Balancing notes of bbq pineapple, ginger, and peat smoke, the Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Matured limited-edition single malt whisky aged for a minimum of six years
Kilchoman has unveiled its Sauternes Cask Matured limited edition. The single malt whisky spent its entire maturation in ex-sauternes wine casks.
To create the Sauternes Cask Matured, Kilchoman Founder Anthony Wills selected a combination of fresh and refill Sauternes barriques from two separate years, the youngest being from 2018. The brand first released a sauternes cask matured Scotch in 2016, which spent five years in a first fill cask. The second release came in 2018 and was finished for five months in sauternes casks.
This time around, Wills decided on a vatting of 22% fresh and 78% refill casks from two distillation years. This ratio of fresh and refill casks looks to balance the sauternes influence with Kilchoman character. Most of the refill casks selected were previously used for the 2018 sauternes finish release.
On the nose, the whisky offers buttery notes with ripe fruits, a hint of sea salt, and subtle peat smoke. The palate delivers butterscotch and floral notes, which combine with tropical and candied fruits with integrated peat smoke flowing throughout. Sweetness continues onto the finish, balanced with clean lingering smoke and rich texture.
“After a six year absence, the Sauternes Cask Matured Kilchoman is back! The previous edition was a Sauternes finish, now it’s time for a return to the full power that complete maturation in these wine casks brings,” says Wills. “Waves of sweet fruits and butterscotch balanced with our Islay peat smoke, a delicious dram.”
Bottled at 50% ABV, the Sauternes Cask Matured will be available from local stockists in the UK and across the world.
For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.
Last month, Kilchoman unveiled the 2024 edition of its Loch Gorm single malt.