Kilchoman 100% Islay - edition 2024

This year’s 14th edition is a vatting of ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks. Barley of the Publican variety was used, which was harvested at Rockside Farm in 2013 and 2014. As is usual for the 100% Islay range, the whisky was bottled with an alcohol content of 50.0%.
Unlike 2023, where a pure bourbon cask maturation was bottled again after several years, Kilchoman founder and master blender Anthony Wills once again opted for a blend of whisky matured in bourbon and sherry casks this year. The ratio is stated as 9 parts bourbon to one part Oloroso sherry.
The 14th edition of the 100% Islay Edition is the first to carry an explicit age statement (9 years) on the packaging. Both the packaging and the bottle labels have been given a new, very attractive design.
The 14th edition is the third 100% Islay Limited Release to contain whisky distilled exclusively from Publican barley. As with the releases of the last two years, the fruitiness is best described as tropical fruit (‘pineapple note’) and no longer has the strawberry note that was so typical of the Optic barley variety grown in the early Kilchoman years.
Anthony Wills wrote: “Our 100% Islay releases are the culmination of efforts made at each stage of the process, from sowing the barley back in 2013 and 2014, through harvesting, malting, distilling and maturation, all done on-site here at Kilchoman. This year we selected a combination of bourbon and sherry cask maturation. In my eyes, the contrasting influences create a lovely balance of richness and light floral character.”
 
Nose: As always with 100% Islay a clean fresh gentle nose with vanilla and enticingly gentle sweet peat smoke, a little mild orange and zesty lemon mix hangs around the background.
Taste: Lovely gentle barley sugared sweet peat arrives with a equally gentle lemon citrus infusion and is then joined by some vanilla custard cream, some late ginger with a lovely spicy oak edge.
Finish: Long, the sweet sugary peat smoke is very slowly mellowed by the vanilla, mildly drying oak spices peak before slowly bowing out.