of brine, peat smoke and overt citrus notes on the nose. Lemon pith and beach bonfires. Sweet, fruit notes on the early palate, then Germolene [UK antiseptic ointment with high phenolic content] and ashy peat. Relatively lengthy in the finish, with smouldering peat to the very end.” They rate it 3 1/2 stars out of 5, which puts it between good and excellent, by their rating system.

John Hansell of Whisky Advocate, formerly Malt Advocate, has this to say about the 100% Islay Release, “I’ve tried it and must admit that–as cool as this bottling is with the “all Islay” theme–it’s my least favorite of the Kilchoman releases here in the U.S. It just taste[s] too young and immature to me, which is atypical for Kilchoman. Their 3-4 year old whiskies usually tastes [sic] a few years older than they really are. My advice: go and get a bottle of the Spring 2011 bottling if you can find one. That’s my favorite of the releases so far.”

I disagree that it tastes too young, but for me, I miss the depth that the additional age and sherry cask finishing added to the Spring 2011 Release.

Kilchoman is imported exclusively in the US by Impex Beverages. Impex recently became the exclusive importer for the Isle of Arran whiskies and also bring us the tasty Smokehead single malt, Isle of Skye blends and the Chieftain’s single cask bottlings.

Other Media on the Kilchoman Inaugural 100% Islay Release:

http://www.thewhiskywire.com/2011/07/kilchoman-100-islay-youthful-yummy.html

http://whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-releases-kilchoman-100-islay.html

http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2011/06/22/kilchoman-90-islay-10-magic/

http://www.whisky-pages.com/notes/distillery.php?id=kilk

http://www.dramming.com/2011/06/20/kilchoman-tightens-the-screw-with-their-100-islay-whisky/