Sampling Kilchoman’s 2018 Limited Editions: PART 2 – The Loch Gorm!

Kilchoman 2018 Port Matured and Loch Gorm Limited Editions

Kilchoman Launch 2018 Loch Gorm and Port Matured Limited Editions

Kilchoman have released their first limited editions of the year! They are 2018 editions of Loch Gorm and Port Cask Matured that became available worldwide on the 23rd of April. Traditionally the spring has seen the Islay distillery release their 100% Islay and Loch Gorm expressions, however this year sees the iconic 100% Islay moved to an autumn release with the much-anticipated Port Cask Matured taking its place.

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes: Kilchoman – Loch Gorm 2018 Edition (46%)

Colour: Pale sherry.

Nose: Smokey peat, orange, red apple and rich fruit cake spiciness.

Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, spicy, fruity, sweet vanilla topped off with a slight peat.

Finish: Punchy spice with a creamy vanilla, hint of tropical fruits, smoke and dry tobacco in a long finish.

Overall: A sweeter dram than the Port Cask Matured but full of rich flavours and aromas. My personal favourite of the two new releases!

You can catch up on what I thought of the Kilchoman Port Cask Matured – 2018 Edition (50%) here.

Kilchoman produces a portion of its whisky from barley grown on site

This will be the second Port Cask Matured expression released by Kilchoman, the first, launched in 2014 being one of the most talked about Kilchoman releases in the distillery’s thirteen-year history.

The 2018 edition is a vatting of thirty ruby port hogsheads filled in 2014, yielding a total of 10,000 bottles. The distillery’s commitment to full term maturation has continued, with the decision to age only in port casks rather than using such barrels for finishing, this gives the whisky an added dimension, with layers of red fruits, creamy vanilla and floral sweetness that flood in with the intensity expected of a 50% abv bottling strength.

Released alongside the Port Cask Matured is the well-established Loch Gorm release, the exclusively sherry matured limited edition has been a feature of the Kilchoman range since 2012. The 2018 release of 15,000 bottles is made up of nineteen oloroso sherry butts filled in 2007, 2008 and 2011, containing some of the oldest sherry casks ever filled at Kilchoman.

The Loch Gorm is the only global release from Kilchoman that is matured solely in sherry casks, with its combination of rich sherry notes, cooked fruits and subtle Islay peat, it’s not surprising that this is one of the distilleries best-selling single malts.

Both the Port Cask Matured and The Loch Gorm have peating levels of 50 ppm.

Historically our port and sherry matured releases have received a very positive response from the whisky community, I think the 2018 editions are probably the best versions of these expressions we’ve released to date so I’m excited to see the how these latest editions are received.
– Anthony Wills: Kilchoman Founder and Managing Director

Founded in 2005, Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland and was the first distillery to be built on Islay for 125 years. Kilchoman, the only independently owned Islay distillery is most famous as the only distillery to produce a portion of its whisky from barley grown on site, completing all stages of the whisky-making process themselves using traditional farm distillery methods.

Since the first bottling was released in 2009, Kilchoman has quickly established itself as a high-quality Islay Single Malt Whisky with these notable awards:

Kilchoman’s exceptional quality was recognised at the prestigious International Whisky Competition (IWC) when Anthony Wills was named Master Distiller of the Year 2013.
In 2016 both core expressions won major awards with Sanaig named Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky – no age statement at the IWSC and Machir Bay came awarded Best Islay Single Malt Scotch in the International Whisky Competition.
In 2017 the distillery’s flagship expression, Machir Bay, was named Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year 2017 as well as a rum matured single cask winning Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, Single Cask of the Year 2017

The Kilchoman Port Cask Matured – 2018 Edition will retail for approximately £85.00.

The Kilchoman – Loch Gorm 2018 Edition will retail for approximately £70.00.

These drams will sell out fast!
“As usual be quick,
because Kilchoman on the shelf,
they do not stick!”

Many thanks to Kilchoman (@Kilchoman05) for the samples!

Kilchoman is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-