Islay's farm distillery Kilchoman is out with two new expressions - a Cognac Cask matured heavily peated expression and a Fino Sherry Cask matured heavily peated expression for their Spring 2023 release!

The Cognac Cask matured expression is the first of its kind for Kilchoman, which had previously only done Cognac cask finishes for its Scotch.

This time 32 ex-Cognac casks from Tonellerie Bossuet in France were selected by Anthony and Robin of the distillery, which was then filled and left to age for at least six years. 

"The Cognac casks selected for this 2023 release allow our fruit-driven, citrus spirit style to balance with that of the Cognac oak. There is a delicate balance to be found when working with Cognac casks; keeping the age of this release at a minimum of six years old ensures the flavours from the spirit and the cask are easily detected, neither dominates,"

- Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder

The expression is a vatting of 32 casks, heavily peated at 50ppm, and bottled at 50% ABV, with a total outturn of 15,100 bottles.

And then we have the Fino Sherry Cask matured expression that follows the popularity of the previous Fino Sherry matured expression in 2020, which was then the first ever release of the style.

Anthony and Robin hand-selected 20 Fino Sherry butts from Bodega Jose y Miguel Martin in Spain, which were filled in 2018. The distillery tells us that that Fino provides Kilchoman's spirit with an "entirely alternative maturation style", as the distillery typically emphasises the use of Oloroso sherry casks, which it uses for the core Sanaig and Loch Gorm expressions.

“The Fino Sherry maturation works incredibly well with our classic Kilchoman character. The 2023 release elevates the fragrant green apple, stewed fruits and sweet citrus while allowing for the unmistakeable Kilchoman peat smoke to linger on the palate. Fino is another example of sherry casks working together, not against, our Kilchoman spirit.”

- Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder

The expression, made of a 20 cask vatting, bottled at 50% ABV, with a total outturn of 15,650 bottles is heavily peated at 50ppm.

Images courtesy of Kilchoman.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team