Kilchoman has recently updated its 100% Islay bottling — a whisky made from barley grown, malted, distilled, aged, and bottled all at the distillery on Islay — with a slightly different variation.

The difference with this 2012 Second Release is that the whisky is a blend of 3 year old and 4 year old spirit, all aged completely in Bourbon casks, 50-50 of each. (The 2011 version was all 3 year old Bourbon, finished in sherry wood.)

With no sherry in the mix this time, the whisky plays a lot closer to the expected: A moderate but (surprisingly) not overpowering rush of peat, revealing undertones of fruit. You get banana and pear, particularly on the finish, which offers forest fire-like smokiness, as of burning pine cones and evergreen needles.

100 proof.

A- / $90 / kilchomandistillery.com

Kilchoman 100% Islay Second Release

$90

9

Rating

9.0/10