Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2014 – 46%

Distilled 2009, bottled 2014.

Colour: Straw.

Nose: Earthy, nutty, spicy and richly peated, Islay at it’s best!

Palate: Quite spicy, a touch hot at first but soon settles into being full and creamy on the plate. There’s some nuttiness and definitely some herbal notes.

Finish: Clean and woody with nettles almost giving a prickle, but in a good way. It’s long and sweet with a drop of tar and a background saltiness and ozone.

Water: Water reduces the spices a wee bit and makes it just that little easier to drink.

Thoughts: As ever Kilchoman is the perfect example of a small distillery doing great things and producing a quality product. I’m a fan of sherry and peat when it’s done correctly, and this has been done just fine! Give it a whirl and support the small distillers out there.

Available: The Green Welly Stop – £53.40

Comparison with 2013

The 2013 Loch Gorm could be described as a sunset gold in colour, whereas the 2014 is much lighter side by side – different type of sherry maybe or a second fill cask possibly. The nose between the two is actually fairly consistent, the 2014 being slightly more spicy and earthy, the 2013 a touch sweeter and nuttier. On the palate the 2013 is somewhat easier, a bit less spice and a little more fudgey / stewed fruit sweetness. These releases are small batch, they’re supposed to be different, and these certainly do have some small differences. If I was faced with two bottles in a shop which would I go for? The 2013 pips it for me, but that’s not to say the 2014 isn’t also great stuff.

Thanks to Kilchoman for the 2014 sample and to my friend Jon for the 2013.