Kilchoman Feis Ile 2015 Release

Kilchoman was pretty much on top of my must-visit-distillery list the moment I stepped off the plane on Islay. And luckily for me it was literally a 5 minutes drive from where I was staying.

Which meant I was able to visit it twice during my week long stay for the Islay Festival.

The first visit I managed a small tasting (Loch Gorm 2015, Original Cask Strength and a Single Cask PX) followed by an insanely delicious chocolate brownie soaked in Machir Bay. We actually ordered two more after devouring the first.

My next visit was for a quick distillery tour. Cute. Interesting. I enjoyed my self.

Kilchoman released two whiskies this year. One was the 10th Anniversary bottling and the other the 2015 Feis Ile expression. This is their oldest whisky yet - seven years to the day - and comprises of a vatting of three fresh bourbon barrels.

My sample is from an open bottle and served at 58.2%

Nose: That all too familiar Kilchoman grist. A fine balance between peaty smoke and sweetness. Vanilla. Melons. It's quite potent when you first get in there. But mellows out to a nice green apple sweet tartness. Hint of sea salt. Milk chocolate. Oak. This is such a typically good Kilchoman nose. Just good old fashioned whisky making.

Palate: Ooooh! Spicy! Lots of it. But let it simmer on your palate and the other flavors come out to play. Milk chocolate. Toasted barley. So much toasted barley. The green apples are back. Hint of mint. Oak. Coffee beans. A very creamy whisky if there was one. Quite a nice a layer of flavors to play with.

Finish: Long. Oily. The spicy oak is back. So is the hint of mint.

Quite liked this release. I liked the 10th Anniversary one as well if you ask me. But this one is a touch better. Well done Kilchoman.

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