New from Kilchoman and Glen Scotia, Whisky Fests, New Strathearn

Hello everyone

First up this week is the new Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2025. I look forward to this one each year due to its sherry cask maturation and this year is the very first 10 year old Loch Gorm. As usual, it is not chill-filtered and has no added colour; bottling strength of 46% abv.

Appearance: Rich, old gold and light amber. Brass and orange marmalade highlights. Tears quite slow and sticky with close – medium spacing.

Nose: Initially rich baked/stewed fruits – mainly apples. Smoke and some sweet floral notes. Mellow oak. Some dried vine fruits and dates/figs. Warm spices, earthy and with a touch of vanilla. With water, fresher with a touch of sea air. Waxy notes. Warm and velvety; more baked fruit; some honey and toffee apple sweetness.

Palate: Silky and viscous. Smoky, fairly rich. Smoked/griddled banana skins. Soft ginger and clove as well as more savoury spices. Less fruit on palate than on the nose.

Finish: Quite long, smoky, dry and woody.

Available in the UK and Europe now, this bottling will be around £75 – £80 per bottle. Other markets won‘t have too long to wait but I‘m guessing for the USA price depends on what the Tariff Numpty decides to do. This is another juicy and toothsome dram from Kilchoman. If you still have some from previous years, it might be fun to line them up and have a tasting. No time for me to do that now but a thought for later this month. Must raid my sample cupboard. Please note 2025 is also the 20th anniversary of Kilchoman‘s founding though the first cask wasn‘t filled till December 2025. Apparently there will be anniversary specials later on throughout the year. Definitely looking forward to hearing more.

Sample malt number 2 is this year‘s Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025, a limited edition. This 2025 version is heavily peated and finished in former Ribeira del Duero casks, a delicious Spanish red wine, if you‘re not familiar with the name. It‘s 9 years old, 54.3% abv. Main maturation was in first fill bourbon barrels plus 5 months in the wine casks. Price is £68 per bottle.

Appearance: Warm, glowing apricot as a result of the cask finishing. It has a pink tinge as you pour but not as you see it in the bottle. Tears swift at first for a heavily peated malt then slow and sticky with quite close spacing.

Nose: Definitely peated but not in your face. Fruity with subtle oak.Toasted brown bread and richly roasted barley. Spices and a waft of heady floral, a little like jasmine; vanilla custard and sea air. With water, it looks more viscous. More sea salt air plus dark and red fruits with sweet spices – a fruit crumble.

Palate: Despite adding water, still quite peppery and tongue-tingling. A silky mouth feel. Peat smoke and oak. Dark fruits with barbecue smoke and char/tar catching in the throat. Slightly salty.

Finish: Smoky and peaty but soft. Mouth-drying and richly roasted barley persists.

The last malt festival bottle I had from Glen Scotia wasn‘t a peated offering, so quite different from this one but their output is very versatile. The distillery produces peated spirit for 4 weeks each year.

The 2025 Campbeltown Malt Festival runs on 20 and 21 May this year. They say, „Glen Scotia’s events at this year’s Campbeltown Malts Festival will see some of its finest drams poured and will celebrate the town’s past as the former ‘Victorian Whisky Capital of the World’….Among the Glen Scotia experiences on offer, visitors will have the chance to explore the components of the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025 edition during a deconstructed tasting with Global Brand Ambassador Gary Mills. They will also be able to celebrate a decade of Glen Scotia’s world-famous Victoriana single malt [my favourite from their range] with an in-depth tasting hosted by Master Blender Ashley Smith. Finally, guests will discover the magic of the Glen Scotia Dunnage Warehouse in an exclusive tasting with Master Distiller Iain McAlister.“ On the pack, by scanning the QR code, consumers will be able to experience „the magical journey to the ‘Wee Toon’ with three of Scotland’s top travel influencers as they embark on the beautiful voyage to the distillery’s Campbeltown home.“

For those of you who are serial whisky festival goers, there is also the Limburg Whisky Fair in Germany later this month, 26th and 27th April to be exact and of course, best of the lot, for me, it‘s Islay (Feis Ile) from 23rd – 31st May. I now have the menu for my annual whisky dinner there at Port Charlotte Hotel and am beginning work on the whisky pairings with the food. Spirit of Speyside is a larger affair covering more distilleries and runs this year from 30th April – 5th May and there‘s a chance to see Tamnavulin which opens to the public only at this event. SoS hasn‘t sent me any e-mails about the event this year so they may have given me up as a bad job as I never have time to get up there given my prep for Islay amongst other things. If you‘re keen to go find out more at https://www.spiritofspeyside.com/ to see what tickets are still available.

Last but certainly not least this time is a new Strathearn expression from Douglas Laing & Co., Strathearn Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky Batch 02, using Maris Otter barley which they say results in „a creamy character with buttery biscuit notes, honey and a gentle sweetness“. Sadly , no sample available. Strength is 50% abv, NCF and NAC. Their statement tells us, „Batch 02 remains true to the signature cask composition that defined the inaugural release—expertly marrying ex-Bourbon, Virgin Oak, and ex-Sherry Oak casks. However, with a deliberate reduction in Virgin Oak influence, Batch 02 delivers heightened creaminess, freshness, and overall balance, offering an evolution of Strathearn’s uniquely rich spirit. Comprising a vatting of 31 carefully selected casks, this release includes both inherited stock and casks distilled under Douglas Laing’s ownership, highlighting the ever-developing expertise of the Strathearn team. “ You may recall that Douglas Laing & Co. bought the distillery from its founders in 2019. I‘ve found this one at a range of prices from £73 – £80 from various retailers.

Unless I have to change plans, it looks like end of this month will be a comparison piece looking at a couple of Dewar‘s expressions, a couple of Kilchoman Loch Gorms and maybe this year‘s and last year‘s Glen Scotia bottlings for the Campbeltown festival.

Meantime, happy dramming and I intend to have some fun trying different whiskies with Easter chocolate.

Slainte mhath,

Caroline