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Kitchen Chat and more…
Kitchen Chat and more…
What do we have here? The first bottle of American bourbon that WhiskyGeeks is sharing! It is momentous which is why we choose to share a bottle which we think is fantastic! This bottle of Michter’s 10-year-old bourbon is never far from our minds when we think about bourbon.
Let’s dive into the review.
Colour: Golden Brown
ABV: 47.2%
Nose: The first nose is that of rich maple syrup followed by notes of potpourri with sugary notes. Dried fruits like figs and melon are also prominent. It gets a little rummy as time passes. After 10 minutes, vegetal notes surface as well. (16/20)
Palate: The mouthfeel is that of red dates candy with menthol. As the liquid stays in the mouth, it gets a little peppery before notes of dark chocolates with raisins surface prominently. As time passes, the palate gets drier and bitter, almost like chewing on toasted cacao beans. (17/20)
Finish: Long finish that is dry and minty with some fresh oak. (17/20)
Body: The whiskey may not be the most balanced of drams we have tasted so far, but it has a lot of potentials. The complexity of the bourbon is evident, which is good enough. (30/40)
Total Score: 80/100
Geek Choc: “First bourbon that I have drunk and I think it is a fantastic dram! While it may not be the Scotch that I am used to, but it is something that I do not mind as a daily drink.
We are back with Edition 3 of What’s brewing at Manhattan Bar and we are sure that most of you are excited to know how the whisky has evolved. After sharing our updates for the past two weeks, we are now ready to share Version 3!
Before we move on to the tasting notes and changes on version 3, let’s recap the previous posts. When the experiment first started, we tried the Sazerac rye whisky as it is and after it was aged in the barrel for six days and we compared the difference in their characteristics. Then last week, we updated the changes in the whisky after 13 days in the barrel. Today, we are bringing you version no. 3. How has the whisky change after 19 days?
After ageing the whisky in the barrel for almost three weeks now, the whisky has changed its characteristics again. The cane sugar, floral and herbaceous notes come back to the whisky. It is now richer and more elegant as compared to version 2 at 13 days. The palate is fuller in flavours, with cinnamon cough syrup with sherry. It almost tastes like a sherry rye whisky now. Spice tingle at the corner of the mouth to complement the sweet and herbaceous notes perfectly. The finish is also fairly long now with sweet cinnamon forming the aftertaste.
The main difference between version 3 and version 2 is the richer, more intense and elegant flavours found in the whisky. Now it tastes like whisky again with its slightly more complex profile and the reasonably long finish.
Kilchoman is one of the newest distilleries to be built on Islay in 124 years. Anthony Wills, the founder and managing director of Kilchoman chose Islay because of its reputation for producing exceptional malt whiskies. Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Islay, producing 120,000 litres of alcohol annually.
Anthony Wills founded Kilchoman in 2005, after running an independent single cask bottling company for eight years. The first distillate of Kilchoman ran in December 2005, and the first cask sealed on 14 December 2005. Anthony noted the interest in limited release single malt whiskies growing from the 1990s through his independent bottling company. He wanted to begin a distillery to cater to the growing demand, but he wanted his distillery to be different. Choosing Islay wasn’t difficult because of his family roots, the fertile land and the plentiful water and peat for drying the malt. Kilchoman is the ultimate farm distillery where Anthony “takes whisky back to its roots”. Whisky distillation mainly began as illegal operations on farms back in the 1700s and 1800s, so “taking whisky back to its roots” means that Kilchoman mirrors the beginning of whisky distillation.
Rockside Farm is selected because it grows the best malting barley on the island. The buildings on the farmland are also perfect for a distillery. Nonetheless, the real challenge was raising funds for the distillery. Anthony raised £1 million from private individuals, the local board and bank. These individuals and enterprises rose to the challenge when the distillery needed a further £3.5 million in the early years of the distillery. Kilchoman’s success is a direct reflection of the passion and dedication of these people in the community.
The exciting video above explains the whisky-making process at Kilchoman distillery. From barley to bottle, Kilchoman did it all.
Kilchoman distillery has an impressive range of whiskies despite its relatively young age. Many of their whiskies have won awards, including their flagship Machir Bay, which we have reviewed. Two other note-worthy bottles are the Kilchoman 8-year-old, which we found to be excellent and sophisticated, as well as the Kilchoman Single Cask.
We believe that Kilchoman will grow bigger and better in the years to come. The young whiskies from this distillery have been a pleasant surprise to the whisky community; so we believe that the older ones that are to come will be satisfying too!
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