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Kilchoman 14 Year Old Bourbon Cask 20th Anniversary Series Review

Can a bourbon-cask Islay malt be bright, sweet, and subtly smoky? Discover how Kilchoman 14 Year Old balances citrus, toffee, and refined peat.

OVERALL RATING

9
$162
  • Mark Bostock, a whisky enthusiast specializing in independent bottlings.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Islay’s Kilchoman distillery, this 14-Year-Old Bourbon Cask edition was one of four bottlings released to commemorate the occasion in 2025. The Kilchoman 14-Year-Old combines five hand selected bourbon barrels – casks #403, #422, #498, #750 and #800 – filled in 2010. Only 1,120 bottles were produced, bottled at natural colour and without chill filtration, at 51.2% ABV.
Appearance:
Bright Yellow Gold
Nose:
Soft aromas open on the nose, with sweet caramel alongside orange and lemon citrus. Subtle peat smoke emerges, with a touch of brine and minerality in the background.
Palate:
A fresh opening on the palate, with lemon sherbet and orange citrus, leading into smooth toffee and vanilla sweetness accompanied by notes of malty biscuit. There’s light well integrated peat smoke which becomes a little ashy.
Finish:
Long and warming, with a flash of oak and pepper spice before some lingering honey and caramel sweetness. There’s a resurgence of lemon citrus, before long crisp ashy smoke echoes to the close.
Comments:
Released in celebration of the distillery’s 20th Anniversary, the Kilchoman 14-Year-Old Bourbon Cask Edition effectively balances bright lemon citrus, toffee and caramel sweetness, and subtle refined peat smoke. The bourbon cask influence brings plenty of sweetness to this release which is well integrated with the subtle and refined peat smoke – this refined smoke style seems to be a theme of Kilchoman’s more mature age statement bottlings.

The four Kilchoman 20th Anniversary releases, consisting of a 14-Year-Old and 18-Year-Old Bourbon Cask editions and 14-Year-Old and 15-Year-Old Sherry Cask editions widely sold out quickly, but you can occasionally still find one or another in stock with smaller independent retailers. If you’re a Kilchoman or peated whisky fan, don’t hesitate if you find one – they won’t hang around for long!

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Mark Bostock

Mark Bostock, an integral part of the Mark Littler LTD UK content writing team since 2019, brings a genuine passion for whisky, especially independent bottlings, to his work. His commitment to expanding his knowledge through attending tasting events and building his own collection enriches his contributions, blending expertise with enthusiasm.

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