Kilchoman Loch Gorm

Very nice, easily pocket the two previously tasted bottlings (Kilchoman Cognac Cask Matured and Fino Cask Matured).

Quite interesting. It almost tastes like a blend because there are so many flavors. It's peated, rich from sherry but without a discernible px/oloroso flavor. It has some caramel and some thickness, brown sugar. Very much wood flavor, and a bit of spice and floral. I suppose it's a bit of everything - caramel, some fruit. It's an interesting combination!

Batch: 22/2/23 23/20 If you like sherried Laphroaigs, I would suggest you to try this. Just incredible. One of my favorites of all time. It has a resinous note that reminds me of Campbeltown Loch (batch 23/50). It is very similar to Sanaig and not better than Sanaig in any obvious way (IMHO). The differences are not worth the difference in price, so I guess I won't buy another bottle. But, don't get me wrong, it is fantastic. > Almost over The autumnal, fallen leaves and gentle dunnage remind me of Aberfeldy. It is a mix of that kind of profile with the typical Kilchoman profile, that I would describe as farmy, peaty, coastal, herbal and tropical. I love farmy whisky, and this one is just delightful. Nose: Funky, farmy, aromatic, fresh, herbal and maritime. Funky farmy peat, refreshing seabreeze, musty fallen leaves and other autumnal notes, delicate sappy notes, gentle and dusty dunnage, minty (almost balsamic) notes, cloying incense, sandalwood, with some maritime, herbal, peaty and perfum-y notes. Very aromatic. Taste: Musty, farmy, toasted, sweet and salty. After eight chocolates, toasted funky barley, sandalwood, celery, aromatic farmy peat, fresh fruit notes like pineapple and unripe pear, autumnal notes like wet soil and wet leaves, rancid dunnage, gentle toffee and tobacco, wet charred wood, rye-like herbal notes like sap, coastal notes like seaweed, seawater and seafood, a touch of organic matter and spicy wood. Forestry and nutty hints. Finish: Musty, dirty, farmy, sweet, salty, herbal. Dirty soil, herbal incense, farmy barley, roasted lamb, watered down coffee, perfume, green apple, BBQ sauce, seafood, rosemary, musty wood, dates, seabreeze, fresh fruit, caramel, bay, eucalyptus. An incredible whisky. I still prefer Machir Bay and Sanaig, but that doesn't mean this one is not insanely good. If it showed less toasted notes, it would be one my absolute favorites. > Definitive review: The Kilchoman distillery is quite unique in many ways: it is a young distillery, having started production in 2005; it is a farm distillery on Islay that seeks to carry on the tradition of Islay peated whisky through a farm-to-bottle approach, distinguishing itself from larger producers; its core range has long been NAS, leaving its bottlings with anything resembling an age statement behind an absurd paywall; and, due to the distinctive character of both its spirit and its bottlings, it has a dedicated following among whisky nerds, while some enthusiasts still overlook it. Personally, I am part of the distillery’s cult following. The typical Kilchoman profile, that I would describe as a combination of farmy barley, sweet and coastal peat, with herbal and tropical nuances, really shines in this one. But nearly every bottle in its core range has pleasantly surprised me, and in my opinion, each one highlights a different aspect of their profile. Saligo Bay [9.5/10] emphasizes the coastal and maritime notes, Machir Bay [9.6/10] the tropical, peaty and farmy ones, Sanaig [9.5/10] the sweet and toasty character, and this Loch Gorm [9.3/10] the most aromatic side—while its Batch Strength bottling [7/10] shows the distillery at its worst. Nose: Funky, farmy, aromatic, fresh, herbal and maritime. Loads of funky and farmy peat, refreshing seabreeze, musty fallen leaves and other autumnal notes, delicate sappy notes, gentle and dusty dunnage, minty (almost balsamic) notes, cloying incense, sweet coffee dessert (like tiramisu), exotic notes like sandalwood, with some maritime, herbal, peaty and perfum-y notes. Very aromatic. Taste: Musty, farmy, toasted, sweet and salty. After eight chocolates, toasted funky barley, sandalwood, celery, aromatic farmy peat, fresh fruit notes like pineapple and unripe pear, autumnal notes like wet soil and wet leaves, rancid dunnage, gently bitter toffee and tobacco, wet charred wood, rye-like herbal notes like sap, coastal notes like seaweed, seawater and seafood, a touch of organic matter and spicy wood. Forestry and nutty hints. Finish: Musty, dirty, farmy, sweet, salty, herbal. Dirty soil, herbal incense, farmy barley, roasted lamb, watered down coffee, perfume, green apple, BBQ sauce, seafood, rosemary, musty wood, dates, seabreeze, fresh fruit, caramel, bay, eucalyptus. It builds up, becoming more woody, citric, peaty and toasted. To be honest, it didn't sit well with me until halfway through the bottle. But one day it clicked with me, and since then, I’ve liked each pour more than the last. Now, I would say it's a perfectly crafted plot with three main characters who, though different, complement each other perfectly. On one side, the aromatic smoke, with actual church incense notes and delicate dunnage notes reminiscent of autumnal aromas and flavors (Aberfeldy-style); on the other, the sweet, fruity, musty, nutty and toasted caramel notes from the Sherry casks; and, finally, the farm, cereal, and tropical notes that come from the liquid itself and the distillery's unique character. It’s an absurdly complex whisky that has provided me with countless hours of pure enjoyment. What I love most is how the smoky, artisanal notes and the sherry notes combine into this delicious incense-like note I keep chasing around, and how the farmy, peaty and musty notes add depth and layers upon layers to the overall profile, enhancing it and giving it, rather than just personality, their own life. With time and a little bit of water, it reveals countless nuances and configurations where the funkier, smokier, more aromatic, and sweeter, delicate Sherry notes take turns and harmonize beautifully. Balanced, precise, and defined, it’s a job very well done, and I would say it has a nearly unmatched personality, despite being clearly related to other bottlings from the distillery, specially Sanaig. An incredible whisky. I still prefer Saligo Bay, Machir Bay and Sanaig, but that doesn't mean this one is not insanely good. If it had fewer toasted notes (a little bit too much tiramisu for me), it would be among my absolute favorites, like its siblings. In short, truly enjoyable.

