Category Archives: Islay

Kilchoman Trilogy – Pedro Ximenez Single Cask 58.4%

Posted on by
Reply

Next up in our Kilchoman trilogy was a cask strength whisky matured exclusively in a Pedro Ximenez cask. Unlike the depth of red sherry, this white Spanish grape is dried under the sun to create a thick, dark liquid with raisins and molasses which then is fortified and aged using a solera process.

For whiskies, using either a PX or Oloroso sherry butt produces a distinctive ‘Christmasy’ sweetness with subtle differences. Some suggest a PX cask tends to imbue a whisky more strongly with raisins, gaining  an almost syrupy quality. Whereas Oloroso tends to be rich, spicier plum pudding sweetness. Read on to see what we found with this Kilchoman PX before comparing it with the Oloroso Sherry cask.

Kilchoman PX

Kilchoman Pedro Ximenez Single Cask Trilogy 58.4% (LMDW) 
Single Cask #374 (19.7.2010/31.8.2015), Bottle No 141/261
  • Colour – Much darker than the 1st, clear indication of entering sherry territory
  • Nose – One immediate comment was “It’s like that red hair oil!” (Navratan kesh tel), salty sweet, smoked sweet bacon, stewed fruits, coconut? Cinnamon sweet without the extra spicy zing we sometimes find, lots of sea salt, then caramel popcorn and finally seaweed
  • Palate – Less complex and much more accessible than the 1st whisky. Peat is mild… the sense that you need to ‘pull it out’ rather than being ‘hello! I’m here!’ However better body and much better balanced than the 1st whisky. Think aged balsamic, much more oil and substance, almost chewy or syrupy
  • Finish – Sits there with spice, caramel toffee and an inner curl of peat
  • Water – Doesn’t require it. Some found it killed it.
  • Speculation – Sense of it being more matured than the 1st, sherry elements without being overpowering
  • Mood / setting – This one you could welcome in a bar, not so demanding of careful attention. A lot easier to get acquainted and simply enjoy. One tasters clear favourite!
  • Comments – “Sweet and yummy with some spice!” “A balance of sweet and spice – perfect!”
Here’s what the folks at La Maison du Whisky have to say (translated from French) about this Kilchoman:

The nose opens in a particularly heady whirlwind in which peat and sherry match each other note for note in intensity. A spectacular change of olfactory scene overflowing with fruity and floral aromas. An attack on the palate in which peat takes its leave for a few moments before making a triumphant return. The end of the palate is characterised by the sumptuous influence of the sherry. Peat and smoke join forces in a grand finale that emphasizes the great purity of this distillate. Just a few highlights in experiencing this Kilchoman aged in Pedro Ximenez casks.

Profile: the peat gives way to a note of agave here, grapefruit there, and even mustard seed.

Also in  our Kilchoman Trilogy evening:

We’ve had the pleasure of sampling a few other Kilchoman’s in the past too…

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Kilchoman Trilogy – Bourbon Single Cask 60.5%

Posted on by
Reply

The Kilchoman Trilogy from La Maison du Whisky celebrates the impact of maturing in different casks on the whisky – Bourbon, PX and sherry.

As usual, we tasted blind. However, as it was a trilogy, our host kept the identity of all three whiskies secret until after we sampled the last. First up for our tasting pleasure was the bourbon cask…

Kilchoman Bourbon cask

Kilchoman Bourbon cask

Kilchoman Bourbon Single Cask Trilogy 60.5% (LMDW) 

Single Cask #260 (6.5.2010/31.8.2015) Bottle 194 /267

  • Colour – Bright straw
  • Nose – When first poured, an unmistakable peat which then settled down to reveal sweet fruit, meat like glazed ham and pineapple, a bit vegetal. The smoke softened in a heavy not sharp way, a little sweet medical camphor, almost detol like, then the freshness of green capsicum, a deeper earthy element. Finally after much airing, a sweet basil and mint emerged with sacred ash on the surface and cinnamon candy peaking beneath… when revisited much later, the nose was spicy sweet with sour curd
  • Palate – Sweet, tingly, peat yet a different smoke that your typical Islay, initially sharp it then mellowed without losing its strength and character, a little ‘life buoy soap’ and ‘big red’ cinnamon chewing gum, pepper spice on the lips, tending towards a Punjabi style ’tikka’
  • Finish – Warm and spicy
  • Water – Some thought it was ‘dying’ for water, others not. Those that added found it brought out a bitter chocolate quality, a nice spice to savour. Finally after opening up over time, yeasty baked bread and bacon notes came out!

While clearly cask strength, it was a bit thin and hadn’t yet gathered the oils from the wood, so had the sense of possibly being younger.

