At the last Bottle Market in Bremen, the limited Vintage 2010 by Kilchoman was one of my favorite drams. I drank it at the booth of Vibrant Stills, who distribute Islay’s farm distillery here in Germany. Though I was deeply impressed by this multi-layered smokester’s clarity and refinement, I missed to take a bottle home. Still, its memory lasted long and strong. One and a half months later, the voice in my head kept whispering: “You still need to buy that bottle, you still need to buy that bottle…”. In early January, I finally gave in to that voice. And I am really thankful for that! After several drams of the Vintage 2010 and I can say with confidence that this is a truly outstanding Islay malt – probably one of the best I had from this distillery! In a most astonishing way, it brings craftmanship, savoriness and complexity together. It fully embraces the unit’s house style, yet it ain’t your usual Kilchoman. It gives you exactly what you expect, yet it also leaves you surprised. It marks – in every regard – a paramount Scotch whisky of sublime make and taste!

by Tobi

Eye: Like the yellow sand on the Machir Bay shore.
Nose: For a coming-of-age Islay malt with a lot of PPM, the Vintage 2010’s nose is surprisingly refined and clean. First off, sizzling twigs and smouldering coals create an elegant smokiness. Then, crisp apples, candied ginger, lemon icing and BBQ’ed papaya add a fruity component. Greasy pork rips ensure a certain heaviness. Finally, mineral and salty fragrances underline the whisky’s maritime heritage.
Palate: If this Kilchoman was a fighter, it would compete in the middleweight category. Taste-wise, it brims with candy apples, sugared grapes and thick honey as well as pistachio cake, walnuts and lemongrass. The peat smoke has a sweet and perfumed character. There is quite a bit of cream and caramel in there, too. And some kind of a peppery bite. Just like the nose, the sweet and smokey palate is also complex, exciting and mouth-watering. I am loving it!
Finish: The finish is lean and long. It has crystalized sugar, rich vanilla, white chocolate, sponge cake and cold ashtrays. There are also all kinds of sweet, meaty fruits – overripe kakis, baked peaches and so on. And last but not least, there is a lot of marzipan.

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Region: Scotland (Islay)
Age: 9yo (2010/2019)
Alc. volume: 48 per cent
Bottle size: 0.7 litres
Price range: ~75.00 Euro
Limitation: 15,000 bottles
More info: http://www.kilchomandistillery.com (Distillery) ; https://www.albaimport.de/ (German Distributor)