Review by: The Muskox

Kilchoman single casks with double-digit ages? Man, we’re all getting old. This one was picked by Calgary’s Kensington Wine Market.

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Distillery: Kilchoman.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 55.7%, cask strength.

Age: 12 years old. Distilled on 07/10/2008. Bottled on 08/03/2020.

Cask type: Cask #338, Bourbon Barrel.

Price: $195 CAD at Kensington Wine Market in Calgary.

Color: Light gold. No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

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Nose: Fairly acrid pickled smoke. Grilled lobsters. Pickled hot peppers, wet hay, and iodine. Hints of salted licorice and unsweetened chocolate. Mixed citrus peels and rock-hard nectarines. Pralines. A bit of a mineral-y white wine type character.

Palate: Medium texture. Much mellower here – arrives very citrusy with pomelo, lime, drizzled honey, and more pralines. Develops surprisingly gently into flaming twigs, mossy boulders, and clayey basement. Richer caramel here, and some cooked-veg notes.

Finish: Medium-short. Lingering earthy smoke, iodine, and root vegetables. Pomelo and basil. Lightly mineral.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Pinchy would have wanted it this way”

Notes: Pretty good, but a letdown. The nose is complex and nicely seafood-y, but has this acrid character I usually only get in very young Kilchomans. There’s much less of a punch on the palate, and the finish is oddly flat too. Could this be a sample storage issue? The cap on this Boston Round has a paper seal rather than a polycone…

Don’t get me wrong – this is a good whisky. It just falls below the standard set by other single-cask Kilchoman, to say nothing of its age.

Final Score: 80.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.