As we discussed the possible mood or setting to best enjoy this dram, comments were:

  • Too complex for a bar, more like a special date with someone to test if s/he can appreciate such a whisky. “If you don’t get this whisky, you don’t make the cut for a next date!”
  • Or a more contemplative evening solo, as there is an oddly meditative quality more reminiscent of a temple than night on the town.

Did we appreciate this whisky? Certainly. It was hard not to be captivated by the different elements. This isn’t a friendly neighbourhood whisky. It is a bit more intellectual and requires you to pay attention to understand it.

So what do the folks over at La Maison du Whisky have to say (translated from French) about this Kilchoman whisky?

Particularly sunny, this version aged in bourbon casks perfectly encapsulates the precise and balanced style so characteristic of Kilchoman single malts. While the notes of peat and smoke are omnipresent, they leave their mark with great elegance while setting the tone for things to come. This thoroughly subtle influence enables the whisky to gain in olfactory and gustatory power that is both nuanced and perfectly mastered. A work of art!

Profile: Peat and smoke coated in lemony scents. It becomes increasingly voluptuous (rice pudding, tangerine jam).

Not sure I would describe it as ‘voluptuous’ but it certainly was a good way to kick off our tasting session!

Next up in our Kilchoman Trilogy evening:

From time to time, you can also find other whisky related updates and activities on:

Signatory session take two with cigars!

Posted on by
Reply

Quick before oxidation did too much damage, I wanted to share with the BMC lads a sampling from my earlier Signatory session.

However as whisky gremlins (aka friends and I) got into the Edradour and the Bunnahabhain too, it was clear augmentation would be needed to have sufficient for my sipping companions as we puffed on our cigars, post initial tasting. With this group, tasting is not the end, merely the selection process to settle down to savour a further dram or two with a cigar, some nibbles and convivial conversation.

2016-02-19 Oak League1

So what did I do? First began with what our merry malt men had to say about the whiskies…

We kicked off with the Speyside – Glenburgie 18 year (13 June 1995 / 20 Feb 2014) Cask No 6451, 391 bottles 46%.

  • Nose – Flowers, perfume, summer meadow
  • Palate – Surprisingly robust
  • Finish – Spice
  • Water – Adds ‘wood’ brought out vanilla and moss
  • Overall – Light bright and sprightly

Then followed up with the Islay – Bunnahabhain 26 years (6 June 1988 / 7 Aug 2014) Cask No 1874, 175 bottles 48.6%.

  • Nose – Varnish, lots of esters, pineapple, a flick of mint?
  • Palate – Smooth, a bit oily, tart granny apples…
  • Finish – Sits… very dry, black pepper
  • Water – Spicier, less acidic, brings out the peppers and even a medicinal quality on the nose. Then was that gasoline??
  • Overall – One commented the whisky made his lips numb! Certainly not a favourite (and yet the bottle was empty by the end of the evening… Oh the sacrifices these gentlemen will make!)

Closing our Signatory trio in the Highland‘s with the Edradour 10 year (2 Nov 2004/26 Mar 2015) Cask No 406, Bottle 440 46%

  • Nose – Very chocolaty, vanilla, prunes, fig newton, varnish, rum raisin
  • Palate – Very smooth, little pepper, lime?
  • Finish – Not long but rather pleasant
  • Water – Softens, mellows it out and makes it even sweeter
  • Overall – The kind of whisky to sip in a comfy chair, very palatable, well balanced and well rounded

Having tried all three before, I found the Edradour stood up best after being opened. Alas the Glenburgie had clearly lost some of its earlier nuances. And the Bunnahabhain? Let’s just say it is not one to sit in a bottle. The most expensive of the trio was also the most disappointing.

But what to sip with our cigars?

One already has clear sherry preferences. For him, he likes his whiskies robust and full of flavour. Aberlour just so happens to be a personal favourite, so it was only natural to introduce him to the gorgeous A’bunadh Batch 35.

For another, we earlier spoke of enjoying a good Irish dram – when in the mood for something a little simpler and sociable. He’d sampled Tyrconnel before – even has a bottle at home – however had yet to try the Madeira finish.

Now, another member knows his stuff and nothing less than a complex, nuanced and very special dram will do! I knew what remained in my whisky cabinet would not meet such standards. Closest was a few remaining rare Japanese whiskies yet only a single dram left – clearly insufficient to support a good cigar. So the Signatory trio would simply have to do.

And the last? I still haven’t pegged his preference beyond a desire to try something ‘different’. So added an unpeated Paul John Classic into the mix.

My experience pairing with the cigar? I initially thought the Edradour with its rich sherry notes would pair best with my robusto. Imagine my surprise to discover the delicate Glenburgie held its own.

Slainthe!

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Kilchoman Trilogy – Sherry, PX and Bourbon

Posted on by
Reply

Patience is a virtue… and I’ve been rather impatient!