Islay peat + intense sherry - a mixture where you can hardly go wrong. Tasty and just right for a barbecue party with friends.

Tasted at Sherry Butt, Paris, 03/25.

Nose unfortunately terribly musty. Bad musty cowshed Olorosso. 75 points Correction after days it smells like a Lagavulin nice after smoked bacon Taste is already more pleasant. Pleasantly sweet sherry, light smoke pepper, lacquer, maritime salt The smoke, lacquer scratches, pepper and salt linger on the finish for a long time.

Colour me impressed!

It always surprises me how the Kilchoman smoke profile seems to change depending on cask influence. Sometimes it can be quite sharp and medicinal, but in Sherry/port casks it's more tar/ash-like. Lovely but not too complex sweet+peat combo with a dirty 'wet moss' palate and a cleaner sour-cherry finish. It can easily hold itself in a comparison against the likes of an Ardbeg Uigeadail

Good as always. A fruity, sherried, lovely Kilchoman. One of my very favourite bottlings.

Lighter, more subtle (versus 2020 Loch Gorm), similar profile to 2022 Loch Gorm, but more balanced.

Mild slightly smoky fruity aroma, slightly flatter taste

Aroma Nice smoke, citrus notes, spicy The taste spicy smoke, sweetish, pepper aftertaste Long, continuing nice spicy smoky notes

Seems that the Gorm is coming into it's own. Love the dunnage influence here.

