New Kilchoman Bottlings for Japan

A series of new Kilchoman bottlings for the Japanese market, which had already been bottled in November 2023, have now only been released in Japan in April 2024 due to the long transport routes.

In addition to some single cask bottlings – a 12-year-old fully matured bourbon cask and a Kilchoman aged for almost 8 years in a refill Pedro Ximénez hogshead for the Japanese market as a whole, a 10-year-old Sauternes cask finish for the Bar Livet in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district on the occasion of its 10th anniversary and a Tequila finish with which Liquor Land Kimura has already brought out its third “Kimchoman” release – there is also a Triskele Casks Japan Exclusive release.

Similar to the delayed Triskele Casks release for Quebec, Japanese whisky buyers will once again be able to enjoy a bottling from the now discontinued Triskele Casks series. The concept of the series of Small Batch Releases for Selected Markets, which began in 2019 and was only renamed Triskele Casks Releases at the beginning of 2023, is to illustrate the influence of various “experimental” cask types on Kilchoman whisky. For this purpose, a Machir Bay vatting or Machir Bay Collaborative Vatting, i.e. a whisky with 46% alcohol strength, which was previously matured for approx. 5 years mainly in bourbon casks and 5-15% in Oloroso sherry casks, is married with an additional special cask type.

Kilchoman Triskele Logo

In the “Triskele Casks Japan Exclusive”, the third Small Batch Release for Japan, the additional cask is, as so often in 2023, an STR cask (Shaved, Toasted & Re-charred Ex-Red Wine Cask). The proportions are stated as 75% bourbon, 5% Oloroso sherry and 20% STR cask. The Celtic symbol of the Triskele, which is known to adorn every Kilchoman bottle as a logo, symbolises, among other things, the unity of three elements. As the name for Kilchoman’s small batch bottlings, which consist of three different cask types that together form a new unit, it was certainly an obvious choice.

Kilchoman is shifting away from the country-specific Small Batch / Triskele Casks releases because they did not want to confuse the markets with too many different releases and instead wanted to concentrate on the new, third General Release – the Batch Strength Release. In terms of composition and age, this is very similar to the Small Batch and Triskele Casks releases and, like the other two General Releases, “poaches” Kilchoman’s 5-year-old cask stock.

Here is an overview of the new bottlings:

Triskele Casks Japan Exclusive – STR Red Wine / Bourbon / Oloroso Sherry

Cask types: 75 % Bourbon / 5 % Oloroso Sherry / 20 % STR

Age: NAS

Date Bottled: 15.11.2023

Strength: 48,3 % abv

Phenol level: 50 ppm

Number of bottles: 1.686

Bottle volume: 0,7 l

Bottle code: SB 15/11/23 23/156

Barcode: 5 060210 707415

12 yo Bourbon Matured Single Cask for Japan

Cask No.: 457/2011

Cask type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Date Filled: 4.8.2011

Date Bottled: 3.11.2023

Age: 12 yo

Strength: 52,6 % abv

Phenol level: 50 ppm

Bottle volume: 0,7 l

Barcode: 5 060210 707507

PX Sherry Single Cask for Japan

Cask No.: 906/2015

Cask type: Refill PX Sherry Hogshead

Date Filled: 18.11.2015

Date Bottled: 3.11.2023

Age: 7 yo

Strength: 59,7 % abv

Phenol level: 50 ppm

Bottle volume: 0,7 l

Number of bottles: 336

Barcode: 5 060210 707491

Sauternes Single Cask Finish for Bar Livet – 10th Anniversary

Cask No.: 38/2013

Cask type: Ex-Bourbon Barrel, Sauternes Cask Finish for more than 2 years

Date Filled: 31.1.2013

Date Bottled: 15.11.2023

Age: 10 yo

Strength: 53,4 % abv

Phenol level: 50 ppm

Bottle volume: 0,7 l

Number of bottles: 256

Barcode: 5 060210 707583

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Tequila Single Cask Finish for Kimchoman3

Cask No.: 746/2013

Cask type: Ex-Bourbon Barrel, Tequila Cask Finish

Date Filled: 18.10.2013

Date Bottled: 30.10.2023

Age: 10 yo

Strength: 54,5 % abv

Phenol level: 50 ppm

Bottle volume: 0,7 l

Number of bottles: 226