Description
Nose : Delicious. Very much Kilchoman with the peat and smoke front and center, but this is more rounded or integrated than previous releases. Underneath the briny, rubbery, slightly antiseptic peat lie syrupy notes of lemon curd, poached pear and stewed raisins along with subtler hints of macerated tart cherries and grape must. There are spices in all that savory peat as well, cloves in glazed ham and black pepper-rubbed steak. The smoke is less ashy than other Kilchoman releases as well, more like a dry smoke from a BBQ.
Palate : Wow. A thinly oily mouthfeel with more baked, sweet, dark fruits initially, cherries and raisins again, alongside dark chocolate and toffee. The peat swells early, relents a bit to let more tinned fruit and spice come through, cloves, allspice, and black pepper, and then combines with more chocolate and malt in a savory-sweet, dry wood-smoke gallop to the finish.
Finish : Medium-long and mouth-watering. Not as ashy as I usually think of Kilchoman being, full of more clove, pepper, dried fruits, and dry wood smoke.
