Kilchoman Loch Gorm
2022 Release | 46% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A solid entry into the peat-plus-sherry category for autumn and winter
Whisky weather
“Ach!”, she groaned.
A while back my Scottish partner and I were out for a walk in our local country park. Usually when she exasperatingly cries “Ach!” my brain always goes into two gears simultaneously: one, to quietly smile to myself (a Yankee exile) about the sheer utter Scottishness of a heartily exclaimed “Ach!”, and two, to start mentally panic-thumbing through my internal Rolodex of What Did I Do? I just assume, usually safely, that the vexation is traceable to some action or inaction on my part. This sequence of events occurs with more than enough regularity that I’m usually quite confident in pinpointing its causes. And in fairness, the exasperation is – more often than not – soundly justified. I often groan myself when I’ve found the correct card in the Rolodex for the occasion.
And yet that day, I noticed she casually gestured upwards when she said it. She pointed toward the top of a tree, with its peak beginning to turn to browns, yellows, and oranges. As we continued our walk, we noticed the signs of one season starting to shade into the next. She was a bit sad at the departure of summer and the fond memories we’d made, including a sun-soaked trip to the Ardnamurchan peninsula which included a fabulous visit to everyone’s favourite new distillery. However, at the same moment as her despondent groan, I smiled happily at the arrival of autumn because for me it means proper whisky weather again.
Well into autumn there’s usually a matting of wet leaves covering my local countryside trails. Hiking trips have taken on a different character over just the last few weeks, with the wind now blowing through increasingly bare-branch woods before we climb up to some lightly snow-dusted high summits. The contrast of birch trees – with their yellowing leaves against their white bark – always brings to mind the many senses associated with this season. For the last few years (since my entry into all of this whisky malarky) I’ve looked forward to autumn and winter because I enjoy the cooler weather, and it’s meant a turn towards a bit more whisky sipping and a turn away from the lighter beers of summer.
Yet autumn also brings with it a touch of melancholy. With leaves falling gently to the ground and blowing across the browning grass and dying bushes, it reminds us of yet another season of our lives passing. Perhaps a summer of warm memories is now behind us, or maybe we’re in the middle of a trying time in our life and the cool breeze rustling emptying branches gives us pause to consider how we, too, are changing by the seasons we’ve weathered.
While today’s rain is of course tomorrow’s whisky, “whisky weather” can mean different things. It could refer to how climate influences maturation both within but especially across different countries (think of the fast maturation of whiskey in, say, roasting Texas compared to the slow, cool maturation of whisky in the Highlands). It could feature in discussions of terroir and location in barley growth and harvest. But, the changing seasons clearly influence how we relate to and enjoy our drams. Many of us just feel like cooling weather calls for warming drams.
“An important feature for Kilchoman is not only to grow some of their own barley but also malt it themselves. However, as demand increases it becomes more difficult for the owners to keep up in the fields and on the malting floors.”
Autumn is arguably the best whisky season, and peat and sherry is perhaps the best style for this time of year. Peat-and-sherry is a category loved by many but often overlooked as a category. Peatheads have peat, sherry lovers have sherry bombs, and the more distillate-curious have bourbon casks. But peat and sherry as a distinct style gets less attention. Why does it work so well? Probably because it’s two big flavour hooks marinated together. Both are warming, yet in different ways.
Oloroso and PX sherry maturation bring cinnamon, dried fruits such as raisins, figs and prunes, warming but not sharp spices, Christmas cake, leather and sometimes tobacco. The many types of peat offer campfire, medicinal, rich, dry, vegetal, matchstick, ash, charcoal, wispy and pungent variations on a smoky theme. Inject that peat smoke and sherry sweetness into each other, and you’ve got a deliciously potent fusion that’s, for me, the perfect dram style for the perfect dram season.
Review
Kilchoman Loch Gorm, 2022 Release, 17,250 bottles, 46% ABV
£72 & limited availability
Kilchoman’s Loch Gorm is a solid entry into the peat-plus-sherry category. It’s part of the distillery’s core range but has a somewhat limited bottling (17,250 for the 2022 edition) and is usually less available than other core expressions of Machir Bay, Sanaig, and the 100% Islay. The box tells us it’s matured in Oloroso sherry butts from Bodega Jose y Miguel Martin for a minimum of eight years. This outturn was a vatting of 22 casks, 20 fresh and two refill.
