100% Islay 15TH Edition

Features

Description

From field to bottle without leaving Islay. It doesn't get much more local than this. The Kilchoman 100% Islay 15th Edition is a 9 year old Islay Single Malt and the final release in Kilchoman's original limited edition 100% Islay series, a range built around the distillery's remarkable ability to control virtually every stage of production themselves.

The barley was grown in the fields surrounding Kilchoman, malted and peated at the distillery, distilled on site, matured in Kilchoman's warehouses and eventually bottled there too. It is what Kilchoman describes as Islay's only Single Farm Single Malt. For the 15th Edition, Kilchoman used Concerto and Publican barley from its 2014 and 2015 harvests.

The spirit was lightly peated to approximately 20ppm and matured for a minimum of nine years in a vatting of 54 ex-bourbon barrels. That bourbon only maturation puts the distillery character front and centre. Rather than burying the spirit under heavy sherry influence, you get vanilla, tropical fruit, citrus and malt alongside Kilchoman's coastal peat smoke.

Bottled at 50% ABV, with just 13,000 bottles released worldwide, it's a fitting final chapter for one of Islay's most genuinely farm to bottle whisky projects. Tasting Notes Colour: Pale gold. Nose: Fresh vanilla and tropical fruit lead the way, joined by fresh hay, toasted oak and grassy malt. Salted butter and gentle coastal peat add a distinctly Islay edge.

Palate: Creamy milk chocolate and salted caramel meet fresh peat smoke, followed by candied citrus, lemon and ripe pear. A touch of white pepper brings warmth and structure without overwhelming the sweeter malt character. Finish: Lingering maritime peat smoke, fresh fruit and honeyed sweetness, with citrus and gentle oak hanging around long after the sip.

Technical Details Distillery: KilchomanRegion: Islay, ScotlandCategory: Single Malt Scotch WhiskyEdition: 15th EditionAge: 9 Years OldBarley: Concerto & PublicanBarley Harvests: 2014 & 2015Barley Origin: Kilchoman Farm, IslayPeat Level: 20ppmMaturation: Ex-Bourbon BarrelsCasks Used: 54ABV: 50%Bottle Size: 750mlOutturn: 13,000 bottles worldwideLimited Edition: Yes Why It's Worth a Look Plenty of distilleries talk about provenance.

Kilchoman can basically point out the window and show you where the whisky started. The 100% Islay series is about as close as Scotch gets to a genuine farm to bottle operation: grow the barley, malt it, distil it, mature it and bottle it all at the same distillery. And the 15th Edition has another reason to matter to collectors: it's the last release in the original 100% Islay limited-edition series.

The whisky itself hasn't been sacrificed for the story, either. Nine years in bourbon barrels and the lower 20ppm peat level allow Kilchoman's oily malt, bright citrus and fruit to show themselves without being punched in the face by smoke. A very good bottle to drink. A rather sensible one to tuck away too.