The Kilchoman 20th Anniversary Cask Series!
20 casks to celebrate 20 years of Kilchoman!
Casks that epitomize the unique flavour profile of Kilchoman and chracterise two decades of commitment to craft.
To mark those 20 years there are four releases in the series, each a vatting of five specially selected casks, highlighting the two distinct sides of Kilchoman’s unique character; ex-bourbon and ex-sherry maturation.
The ex-bourbon releases are defined by salty peat smoke and bright citrus sweetness. In contrast, the darker-hued ex-sherry releases offer a richer profile, with notes of dried fruits, BBQ smoke, and mixed spices.
Selected by Kilchoman Founder, Anthony Wills, these casks are a testament to him and his team’s skill, dedication, and perseverance.
It has been a journey, not always smooth, but immensely fulfilling!
– Anthony Wills: Kilchoman Founder
These whiskies sold out VERY quickly and so might be hard to get hold of, apart from the secondary sales market (auction sites etc.) and they’ll be at a premium price. But if you are lucky enough to acquire one, I think you won’t be disappointed!
Kilchoman kindly sent me some sample to try. (Thanks kilchomandistillery.com / @Kilchomanwhisky!)
If you are lucky enough to acquire one, I think you won’t be disappointed!
So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …
Tasting Notes – Kilchoman 14 Year Old Ex-Bourbon
|
Nose: Smokey, oily peat with hints of orange.
Palate: Deeply smokey and peaty with sweet treacle, peppery chocolate and a little citrus. Overall: A distinguished dram that gets smoother the longer you sip. |
Tasting Notes – Kilchoman 14 Year Old Ex-Sherry
|
Nose: Creamy sherry aromas with buttery fruits, sultanas with faint wisps of thick BBQ sauce.
Palate: Smokey barbecues with sweet, rich, stewed fruits followed by salty pepper. Overall: Very moreish indeed! That combination of sweet sherry and appetite sharpening smoke is hard to beat! |
Tasting Notes – Kilchoman 15 Year Old Ex-Sherry
|
Nose: Stewed fruits, smooth chocolate with hints of peat in the background. warm coffee and sweet toffee.
Palate: Plump fruits bathed in smoke with sweet sherry, sweet chocolate and growing pepper. There’s more smokehouse flavours to follow and a little wisp of menthol! Overall: Very classy indeed |
Tasting Notes – Kilchoman 18 Year Old Ex-Bourbon
|
Nose: Mild smokehouse aromas with a delicate peatiness and sweet fruits.
Palate: Intense smokiness with liquid peat and sweet, stewed fruits that are smooth as silk with additional delicate pepper. Overall: A lovely balanced dram with everything nicely in place. The age rounds off the edges and removes any sharpness – classy and sublime! |
Once again, many thanks to kilchomandistillery.com (@Kilchomanwhisky) for treating my taste-buds!
Kilchoman is available to buy from these Merchants:-
About Kilchoman
Kilchoman is a family run farm distillery based on the rugged west coast of Islay, Scotland. The distillery was established by Anthony Wills in 2005, the idea was to build a new distillery which took whisky production back to its grass roots.
Their 100% Islay range is Islay’s only Single Farm Single Malt Scotch Whisky. It represents the revival of traditional farm distilling – growing barley before malting, distilling, maturing and bottling every bottle of their 100% Islay range on site.
2025 Gold Awards
The 2025 Award Season is now underway and Kilchoman’s Core Range releases and Loch Gorm 2025 have all been awarded Gold medals at the recent International Spirits Challenge 2025.
