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Hello there! Yet another peated delight. This time a Kilchoman from Feis Ile 2014.
“Pure Kilchoman! A delightful bottled pleasure”
90
A special Kilchoman bottling produced specially for the 2014 Islay whisky festival, it was matured for around 5 years, initially in first-fill bourbon casks before spending a finishing period in a Fino Sherry butt. And it's good. Really very good indeed. The outturn was 525 cask strength bottles
This dram has a white wine-like color.
Nose (90): more than average.
honey, peat, vanilla, toffee, citrus, spices, candies.
Perhaps the most sought after edition of the Feis Ile whiskies ( if you ignore Ardbeg )… I just hope it keeps as it is right now below the collectors’ radar.
“Wonderful Laphroaig... I should have buy more bottles of this”
91
This year's Cairdeas release ("Cairdeas", pronounced 'car-chase', means 'friendship' in Gaelic) was matured in bourbon barrels and Amontillado hogsheads.
Created by Laphroaig Master Distiller John Campbell, it's bottled at 51.4% abv.
This dram has a amber-like color.
Nose (90): more than average.
peat, honey, citrus, wood, spices, cinnamon, apples.
Finish (91): longer than average.
peat, honey, salt.
So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Laphroaig Cairdeas 2014 Edition with 91 points over 100.
If last year FOL whisky was fantastic this year is really there too. A quite good whisky and still priced for people that actually drink the stuff! Thanks Laphroaig!
Following my review of a lovely peated macho Bunna, here I am again with a review of a pretty decent Caol Ila from Feis Ile 2014.
“A really complex Caol Ila with a powerful fresh fruity ka-boom!”
89
Caol Ila's Fèis Ìle 2014 bottling was selected by new distillery manager David Wood (a truly excellent name for anybody in a position to choose casks) who carries on Billy Stitchell's great work. Matured in refill American oak hogsheads, 1,500 bottles have been released.
This dram has a fino-like color.
Nose (88): more than average.
honey, vanilla, baked apples, citrus, smoke.
Finish (90): longer than average.
honey, citrus, spices.
So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Caol Ila 2002 - Feis Ile 2014 with 89 points over 100.
As always I tasted it blind and it is surprising that it is just aged in american oak casks. It is so fruity and complex… I was expecting something crazy combinations of casks. It isn’t amazing but it is quite close to it.
I am making peace with my box of samples and drinking the stuff that I have been neglecting for the last four months, so what better way of starting than drinking peated whisky… and so I happened to have on my box a few samples of the Feis Ile whiskies, in fact all but the expensive Bowmore and the Ardbeg Auriverdes ( wtf is doing people with Ardbeg?! Is this artificial scarcity? )
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Pretty nice! And to think that I started with this one because I though it was lightly peated! Lovely surprise! Pretty much like a peat hug!
So today I review part of the first addition to this crazy educational whisky range. There are for each of the three original bottles, 3 new whiskies called: .1, .2 and .3.
Those of you that follow A Wardrobe of Whisky on Facebook may have read it, but I think you all deserve an explanation. I really write on the blog almost daily and I taste several whiskies weekly at worst… but unfortunately since June I haven’t been able nor really I was in mood to write or drink whisky.
I have finally had time to write the review of this Kilchoman from Abbey Whisky. I really love Kilchoman malts since I tasted their first bottle a few years ago, here we have a five years old Kilchoman aged in bourbon casks for most of its life to end being finished in a PX cask for four months. But before I review the whisky you must know that I am not really fond of PX finished whiskies… I really prefer Oloroso aged… but… anyway… let’s try this.
“Fantastic Kilchoman, and that is said by a person that really doesn't enjoy PX whiskies. Add a drop of water and let it breathe a bit to reveal its true shape. Delicious!”
90
Established in 2005, Kilchoman distillery holds true to tradition, it’s one of only a handful of distilleries to still practice floor maltings; they even grow their own barley! We’ve always greatly admired Islay's farm distillery and what it stands for, so to team up and release this wonderful dram makes us incredibly proud indeed!
Cask #285/09 has been matured for over four and a half years in a fresh bourbon barrel before being transferred to a Pedro Ximénez cask for a further four months maturation. The PX finish on this release works a treat, softening things down a little but still allowing the dram to hold the traditional taste & characteristics you would expect from a Kilchoman whisky of this age. A perfect combination.
This dram has a amber-like color.
Nose (91): more than average.
peat, honey, cocoa, spices, cinnamon, fruits, citrus, salt.
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