Kilchoman Trilogy – Sherry, PX and Bourbon

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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….

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Rocky Mountain Breckenridge Special Release 43%

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The final whisky in our American trilogy was from Colorado…

Aged 2 years in charred new American oak barrels. Its key claim to fame is that it uses water from “snow melted from the rocky mountains.”

As always with our original Mumbai tasting group, we sampled blind, then revealed the whisky. Here is what we found…

Breckenridge

Rocky Mountain Breckenridge Special Release 43%

  • Nose – Reassuringly bourbon banana sweet mellow raisins, fruity
  • Taste – The closest to being Scottish in taste, a bit chewy sweet, a very good whisky but was slightly tricky to describe and nothing specific jumped out at us
  • Finish – Light spicy finish
Best quote of the evening:

“Feel like cowboys / gals in leather chaps riding off to the sunset just like in those old Westerns. Yeehaw!”

What do the folks over at Breckenridge have to say?

Deep honey-amber hue with warm, pronounced aromas of under-ripe banana and brown sugar, with spicy notes of white pepper and toasted sesame. Light body with warm texture and long sweet oak, vanilla finish with a touch of bitterness to balance. Reminiscent of a slice of toasted rye bread with honey drizzled on it.

We mash, ferment and distill a lot of Bourbon in house. Our Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys also consists of Barrels selected from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana chosen for their unique qualities, heritage, and ability to marry in our blend, always made from a high-rye mash bill.

Rough Rider, Breckenridge, Russel's Reserve
And that folks, concludes our American tour from the tasting archives!

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Rough Rider ‘Bull Moose’ Three Barrel Rye 45%

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Next up in our American tour was a surprise from New York – bottled by Long Island Spirits.

This rye is matured for only one year and made from a mash of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, matured in three barrels – new American oak, straight bourbon cask, then finished in casks used to age Pine Barrens Single Malt Whiskey. The ‘Bull Moose’ name comes from the nickname of Roosevelt’s Progressive Party, formed in 1912. True Americana!

As usual we sampled blind then revealed the whisky. Here is what we found…

Rough Rider
Rough Rider ‘Bull Moose’ Three Barrel Rye 45% cask select 1

  • Colour – Deeper amber than the Russell’s Reserve
  • Nose – Lemon soapy scented bubble bath, fresh sawdust
  • Taste – Ruafza (sweet rose syrup), sweet on the tongue while harsh at the back, wine notes with a chardonnay brightness or gewürztraminer sweetness, smooth
  • Finish – Very surface level, slightly sour
Observations:
  • One thought had slightly synthetic flavour
  • Another suggested would be best drunk at a brunch, paired with a lemon tart
  • For a one-year old baccha (child),  not bad… but not qualifying for favourites category

Here’s what the folks over at the WineBow group have to say about their Three Barrel Rye:

Crisp with a fruity sweetness on the nose followed by spice, caramel, vanilla and blackberry on the palate with a long, warm, toasty, velvety finish.

Sampled together with:

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Russels Reserve 10 year 45%

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Our monthly whisky sessions tend to have a theme. As our host curates the evening, planning and sourcing is completely his or her domain – we never know what we are in for!

However… there are some clues… for example, one of our club members used to travel to the US for work. So… no surprise that his session had a decidedly American twang with two Bourbons and a Rye!

We toured three different states – Kentucky, New York and Colorado.

First up from Kentucky was the Russel’s Reserve!

Russel's Reserve

Small batch Kentucky straight bourbon matured in ‘alligator-charred’ virgin American oak casks.

  • Colour – Bright amber (don’t let the pic fool you!)
  • Nose – Banana caramel desert, vanilla, spirity with a slightly peaty element, agarbati smoke, curry leaves with a faint hint of fresh mint sprigs
  • Taste – Bitter kerela, baby puke sour, dry and oaky
  • Finish – Still bitter
  • Water – BLAND, tamed the sharpness but added nothing new

Conclusion – A nice, easy drinking whisky. And we all enjoy a bit of that from time to time!

Here’s what the folks over at Wild Turkey have to say:

Master distillers and premier whiskey makers Jimmy and Eddie Russell have brought nearly 100 years of combined experience to artfully crafting Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old Bourbon. Bottled at 90 proof, this hand selected small batch bourbon has a rich, caramel and vanilla taste and a uniquely smooth finish.

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Compass Box Blends…

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My partner will sometimes introduce me as a ‘Single Malt Snob’… he does so with great affection and humour, knowing I’m far from snobbish in life but am particular about my whiskies.

It does highlight a perception that an old single malt MUST be good whereas a blended whisky MUST be rubbish.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

While there are some absolutely stunning single malts… there are equally some rather good blends.

And the folks over at Compass Box are out to prove you should pay attention to well crafted blended whiskies. They keep surprising whisky watchers with their creative approach and beautiful marriage of art and science.

They also set in motion a movement for transparency after being told to stop disclosing the component whiskies that go into their blends.

They aren’t demanding others mandatorily disclose what goes into that whisky you love so much… they are simply asking for the right to share with consumers what goes what they create.

Hard to argue with such an approach but they have a fight on their hands… read more here.

Compass Box Juveniles sampled at La Maison du Whisky (Whisky Lady)

Juveniles sampled at La Maison du Whisky (Whisky Lady)

Living in India means either sampling these blends outside of the country or depending on a whisky club member to source and bring into the country…

Through both approaches, have enjoyed til date seven Compass Box blends:

Compass Box Trilogy

Anyone have a favourite Compass Box blend? Or another blended whisky?

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Whisky and Jazz… what a brilliant match!

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There is something to be said for combining a good drink with good music. And when that combination happens to be a seriously good whisky and solid jazz? Hard to beat!

Often our whisky tasting sessions are accompanied by jazz music… curated and compiled by one of our members who once upon a time used to organise a large memorable jazz festival in Mumbai.

WhiskyJazzTime

As my partner prepares for his upcoming show Bombay Jazz, I started to think about the different range of jazz styles, their mood and what whisky just might make a good match!

And when sax is being played live in your living room, rehearsing for an upcoming show, it is hard to not think of reaching out for a whisky….

If you are curious to see a play about India’s jazz scene of yore with its influence on Bollywood music, check out StageSmith’s “Bombay Jazz“…

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Kilchoman peat pairing dinner!

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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.

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Kilchoman Sherry Single Cask 60.6%

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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:

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Kilchoman Sanaig 46%

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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!

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Kilchoman Machir Bay 46% – Peat pairing evening

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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!

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