Taste Guide: Mezcal Cask
In 2019, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), the trade body of the Scotch whisky industry, changed the regulations on cask maturation of Scotch whisky. In the course of the trend towards maturing or finishing whisky in increasingly exotic casks in order to offer consumers new taste experiences, demands for a relaxation of the previous rules, which many distilleries considered restrictive, had become louder and louder; individual distilleries had already “creatively interpreted” the existing rules and launched individual Calvados or Cider cask finishings on the market. (At Kilchoman, too, the first Calvados casks had already been filled before 2019).
Under the old rules, Scotch whisky could only be matured in oak casks that had been “traditionally used in the industry”, i.e. bourbon, sherry, rum, wine and beer casks, to name but the most important. The new rules now also allow the use of casks in which other spirits were previously matured, as long as cask maturation is part of the traditional production process of these spirits. These are, for example, the two agave spirits tequila and mezcal, calvados as well as other fruit brandies as long as they are not made from stone fruits. However, the use of cider and gin casks is still not permitted.
In 2020, Kilchoman filled 25 tequila and 25 mezcal casks for the first time on a trial basis, some intended for full maturation, some for finishing. As Anthony Wills reported several times, they were very positively surprised by the development of the whisky in these casks and therefore filled a few more around Christmas time 2020.
The first Mezcal Finish Single Cask Release was released at the beginning of May 2021 by the renowned Edinburgh whisky merchant Royal Mile Whiskies. The first release for the USA (ImpEx Cask Evolution 01/2021) was already bottled in February 2021, but only came onto the US market in July. These two bottlings were followed by 16 more in 2021 and 2022. All were aged for 7 or 8 years, with mezcal finishing periods ranging from 6 to 20 months.
The first mezcal cask full-maturation then appeared in early 2026 as an exclusive release for the Kilchoman European Tour 2026. By far the largest marketing tour Kilchoman had ever undertaken, it took members of the Kilchoman Sales and Marketing team to 26 European countries between 20 January and 30 March. And, just like the earlier Mezcal cask finishes, this whisky – aged just 5 years – was received extremely positively.
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What does Kilchoman whisky from a mezcal cask taste like?
First of all, it is striking that mezcal cask maturation or finishing gives the whisky a high degree of recognition. For people who are not so familiar with the taste of mezcal, we recommend to taste a mezcal at the same time as the whisky and being surprised at how clearly you recognise the mezcal in the smell and taste of the whisky.
On the nose, there is the noticeable earthy mezcal wood smoke note, which competes for dominance with the ashy maritime peat smoke note of a Kilchoman whisky. This may initially seem somewhat jarring, but in most cases the two combine to form a smoky tone entirely new to Kilchoman, which then leans more towards a barbecue-like character.
On the palate, the typical notes of the Kilchoman distillate – cooked yellow fruits, citrus, barley malt – are complemented by an additional ‘green’ fruitiness. The whiskies feel young and lively; one might stereotypically describe them as ‘summer whiskies’, but I recommend them in every season!
Whilst the related tequila finishings seem somewhat dull and stand out only for their added candyfloss sweetness, the mezcal cask maturations and finishings are an extremely interesting addition to the Kilchoman portfolio!
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Mezcal Cask bottlings from Kilchoman
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