Kilchoman Madeira Cask Matured (2015 Edition)

Nose: Strong peppery wood smoke, reminiscent of the aftermath of a bushfire rather than gentle peat smoke. A softer peat gradually appears through the haze, along with a powerful winey note. These dominant aromas tend to overpower the nose. Palate: Dense smoke, intensely hot white pepper and ginger, dusty dark chocolate, peat, fortified wine, raisins, prunes. A bit harsh and coarse. Finish: Medium. Lingering smoke, wine, and dry dark chocolate. It's unlikely you'll still find this anywhere, so this review is more for historical interest. In 2011, Kilchoman filled 17 first-fill ex-Madeira casks as an experiment. I purchased my bottle in 2016, which I believe was bottled the year before, so it had spent 4 years in very active and strongly seasoned oak. That's a considerable amount of time for residual fortified wine and some cask elements to be absorbed, but hardly enough time for significant spirit maturation. I can't help but feel it would have been more effective to let the whisky mature for 4 years in good bourbon casks and then finish it for half a year in Madeira wood. Unsurprisingly, it gave me the impression of being undeveloped and awkward – a fresh young whisky covered with a dense blanket of wood smoke and thick wine, but everything felt disjointed, argumentative, and restless. The heavy smoke seemed to improve with oxidation but never achieved a truly cohesive state with the wine element. Ultimately, this whisky came across as a failed experiment, and it's not surprising they haven't repeated it since. At $180, it was also quite expensive. Kilchoman (which produces some whiskies I particularly like) has since perfected its strategy with both Loch Gorm and Sanaig, which are far more subtle and evolved products – buy one of those and don't bother searching for this old Madeira expression. You might occasionally see a positive review, but even for collectors, I wouldn't recommend it. "Adequate": 73/100 (2.25 stars)

At the Kilchoman distillery, I had the opportunity to try some very good expressions, and one that really caught my attention was the Madeira-matured Kilchoman, which had been finished in various Madeira casks. I often find this type of maturation to be full of flavor, so I had high expectations for this dram. Bottled at 50% ABV. On the nose: Acidic red berries, very fresh. Lemon zest with an ashy sensation. Gooseberries and toffee. On the palate: The Madeira profile truly emerges. Red fruits, cherries, raspberries. Creamy toffee with red fruits. Delicious. Aftertaste: Ashy and "red fruity," not overly complex but delicious. Smoke and bonfire notes provide a very pleasant finish. Overall, this was a fantastic whisky. I wouldn't call it complex; it's rather simpler, but the tasting and aroma notes it possesses are incredibly well-delivered. A super enjoyable dram, my score for it is 91 out of 100.

(Virtual Whisky Tasting, Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – March 18, 2022). Nose: Smoky, damp wood, caramel, sweet, and slightly salty. Black pepper and plums are subtle undertones. Palate: Sweet smoke, walnuts, pepper, ginger, dark chocolate. Surprisingly smooth, sweet smoke. Finish: A long finish. Burnt sugar, dark fruits, noticeably smoky, yet still carrying abundant dried fruit and malt loaf. Evokes a Christmas feel. Matured in 46 Madeira hogsheads, filled in 2016. This is an intriguing dram, not bad at all – quite woody and smoky, with a good amount of fruit. It doesn't particularly stand out. Juicy, salty, and ultimately drying. A solid dram. It ranked third among the six samples, receiving 7% of the votes for the evening's favorite. All attendees indicated they enjoyed the whisky.

This was the fourth sample from a custom 7-part Kilchoman set my wife gave me for my birthday. I tasted this shortly after the Sauterne Cask Matured release. Like that one, the smoke was less apparent on the nose than on the palate. It had a round body with notes of dried fruits, raisins, and some hints of salt, all well-balanced. Coupled with a nice, long finish, this is another Kilchoman I'd happily buy. I'm not entirely sure why, but I slightly preferred this one over the Sauterne Cask Maturation. Perhaps it's the nice, dark color?

Fantastic, I truly savored this. The Madeira complements the smoke flawlessly. Perhaps I'm just partial to smoke, but wow - Kilchoman stands out as Scotland's most overlooked distillery.