New from Kilchoman, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg & Glen Scotia + Wemyss
Hello everyone
Various recent launches but only one of which I currently have a sample. So, first up is Kilchoman Cognac Cask Matured. As they point out, a number of places use such casks as a finish. This is part of their Not A Finish trials so this one has been fully matured in former Cognac barriques. The spirit was distilled in 2019, so only 6 or 7 years old and put into first-fill barriques of which 33 were used here. Bottling strength is their usual 50% abv.
My own tasting notes are:
Appearance: Muted barley/tawny with white burgundy-like highlights. Tears swift at first and quite oily then more clingy and still close together.
Nose: Fresh, salty air; citrus zest and fine smoke; soft char and sweet wood; baked fruits, lightly spiced. With water, a little more smoke at first then sweet fruit and wine gums.
Palate: Slightly oily mouth feel. Smoky and malty but with fruit and char. Brown butter and slight almond and dark chocolate bitterness. Salted, roasted peanuts and a dab of smoky honey.
Finish: Long, smoky, malty, quite astringent and some salt and coffee grounds.
A dram I‘ll spend a little more time with soon as the weather gets cooler. After trying this one I looked at my notes for a previous Cognac cask matured whisky (I‘d misremembered it as a finish) from Kilchoman in 2023 and found some of the same fruit, astringency and slightly different nutty notes but also some florals, leafiness and marzipan too. This latest version is in specialists in the UK and Europe now at around £70 per 70cl bottle. Other key markets will have it fairly soon. It‘s on the high seas!
The other week I did get info about this year‘s Octomore Series 17 from Bruichladdich but no word on samples. I live in hope. Octomore 17.1 is distilled from 100% Scottish mainland Concerto barley and malted to 81.0 PPM then fully matured in first-fill bourbon barrels. Priced at £143.00, the bottling strength is 59.7% abv. 17.2 is the same spirit but „Octomore 17.2 is distilled from the same batch of 100% Scottish mainland Concerto barley and is malted to 81.0 PPM. But instead of being matured in bourbon barrels, it has spent time in French oak that matured Californian red wine then bourbon, then Octomore. The spirit was then finished in first-fill port barriques“. This is a new cask combination for Octomore. Price is £158.00 and strength is 59.5% abv. Now that second one does intrigue.
Octomore 17.3 is, we are told, „...a showcase of single farm, single field and single vintage whisky making. Exploring the influence of barley grown exclusively in Irene’s Field on Octomore Farm, Islay, just two miles from the distillery. Aged for five years full-term in a combination of first-fill bourbon barrels and second-fill European oak that includes Ribera Del Duero, Sauternes, Eiswine [their spelling] and Syrah casks, the whisky has been bottled at 132.1 PPM“. Should that be Eiswein dependent on where the casks are from? Eiswine means Canada to me. Price is £199.00 and bottled at 60.9% abv. I‘d also love to get a closer look at this one.
Adam Hannett, Master Blender says, “With 17 Series, we’ve pushed the boundaries of whisky making once again. We’ve used traceable, super heavily peated barley from the Scottish mainland, and Islay, maturing each expression in a selection of incredible quality casks that includes bourbon, Sauternes, Port, Eiswein and Oloroso. The result is three distinct whiskies that are a fleeting snapshot of a specific harvest and cask selection and are therefore inherently scarce.” He‘s not kidding there about pushing boundaries. These bottlings are eagerly awaited every year despite the prices but they are so fascinating, especially to try side by side. I‘ll do a comparison myself if samples become available.
„It is said that if a visitor takes home a pebble from the Claggain Bay near Trudernish, they will one day return to Islay.“ So says a very recent correspondence from Ardbeg. Ardbeg‘s latest expresssion is Trudernish, a 15 year old whisky at 48.8% abv. This one was ready in time for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition where it won Double Gold. Maturation has been in bourbon, new charred oak and oloroso sherry casks and is available in the UK exclusively from Ardbeg Embassies and select whisky specialists now. It will be available on ardbeg.com at the end of this month. I‘m always ready to try a new Ardbeg but haven‘t yet tried to acquire a bottle of this one. I‘d better get on to the Committee page and see if there‘s any left. Again, like the Octomores, it‘s intriguing and makes me want to explore it.
