Still barely over a decade old and thus not quite ready to release aged statements, Kilchoman has used their youth to explore variations on their spirit, often in very creative expressions. One of the rising trends over the past several years has been a focus on terroir. The 100% Islay (3rd Edition) is a dram where the entirety of the process is done on Islay. The barley is grown there, malted there, distilled, matured and bottled there. It’s bottled at a higher alcohol strength but the peat level is lowered compared to their other releases. That is not a common occurrence in today’s world. First launched in 2010, the bottle in this review is from 2012.
Tastings at Ace Spirits
It’s no secret to our close followers and friends that Scotchology has long been a fan of Ace Spirits, a small liquor store on the west side of the Twin Cities. We won’t take the space here to gush about them, suffice it to say they are more than worth a visit if you ever find yourself within the metro area. Not only do the carry the largest whisky selection we’ve seen here in Minnesota, they also use their connections in the industry to have tastings on a fairly regular basis (don’t worry, they also have other spirits, a few wines, and a respectable craft beer pantheon). We had the good fortune to attend two tastings within the same fortnight there, both different and unique.
Kilchoman “Machir Bay”
Kilchoman (pronounced Kilhoman) is one of the newest and smallest distilleries in Scotland, opening its doors in 2005. It currently produces a 3 and 5 year single malt, though they plan to release 8 year (2014), 10 year (2016) and 12 year (2018) bottlings. By what we taste from the junior varsity so far, age should make a good thing even better for Kilchoman’s future issues. The offerings are bottled yearly, quantified by flavor profile and maturation. Future releases of the Machir Bay (and others) will be re-released in more mature versions.