An LMDW exclusive

Family Cask Collection Bourbon Barrel Single Cask Selected by Anthony Wills

The Kilchoman distillery opened in June 2005 and the first barrel was filled on 15 December of the same year. Produced from malted barley (50 ppm) from the Port Ellen maltings, this 14-year-old version distilled on 20 April 2006 takes us back to the beginnings of a history already rich in remarkable bottlings. Gracefully and honourably, it also pays tribute to Anthony Wills, the distillery founder. There is not a single wrinkle in the particularly inspired and expressive palette of aromas and flavours, quite the contrary. Over the tasting, a peat with all its wits about it remains firmly in centre-stage whilst allowing the expression of superb spicy, fruity and rustic notes. If we had to describe this Kilchoman in just two words they would be resplendent maturity.
Profile: the unctuous first nose stages an oily (smoked fish) and empyreumatic (diesel) peat. Allowed to breathe, sleet and candied fruit (pear) appear alongside medicinal (camphor), earthy and tertiary (fallen leaves) notes. The powerful attack sees blocks of peat crash against the palate. On the mid-palate, flavours of straw, citrus fruit (lemon) and smoke pay witness to the maturity of the flavour palette. The unctuous start of the finish is peaty, chocolate and salty. Red fruit (strawberry) and dried fruit (date) nuance the tasting. On the retro-nasal olfaction, smoke rings escape from a Havana cigar.