Kilchoman Summer 2010 Release

This is my first review on this site, so here goes nothing...

Kilchoman is the newest distillery on the isle of Islay, if not the newest in all of Scotland. The Summer 2010 release is aged about 3 years 6 months, which needless to say is very young for a single malt. It is aged entirely in refill bourbon oak, bottled without added colour or chill filtration. I am drinking it with a bit of water.

The nose offer lots and lots of dry, ashy peat smoke. There is not a ton of complexity but there is a sweetness to it, reminiscent of vanilla. I don't get any of the tropical fruits promised on the box, but there is a sweetness almost like baby powder (not overpowering). It is not a layer of sweetness beneath the peat; rather, it is like the peat itself is sweet, if that makes sense to you.

The flavour is intensely smoky. There is a mouth-tingling sweetness like strong black licorice. Sometimes the peat overpowers my mouth, while other times the strength of the flavour is welcome.

The finish...well, I don't need to tell you that the peat lasts a long, long time after swallowing.

Overall it is a pretty good whisky, especially if you like peat. It has a rough edge to it due to its age (or lack thereof). I would recommend it if you can find it on sale (it went for $35 in Ontario by some miracle). At full price you might be better off with Laphroaig or something older.

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