Glen Scotia, down in Campbeltown has recently released has revealed the fourth expression in its Icons of Campbeltown series, inspired by folklore tales of Scotland’s smallestwhisky making region. Glen Scotia Icons of Campbeltown Release No.4 is a limited-edition 12-year-old, unpeated single malt that pays homage to the Griffin, a legendary creature said to have been a guardian of Campbeltown’s harbour, whisky and bold character. The Icons of Campbeltown series is inspired by the carvings of saints and beasts on Campbeltown’s 14th century market cross, „which is shrouded in myth and lore“ and something I clearly managed to miss when I was last there. Among the markings is a depiction of the Griffin - a half eagle, half lion. Legend tells that the Griffin was a creature of strength, vigilance and protection which kept watch high above the harbour, guarding what Campbeltown valued most, its whisky.
We‘re told, „Icons of Campbeltown Release No.4 was finished in the finest Vin Santo wine casks, bringing a rich honeyed sweetness layered with notes of dried apricot and sultana. Toasted almond and hazelnut add depth and warmth, while a gentle hint of cinnamon spice lingers on the palate. Underneath it all, Glen Scotia’s unmistakable coastal character soars through with the same quiet confidence the series has traced through each release so far“. Ashley Smith, master blender at Glen Scotia, said: “Our small town has so many exceptional stories to tell, and The Icons of Campbeltown series brings this incredible folklore to life“. 
To mark the launch, Glen Scotia is offering consumers the chance to win a trip to Campbeltown when purchasing Icons of Campbeltown Release No. 4 through its website at www.glenscotia.com. The winner will meet the team, the guardians of Glen Scotia, explore the distillery, taste the whisky in the place that shaped it, and discover the people, craftsmanship and community spirit behind the town’s big Campbeltown character where it was born. Campbeltown is a nice little town where the main things to do are visit distilleries and go for bracing walks in lovely scenery. There is also golf nearby for those who like to spoil a good walk, as the (very) old joke goes.
Icons of Campbeltown Release No.4 is bottled at batch strength, 53.8% ABV, non-chill filtered and natural in colour. Find it at around £80, available now from Glen Scotia’s website and specialist retailers in the UK and globally. I‘m rather partial to a Glen Scotia, particularly Victoriana, so will look out for this one.
I‘ve recently been out and about visiting some of Scotland‘s best whisky bars. Although they do stock blends and talk to customers about them I‘m not sure some of them are doing as much as I‘d like to see of the blend education job. Of course, they are giving customers what they want in the form of many malts – and some blended malts and single and blended grains – but I‘d like to see more talking up of what keeps the industry going in terms of volume and encouraging consumers to try more blends which would delight and surprise, maybe some older ones like Dewar’s 18 as just one example. Apart from that niggle it was a pleasure to see the knowledge and enthusiasm of those working in these places. They do us proud.
On the blended note, Wemyss Malts has a new version out of a blended malt expression called Smoky Shores which I think will be worth exploring. They say, „At its heart are two single malts with very different relationships to peat. One is drawn from a distillery with a long-established reputation for peated malt. The other is a less familiar peated expression, drawn from a distillery better known for its unpeated house style.“ A good guessing game! 
This one is 14 years old, so some more years of maturation than the original version which came out in 2022. It‘s at 46% abv and you‘ll find it at around £65 depending on where you purchase. They do a fabulous job in that area and one of their blended malt expressions, Velvet Fig, is one of my all-time favourites. Wemyss are also teasing about something new coming but we need to wait till October to find out more.
Well, that‘s this one done and I‘ll be back by end of the month.
Till then, happy dramming.
Slainte mhath,
Caroline
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