Back in December 2015 I picked this Kilchoman Trilogy up for another member of our Whisky tasting group… And I have been waiting, waiting, waiting ever since to sample!!

Kilchoman Trilogy

It was made teasingly even more excruciating when one of the trilogy (Sherry) made an appearance at last month’s fabulous peat and smoke pairing experience.

All three bottles are a La Maison du Whisky world exclusive and were picked up from their Singapore store.

As usual, we tasted blind. As I was the ‘purveyor’ of these cask strength lovelies from Singapore, I knew overall what I was ‘in’ for, however only our host knew which expression we tasted.

Naturally our host didn’t do something so simple as merely share the whiskies for our sampling pleasure…. Nope! He planned a marvellous 6 course meal at the home of a Mumbai culinary celebrity and sommelier!

What whiskies made up this Kilchoman Trilogy?

Plus a post with drool worthy descriptions of our delectable pairing delights!

We’ve had the pleasure of sampling a few other Kilchomans….

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Kilchoman peat pairing dinner!

Posted on by
Reply

To say it was a special evening was an understatement! We began with three whiskies from Kilchoman having exactly the same peat level (50 ppm) yet each remarkably different.

Then after the initial blind sampling, the whiskies were revealed then move on to the real fun – whisky & food pairing!

KilchomanPeat2

1st course – Machir Bay

Machir Bay with salad:  A delightful salad with smoked cheese, smoked olive oil, smoked almond, smoked salt, light greens offset with bursts of cherry tomatoes.

Pairing experience? 

Whisky was very smooth, softened all the peat, some speculated that the salad surprisingly conquered the whisky making it delicate and dainty which was a complete contrast to the character we found sampling alone. Like gelding a stallion.

 Kilchoman Smoked Salad

2nd course – Sanaig

Sanaig with main:  Choice between a smoked winter vegetable ratatouille & smoked applewood chicken with an almond mash potato.

Pairing experience? 

Brilliant match with both veg & non-veg options! The food brought out the sherry elements in the whisky with the nose taking on a gorgeous sweet raisin, plum almost port like quality that balanced the smoked flavours beautifully. The cracked black pepper in the potato mash added just the right heat. An excellent combination! Some attempted with the 3rd whisky but that simply did not work.

 Kilchoman Sherry Cask Chocolate Ganache

3rd course – Sherry Cask Strength

Sherry cask strength with desert:  A lovely chocolate cake with a Sherry Cask Strength whisky ganache.

Pairing experience? 

While sherry with such a chocolate desert is a perfect combination, cask strength with peat is a tough combination to pull off. Suggestion of a Glendronach or something with a little less ‘kick’ may have been a better compliment. In this pairing, the whisky spice dominated however the whisky spiked sauce? A fabulous luscious indulgence!

How did the whisky-food pairing fare overall?

  • Machir Bay and salad pairing was absolutely on the right track, though curious how the smokey salad flavours conquered the whisky
  • Sanaig and main course pairing was perfection. Absolute balance between the elements, complimenting beautifully
  • Sherry Cask Strength and chocolate pairing was a gamble…. In this case, the whisky spice was more pronounced than the delicious chocolate however no one was really complaining 🙂

Overall a marvellous evening – three unique expressions from Kilchoman paired with delightful dishes.

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Kilchoman Sherry Single Cask 60.6%

Posted on by
Reply

Last in our Kilchoman peat explorations was the Kilchoman Sherry Single Cask matured completely in a sherry butt and bottled at cask strength.

Kilchoman Machir Bay, Sanaig, Sherry Cask

Kilchoman Machir Bay, Sanaig, Sherry Cask

  • Colour: Deep copper
  • Nose: Again such a contrast from the previous whiskies! Initial punch of blue stilton cheese, curd, then a hint of peat, some spice, buttery leather… as it opened a tight ball of citrus gradually opened
  • Taste: Spice, strength, boot leather, sits on the tongue
  • Finish: Waves of beautiful sherry peat
  • Water: Hmm… kicked up the spice even more when that was already a powerful element
Speculation: All thought it must be cask strength however none could imagine over 60%.
Reveal: This time, the Kilchoman was matured 100% in Oloroso Sherry butts. A powerful whisky and part of a special La Maison du Whisky “Trilogy” series. We sampled the:
Cask # 199/2010. Distilled 8 April 2010 & Bottled 31 August 2015. Bottle #204 of 642.

For those tuning in now, our Kilchoman evening featured:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Kilchoman Sanaig 46%

Posted on by
4

We were on a Kilchoman roll! After Machir Bay‘s predominantly ex-bourbon cask influence, we moved on to the new Sanaig whisky which significantly increases the sherry influence.

