Reviews from the Jack Rose GlenAllachie and Kilchoman Tasting!
Background
Ok! Going to skip a lengthy background given there were 9(!!!) pours that were covered at this tasting. Here’s what we will be reviewing!
GlenAllachie 8 Year
GlenAllachie 12 Year
GlenAllachie 15 Year
GlenAllachie Allview Liquors Single Cask 13 Year Ruby Port
Kilchoman 100% Islay
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Kilchoman Sanaig
Kilchoman Mid-Atlantic 7yr Ex-Bourbon Single Cask
Bonus Pour Kilchoman Mid-Atlantic 9 Year Oloroso Single Cask
Let’s taste through these and see what stood out!
The GlenAllachie 8 Year Old (8 Years, 92 Proof)
Nose: Plums, cherries, vanilla
Palate: Pears, apples, chocolate, lemon peels
Finish: Dark chocolate, allspice, black pepper
Good (5/10)
Overall: This whiskey is of PX, Oloroso, Ex Bourbon and Red Wine Cask stocks. Nice stuff for a younger offering, it’s fruit forward with a decent pop of flavor. Doesnt blow me away but still, a good pour.
The GlenAllachie 12 Year Old (12 Years, 92 Proof)
Nose: Biscoff cookies, raisins, figs.
Palate: Rich juicy cherries, toffee, again some dark chocolate.
Finish: Plum, a lot of plum honestly. Black pepper, dark chocolate butterscotch. Really long!
Great (7/10)
Overall: Per the GlenAllachie folks on site, there is a lot more PX puncheon juice in the mix for 12 compared to 8, which uses more Oloroso. What really works for me here is the finish, which is lovely in how long and rich it is. I do tend to gravitate towards PX influence so I was not shocked to taste this, like it a lot, and find out they turned the volume up on the PX component.
The GlenAllachie 15 Year Old (15 Years, 92 Proof)
Nose: Waxy Asian pear. Raspberry jam, plum
Palate: Plum again, orange peel, figs, brown sugar. More dark sugar forward than the 12.
Finish: Toffee, leather, blackberry
Very Good to Great (6.5/10)
Overall: Compared again to the 8 and 12, this is only PX and Oloroso in the mix for this expression. Interestingly, something about it to me drinks a little more delicately than the 12. Maybe it's the berry notes, or that I was getting a longer finish on the 12. Delicious all the same, I just liked the 12 a shade more.
GlenAllachie Allview Liquors Single Cask Ruby Port (13 Years, 124.8 Proof)
Nose: Rose, Grapefruit, plum, honey. Love the honey note on this one.
Palate: Honey first and foremost, cinnamon sugar, black cherry.
Finish: A little hot! Cinnamon, pepper, allspice. Definitely spicy.
Very Good (6/10)
Overall: Gets a litttleee unbalanced for me at the end, love the nose in the palate but the finish comes on really strong. Still fun, but the PX cask is much more my speed.
Kilchoman 100% Islay (8 Years, 100 Proof)
Nose: Sweet mesquite smoke, pear.
Palate: Pear still, a little briney but gentle, smoked meats and pineapple. Caramel chews.
Finish: Wisps of smoke, seaweed and vanilla, fairly short.
Good (5/10)
Overall: This one is lightly peated (20 PPM), and there is indeed a gentle integration of peat on the sip. The mix of tropical notes and smokiness is nicely done. I'm candidly not the biggest peat guy, but this is approachable.
Kilchoman Machir Bay (NAS, 92 Proof)
Nose: Tropical fruits, hints of mesquite smoke.
Palate: Pears, vanilla and caramel, green apple, seaweed again.
Finish: Vanilla, citrus, salt and pepper.
Good (5/10)
Overall: Fun fact provided during the tasting on this one, they apparently always source their ex-bourbon casks from Buffalo Trace. Compared to the 100% Islay, the peat is dialed up a bit to 50 PPM, but the tropical notes balance it out well.
Kilchoman Sanaig (NAS, 92 Proof)
Nose: Peaches and cream! Cinnamon sugar. Pretty fruit and sherry forward.
Palate: Caramel apple, banana pudding and vanilla wafers, stewed plums.
Finish: Plums, salted caramel, cinnamon toast crunch, little briney and salty at the end.
Very Good (6/10)
Overall: Despite having the same peat level as Machir Bay, the added sherry influence blunts the peat. Definitely my favorite of the bunch so far. At this point in my scotch journey, I admittedly go as the sherry goes, which means this lands nicely.
Kilchoman Mid-Atlantic 7 Year Ex-Bourbon (7 Years, 109.8 Proof)
Nose: Banana laffy taffy, put that vanilla banana pudding note from Sanaig and put it front and center.
Palate: Big cinnamon sugar, toasted oak, cinnamon again. Poached pears.
Finish: Cinnamon again, caramel, a little waxy, pears again.
Very Good to Great (6.5/10)
Overall: I really enjoy the big cinnamon sugar notes, which cause this to stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to the others. Punchy flavors throughout and a nice finish.
Bonus Pour! Kilchoman Mid-Atlantic 9 Year Oloroso Single Cask (9 Years, 111.6 Proof)
Nose: Candied apples, honestly that's mostly what I get and it's lovely. A bit of coffee cake as well. Also, this was 9 pours in one tasting. I might just be losing it.
Palate: Flambe cherries, stewed plums, cinnamon sugar.
Finish: Blackberries, oak, vanilla, cinnamon.
Excellent (8/10)
Overall: Well, this is lovely. Fruity and powerful and exceedingly well balanced. Apparently this will be released in the Mid-Atlantic in the next few weeks, and I will absolutely be looking to score a bottle.
