Kilchoman 20-year-old

Kilchoman 20 years, Family Collection 1st Edition, 49.9%. Bourbon Matured. Nose: Initially, wood ash and soy sauce are present, followed by a pleasantly fruity sweetness. Star fruit, pears, oranges, and lemon, along with a hint of various herbs. Then the smoke returns, alternating between a maritime character with iodine and salt, and then again like glowing charcoal. Palate: Soft and creamy, full-bodied, the peat smoke builds slowly and becomes stronger. A touch of iodine, sea salt and menthol, along with tobacco, pears, mango, quince jelly and lemons. Finish: Rather long and very briefly with a strong bitterness, before the mixture of fruit and peat aromas slowly fades away. Conclusion: A really good Kilchoman, although this 20-year-old actually seems younger compared to the 18-year-old bottling in the series. Nevertheless, a very strong bottling. 87/100 points (2026)

A worthy and successful bottling for the 20th anniversary.

A fantastic Kilchoman, and for me the best bourbon cask maturation to date. The smoke has already diminished considerably, resulting in a much more balanced malt.

I still believe that Kilchoman whisky performs best with shorter maturations; these twenty years seem to take away more than they add, sacrificing the distillery’s strong personality on the altar of elegance. A full and satisfying dram, to be clear, but it seems to lack drive.

Initially, I wasn't a big fan of Kilchoman's more recent bottlings, but I've since been convinced otherwise – they're absolutely fantastic. My favorite from the distillery to date.

This is the last in the Kilchoman Family Collection 1st edition series, but it is the most anticipated and the one that arouses the greatest emotions - and this is because of its age: after all, it is 20 years old! Kilchoman 20 Year Old, 49.9% ABV, 50 PPM, bourbon barrels. Distilled in 2006 (right after the distillery opened) and bottled on May 19, 2026. Barley variety: optic. Of the four, this bottle, for me, is the one that feels the Kilcho the most. However, age has taken its toll, and we have a stately presence here that hasn't lost its character. It might be an exaggeration, but it reminds me a bit of those older, heavily peated Brora releases - where the sweetness and peat combined perfectly and were unobtrusive ???? Rating: 89/91/91.

I've tried it two times now, I especially like the combination of ripe yellow fruits and the gentle iodine-like smokiness. For me, some water even improves the whole experience.

It comes across as younger than the 20 years stated on the label. I’m normally a big fan of the more purist style, and this is certainly a very good whisky. Minute by minute, it also opens up nicely and reveals more complexity and quality. But judged soberly, the price-to-quality ratio is, in my book, way out of line. A whisky at this price point should not merely be good. It should be something special. It should leave a lasting impression and offer an experience that is genuinely difficult to find elsewhere. I simply don’t think this does. Good whisky? Absolutely. Great whisky? I’m less convinced. At this price, I’m not in doubt at all.

Nose 93 - Taste 90 - Finish 91 - extremely nice smell of light smoke and fruits. bottle open for sharing ;)

It’s already become common place to say that the name of the game in the Kilchoman universe is that there’s always a special bottle, but i actually like this celebratory spirit of Kilchoman (pun intended) It’s hard to keep up, and it’s not necessary, but I found a good deal and bought a bottle in blind. Sometimes i get a feeling ‘this gonna be a gud’un!” and this is a really enjoyable whisky. It has salt, it has peat, it has lemon, it has oils, it has a little bit of minerality, it has the right amount of depth and that kind of oomph that doesn’t really hit you, but you notice it’s there. I place it in the same lineage with and somewhere in between the first editions of Kilkerran 16 and Ardbeg 19. It does taste a bit younger than its age, but this adds to its quality of being easy and almost light to drink It’s just extremely well put together.. and if I had one whisky wish, it would be for such an edition to become a permanent staple in the Kilchoman offering It is, above all, a very fun to drink whisky, and I am very happy to have shared a bottle with my mates I was never very fond of Kilchoman, but i admire their ethics, so i am happy to have finally found a whisky of theirs that i really love! Difficult to give a mark… Subjectively, an emphatic 90.