The Whisk(e)y Library Purchases a Barrel – Part 2

A few weeks ago, we had an exciting opportunity to taste a wide range of single cask bottlings from the distillery we are working with on our first barrel purchase, Kilchoman.  For those of you who enjoy single malts, especially peated ones, you have most likely heard of Kilchoman, but for those of you who gravitate more towards bourbons and American whiskey in general, this name may be new to you. Kilchoman is one of the newer distilleries in Scotland, having been founded in 2005, and is on Scotland’s most famous island, Islay.  They are known as Islay’s Farm Distillery and are unique in that they complete all phases of the whisky making process on site, starting with the growing of the barley all the way through to hand bottling themselves.  This is why we’re so excited to have the opportunity to pick one of their barrels to feature as our first. 

Now, going back to our tasting a few weeks ago, we are fortunate enough to have been able to arrange a tasting of 11 single cask, cask strength bottlings of Kilchoman with an individual who has a very large personal collection.  These ranged in age from 3-6 years old and featured mostly ex-bourbon barrels, but there were also a few PX sherry finishes and straight sherry butts as well.  We are leaning toward selecting an ex-bourbon barrel as we feel it allows for the purest representation of Kilchoman’s sweet peat character.  It is exciting to see the wide range of flavors that can be found in their single casks, but also daunting in knowing that in order for us to be able to capture the flavor profile we are seeking to feature in our release, it is up to us to choose the perfect cask.   

I will be going to Scotland later this month and will be making the trip to Islay to see Kilchoman and taste barrels directly from their warehouses. I cannot wait to experience their whisky at the distillery and to narrow our focus to the few best casks and bring those samples back for the rest of the team to help make a final decision.

I will continue to keep you updated as we progress on our journey. Also, stay tuned for some fun blog posts from my trip to the UK.

Cheers,

Tim