The New Kid in Town

Kilchoman Spring 2011 Release
3-4 years old
46% ABV

Every 120 years or so, someone decides to build a new distillery on Islay.  In 2005, that distillery was Kilchoman.  One man (with 900,000 pounds) decided that a farm distillery on Islay would be a good idea.  As a farm distillery, the whisky is completely produced on site -  the barely used in production is grown and malted at the distillery, and the bottling and storage occurs on the farm as well.

The distillery is on the western side of the island, about 5 miles from Bruichladdich.  Unlike the other Islay distilleries, Kilchoman in situated inland.  I wonder if in the future, more matured expressions will differ from the neighbors' a little bit without the constant buffering of sea air.

Onto the whisky:
Color: Classic Islay pale straw.  Even though the whiskey got a few extra weeks in sherry casks, there’s not a lot of evidence in the appearance.  With a mix of the three and four year old, you wouldn’t expect there to be.

Nose: Pure Islay here.  It doesn’t matter that it’s a three year old, the peat and the smoke are here in large quantities.  A little vanilla as well.

Taste: The peat’s still there, but more mild than I expected based on the nose.  You can taste some berry fruits as well.

Finish: This is where I could really tell Kilchoman was still a toddler – the finish was very thin and short with virtually no peatiness.

Overall, it was a good representative of an Islay whisky.  If they’ve achieved this much in six years, I think Kilchoman may be one to watch.

Ardbeg 10 year old

Statistics:
Ardbeg 10 years old

No bottling year noted
Proof: 92

So now we're into the heart of the lineup. Ardbeg is the ultimate expression of an Islay whisky. Whiskies from this small island off the west coast of Scotland are noted for their taste of sea air, strong finishes, and above all, PEAT. Islay whiskies, most notably Ardbeg, owe a lot of their distinctiveness to the use of peat, instead of a pure wood fire, in the toasting of their malts. The peat bog aroma infuses a unique smokiness, but also saltiness from the sea air and high winds of the region.

Ardbeg has a very fine gold color which belies the stiff kick that's coming to you when you have a wee dram. Quite frankly, it can knock your socks off the first time you have it if you are not used to Islay whisky in general. But stick with, sip slowly, even add a small amount of room temperature water, and you'll be happy you did.

On my first trip to England with my future wife, and as a pure whisky neophyte, I asked a kindly shop lady in the Duty Free Store in Heathrow to recommend a good whisky for a beginner. She handed me Ardbeg. Needless to say, I was surprised when I opened it in America. To this day, I don't know if she was being cruel, stupid, or doing me a huge favor.