The entire whisky industry is facing serious delays due to the shortage of both glass and cardboard. That is also why these two Kilchoman bottlings, which were supposed to be available at The Whisky Show 2021, will only arrive on the shelves of The Whisky Exchange today.
It’s an interesting pair: both were filled with the same spirit, matured for 8 years in fresh bourbon casks and then given a 7 month finishing in a mezcal cask and a tequila cask. Both supposedly similar spirits (tequila being a specific type of mezcal made from blue agave and not smoked) yet producing different outcomes, as we’ll soon find out.
If you’d like to find out more about Kilchoman’s approach to cask experimentation and these two casks specifically, I suggest you watch this Whisky Show video featuring George Wills.
Kilchoman 8 yo 2012 ‘Mezcal finish’ (52,8%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 2021, single cask #828, 223 btl.)
Nose: very, very pure smoke. Not the classic Kilchoman smoke, this is the footprint of the mezcal. Big and highly accurate. Slightly petrol-y, with an iodine edge, smoked lemons and light berries. A fresh sea breeze with smoked shellfish. Saline notes and white pepper. There’s a subtle vanilla note and honey in the background, but overall this is the vertical version.
Mouth: sweeter now, at least in the first onset. After that it quickly turns towards sharp, blade-y smoke, with a bitter, leafy quality and some of the acrid sharpness that you get in mezcal. Herbal, medicinal notes too, like burnt rosemary and thyme. Just a hint of sweet agave and saccharose in the background.
Finish: long, on soft resins and ashes, briney fruits and herbal tea.
I had to get into this. I think it works, but you’ll have to be a fan of mezcal in the first place. This has a lot more mezcal aromatics to it than the Lagavulin experiment for instance (my only reference at the moment). A little extreme perhaps, but well done. Available from The Whisky Exchange.
Kilchoman 8 yo 2012 ‘Tequila finish’ (53,4%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 2021, single cask #824, 247 btl.)
Nose: fattier and fruitier, with more agave coming out. Gooseberries and apricots? Even a biscuity note. Of course Kilchoman has this innate Islay peat character but it’s more in the background now. Hints of smouldering hay, leather and seaweed. Then back to sweet green fruits. Warmer, fruitier, more horizontal than the mezcal version.
Mouth: much sweeter and rounder. Apples, vanilla custard, white gummy bears. The agave is noticeable, with some black pepper and peaty notes behind it. Still a bit of the boozy quality that I associate with tequila, with lower complexity.
Finish: long, on vanilla and fruits, medicinal smoke and aniseed.
While I prefer the nose of the tequila finish, overall I think the mezcal bottling has more character. I’m a little reluctant towards the sweetness on the palate, which takes the upperhand in this bottling. Available from The Whisky Exchange (also as a bundle by the way, combining both editions). Score: 84/100