Kilchoman New Make Spirit

I tried this Kilchoman New Make Spirit first at a tasting in Belgium, hosted by the owner’s son James Wills. The barley type used is called Concerto. It has a big yield, something distillers are of course very much interested in. It has many of the same qualities as Optic and is used for both beer and malt whisky.

The nose is very clean, very fruity on white gooseberries and pears. Make that pear drops. But also cooked potatoes and cauliflower. Something of peanuts. Already, there is a salty edge. Promising! Adding water gives it something like manure. Sounds terrible, but is anything but.

Creamy andhot. Very flavoursome. Rich in sweet peat, white pepper, berries again. Some earthy notes as well. Adding water makes it a lot sweeter.

The finish takes me to the moon and back.

One of the better new makes I have tried. For an embryonic whisky, this is quite stellar.

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