As usual, we sampled blind. Usually, we sampled all three blind before revealing the whiskies and re-sampling as a sit down three course meal with whisky pairing. Here is what we found with the Sanaig…

 KilchomanPeat2
  • Colour: Light copper
  • Nose: What a contrast from Machir Bay! Started off sour, acetone, rubber, like a hospital hallway en route to the ICU, then out came an interplay between sweet and peat, lots of soft over-ripe fruits, plums and prunes, hint of coffee, like a port wine reduction, as it continued to open up more jackfruit, hint of vanilla…
  • Taste: Extremely well balanced, peat and sweet in perfect harmony, exceedingly well crafted
  • Finish: Quite subtle
  • Water: Awesome! Absolutely must try! Until we added water, we didn’t realise that spice was the missing element in the equation. Like adding the last member of trio for perfect balance.

Speculation: Sense of being in the 43% range, wondered with the attention to balance and detail if it was from Japan. One member found the quality akin to a Kavalan he is currently enjoying – similar in approach though obviously with peat. Very difficult to guess and considered by several their clear favourite of the evening.

Reveal: Vatting of 5-6 year single malts with an estimated 20% ex-bourbon & 80% Oloroso Sherry butts – exact opposite of Machir Bay. One of Kilchoman’s latest releases, they have truly achieved a beautiful whisky.

Must say this is a superlative whisky and noted its price in the UK is quite reasonable. If you haven’t yet had a chance to sample this whisky and enjoy a good interplay between peat, sherry with terrific balance? This just might be the dram for you!

Up next:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Kilchoman Machir Bay 46% – Peat pairing evening

Posted on by
8

This was not the 1st time our merry Mumbai malt group sampled Machir Bay. I suspect it will not be the last either.

As usual, we sampled blind. However this time, after revealing the whiskies, we re-sampled as part of a proper sit-down three course meal with whisky pairing.
Kilchoman Machir Bay, Sanaig, Sherry Cask

Kilchoman Machir Bay, Sanaig, Sherry Cask

  • Colour: Light
  • Nose: Peat and sweet in waves – initially a very strong peat, rolls of smoke, then mellowed into sweet fruit, aroma of pineapple on a grill, pomelo, then soot came back with an edge of temple ash
  • Taste: Just like the nose – strong peat then sweet, cigar, a bit oily and viscous, sea salt, dry fruits, hazelnuts
  • Finish: Like puffing pipe tobacco, extremely dry, ash
  • Water: On the nose cinnamon bark and palate a spice explosion with a strong paprika spice burn. Let’s just say that when water was added, we all unconsciously grabbed a cucumber stick to help cut the spice.

Speculation: Sense of being in the 46% range, tough to pinpoint age however considered older simply as it managed to achieve a palate that lived up to the nose.

Reveal: Vatting of 5-6 year single malts with 80% ex-bourbon & 20% Oloroso Sherry butts. The palate phenomenally follows the nose, including the vacillation between smoke and sweet.

Typically we’ve found that those whiskies where the palate fulfils the promise of the nose tend to be older… Somehow the folks at Kilchoman have pulled that off in a NAS younger whisky. Superb!

This now makes four opportunities for a focused sampling of Machir Bay!

Up next:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Kilchoman Peat Pairing Evening

Posted on by
Reply
Our original Mumbai based whisky tasting group consistently pushes the bar when conceptualising evenings.
We rotate hosts with each responsible to curate the experience – both whiskies and food to follow.
Over the years, we’ve had whisky and food pairings before.

Some of us even enjoyed a delightful dinner years ago with Anthony and Kathy Willis featuring Kilchoman Machir Bay and 100% Islay paired with a multi-course north Indian meal at Neel, Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai.

None of this could prepare us for the unique experience in store for our March 2016 whisky tasting evening.

Our host began with a fabulous concept to explore the nuances of peat. Three different expressions from Kilchoman at identical 50 ppm which demonstrated the effect of the casks on the character with increasing percentage of sherry.

To then take this a step further, she then wanted us to explore how the peaty whiskies paired with three courses weaving in elements of smoke.

We first sampled in rapid succession the trio of whiskies blind. Then they were revealed to re-visit each paired with  carefully planned, beautifully presented courses.

Here is what we enjoyed from Kilchoman:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Bombay Malt + Cigar – Bragging rights!

Posted on by
Reply

The latest edition of Mumbai based whisky sampling adventures has (un)officially been dubbed the BMC aka Bombay Malt & Cigar club (play on the ubiquitous Bombay Municipal Corporation)… and it is insane the levels these gents achieve.

Our 1st session featured ‘Adult’ whiskies… all 21 years or older.

Our 2nd session featured cask strength whiskies each personally filled by our host during various visits to Scotland between 2006 to 2011.

Are you kidding me?! How on earth are us mere mortals to top that???

Our host duly wins bragging rights for offering us three such unique whiskies.

What did we sample?

What on earth will top this for our next session?

Hand filled whisky

From time to time, you can also find whisky related updates and activities on: