Kilchoman Debuts One Of Its Oldest Scotch Whiskies To Date

The Kilchoman distillery on Islay, in comparison to the other whisky makers there, is the young kid on the block. It opened and began production back in 2005, and gradually has been releasing older and older whiskies, including a very limited edition 10-year-old back in 2015. Now, however, it is bringing to a much broader market an 8-year-old that lays claim to being the oldest globally available release to date.

The new Kilchoman 2009 Vintage, according to the distillery, contains juice first distilled in 2009, though some 2008 is mixed in as well to add further layers of maturation. What’s in this release is mostly a combination of fresh and refill bourbon barrels , with three 2008 Oloroso sherry butts included for additional flavor enhancement.

“The evolution of Kilchoman single malt is well represented through our Vintage range,” said Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder and Managing Director, in a prepared statement. “Now at eight years of maturation, the balance and depth of character coming through on both the nose and the palate is incredible. The oloroso sherry influence in the 2009 Vintage compared to the previous releases has given this whisky a different dimension with layered fruit and added sweet notes.”

Plans call for the 2009 Vintage, bottled at 46% ABV, to be available this month for about £68, or around $90 USD. It is non-chill filtered, of natural color and is heavily peated. You’ll find official tasting notes for it below from Kilchoman.

Nose: lemon, citrus and butterscotch notes are prominent with soft peaty aromas in the background.

Palate: soft sweetness first and peat smoke and ripe fruit notes following.

Finish: long, clean and sweet with peat smoke and soft fruits at the end.