COLOR: Golden yellow - a good aromatic Islay malt - I find it aromatically better than the predecessor from 2022 - for about 90€ but unfortunately not aromatic enough for me to to buy again

Drier, more leathery, less fruity than the 2022... even if a few blackberries got lost. Very long finish

Plums, plums, blackcurrants, blackberries, greengages, we think of Port. Behind, beautiful coaly and oiled peat. Burnt wood, lignite, soot. Blueberry jam. It's well balanced. Palate both light and deep, the fruits are light, evanescent, ethereal, like a cloud of fruit, and the peat is deep, marshy, earthy, full of humus and vegetable moss. The spices are rich, nutmeg, saffron, intense, cumin, black pepper. Fleshy, meaty finish, grilled bacon, Viandox sauce. Then we dive back into the earth, the peat, with currants and cranberries. It's up to par with the series, we're not disappointed. This one seems a little fruitier to me than the others I've tasted, but a little bit young too, with a certain candor. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2023/11/kilchoman-2015-loch-gorm-2023.html

A very nice publication by Kilchoman. Sweet, fruity with a lot of smoke, moss, peat, but also a pleasant honey bitterness. A great position for the so-called everyday daily dram

Perfectly composed smoke with sherry, chocolate and toffee and dried fruit with honey, sea salt and citrus.

A Kilchoman I really like. Nice ashy-smoky profile with well-integrated sherry notes. Works almost always, so here too. Not overly complex in what it offers but straightforward and tasty.

Kilchoman is always good. They're working hard and making smart stuff. They are above all consequent in their choices and they have the utmost respect for their own products. Their 2023 Loch Gorm is a hit. It's rather expensive again (compared to their Sanaig, which is a killer of a dram). But, without thinking on the price, the Loch Gorm is formidable. A balanced dram with peaty and fruity notes, beautifully combined with rougher elements like animal / stable notes and asphalt. Lovely. Another bomb!

The sherry feels like it's getting mustier and stale from year to year - I'm missing the sweetness and freshness a little. It's more smoky - personally I'd prefer a more sherry focus and a more subtle smokiness (as an accompaniment). From my point of view, it can't get close to the 2017 and 2018 batch - that's my benchmark for Loch Gorm. [86 - 82 = good whisky -> get (second) bottle? Perhaps...] Even if this one is not bad, the one bottle and the sample is enough for me.

Not Bad, but the price is high.

Nose: animal then, berries, bacon, warm smoke, earthy, leather, very smooth, and subtle peated. A great personality with a lot of finesse. What a range of aromas! Taste: soft, smoked berries, lemon, creamy, vegetal and fruity, bacon, leather and woody. What a richness of flavors! Finish: medium length, sweetness from the berries, bacon, warm peat smoke. Nuts, oranges, spices, chocolate and raisins. Salivating and sapid. Perfect balance. The influence of sherry is more present on the palate than on the nose and the combination with the Kilchoman peat is melting with pleasure. I adore.

reasonbly good edition, definitely not exceptional,... Would need to do a line up of the previous versions to be sure. Sadly the price got way too high for this bottling :/ sign of the times? This used to be my favourite kilchoman, not sure if it still is since i no longer buy as many killy's as i used to...

N: dirty, peat, seaweed, ash P: Sherry, peat, dirt, sharp ash, light honey notes. These sharp and ashy whiskies are not my favourite ones. Well done but feels young!

Anthony Wills selected 22 barrels from three different vintages for the 2023 bottling of Loch Gorm, the youngest from 2015. The whisky is therefore around 8 years old. Kilchoman is increasingly emerging as the Islay Distillery, which stands for truly authentic Islay whiskys. The distillery works by hand, does not dye, does not cool-filter and does without the marketing nonsense of corporations that want to make whisky a luxury. And luxury is the opposite of the spirit of the Queen of the Hebrides. Loch Gorm is the distillery's 100% sherry bottling. This bottling is not cola dark, but has an honest color. This also suggests that we get authentic Islay whisky here. In autumn the 2023 edition will be available in shops between €86 and €96. glen-efze.de

The previous versions of Loch Gorm were better for me, more towards sherry and the peat was a complement to it all, here it dominates too much.