Kilchoman Red Wine Release

Cask type: 20 red wine casks from the Portuguese Douro Valley

Vintage: 2012

Bottled: October 2017

Age: 5 yo

Strength: 50 % abv

Phenol level: 50 ppm

Number of bottles: almost 7.000

Bottle volume: 0,7 l / 0,75 l

Bottle code:
RW 03.10.17 17/61
RW 05.10.17 17/61
RW 10.11.17 17/61 (for China)

Distribution: worldwide

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Following the Port, Madeira and Sauternes wine releases of recent years, Kilchoman continued the series of wine releases with the “Red Wine Cask Release”, which appeared on October 8, 2017.
Distilled in 2012, the whisky was matured for 5 years in red wine casks from the Portuguese Douro Valley. 20 casks were filled for this release, the yield was almost 7.000 bottles with 50% abv.

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Tasting Notes

Archer:

Nose
Oops, the smoke has the red wine barrel cut but pretty nice. With such a young guy you should expect that he is going forward. Instead, it shows only a mild, slightly ashy and grape-sweet smoky note. A little malt and a cereal touch. Fir needles in the distance. A herbal mix. 85

Taste
Sweet and overripe grapes, ashen smoke. Fresh oak chips and menthol. Toffee, caramel. Greasy with time. 85

Finish
Rather short, still slightly smoky and with the sweetness of the grapes. Herbe herbs. 84

There are good to very good approaches to find, but it lacks depth to achieve top marks here. In my opinion, the wine cask hides and conceals too many of the good Kilchoman flavors.

87/100 points