Nose
Lightly charred sweet oak. Lightly charred sweets. Oaky toffee and dried figs. The Oloroso casks come through more on the nose a bit more than the smoke, even while the smoky peat is there.
Palate
Smoky red fruits and rich deep smoke. The smoke is a bit more prominent on the palate than on the nose. Biscuits and hints of the citrus fruits you find more in the Machir Bay core expression. Toffee again, but this transforms into more of an earthy note on the palate. Light cinnamon. Drying on the finish.
The Dregs
The Loch Gorm is a solid entry into the peat-and-sherry category. It holds a distinct position in Kilchoman’s core line-up, and is much more sherry-forward than the next closest expression the Sanaig - although that has a larger proportion of bourbon casks included. Like the best peat-plus-sherry drams, including some of Kilchoman’s Islay neighbours and one of my favourites, Arbeg’s Uigeadail), the Loch Gorm works so well because it strikes a fine balance between its two big flavour hooks. The Oloroso maturation works with rather than dominating the peat and other flavours, and the peat wraps around the rich red fruit notes instead of smoking them out completely. So if you’re like me and looking for a dram that feels like it fits the season, the Kilchoman Loch Gorm is an excellent choice. Luckily for me, my whisky-enjoying partner and I can sip and enjoy this together on these cooler days. With a dram like this, maybe she’ll come around to my view that autumn isn’t so terrible after all.
Score: 7/10 DD
Broddy’s Review
Kilchoman Loch Gorm, 2022 Release, 17,250 bottles, 46% ABV
CAD$135 (£85) & limited availability
Given the ongoing global whisky craze and the Islay-chase by many, I’ve generally turned to other peated offerings or independent bottled lesser-chased options such as Caol Ila. I’ve found some absolute gems in that chase but when one of my go-to whisky shops sent out their Malt Messenger email blast with recently-received bottles, I tossed my hat into their ballots for a Longrow and this Kilchoman Loch Gorm as they were reasonably priced compared to the other more exclusive whiskies in that ballot.
While I was unsuccessful in expanding my small Campbeltown selection, my lucky horseshoe must have been working as my name was drawn for the Loch Gorm. For us in Canada, autumn starts early compared to other northern hemisphere locations where an early September frost decimated the gardens and started the inexorable transition to autumnal colours. My Loch Gorm allocation was also good timing as we’d just received our annual mid-October weather snafu where we received 15cm of snow overnight. Perhaps the whisky overlords were recognising my forthcoming transition to deeper, darker, and sharper flavours that I typically reach for in the autumn and winter months.
Let’s dive into this limited release and see if it’s worth participating in chasing this bottle for whatever is left of the 2022 batch or any of the forthcoming annual releases.
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Fantastic whisky and a time machine to my childhood
Nose
Rich and smouldering peat immediately fills the air surrounding the glass, following with a tinge of sweetness. Moving closer to the glass, the peat is still present but a dark date syrup/date loaf wafts from the glass and tickles your nose. It’s so deliciously enticing that I was transported back to my childhood and eating slices of hot, fresh date loaf with my mother and brother, savouring the deep baking spice aromas and luscious dates when we had three feet of snow and -30 oC outside in winter. So vivid was the memory that my stomach momentarily growled at the fond memory! With time, the significant sherry maturation is ever present with dark sultanas, light molasses, and sliced almonds springing forward.
Palate
The rich peat follows through although I’m now realising how to describe my definition of “rich peat”. If I were to attempt to describe rich peat, I would say it walks the tightrope of including aspects of citrusy, mouth drying, and damp/earthy notes, providing a well-rounded experience that doesn’t emphasise one singular aspect of the many variations found within peat.
The rich peat is well-balanced with the sweetness of the sherry maturation here. Spicy cinnamon and clove. Dates. Raisin-y pipe tobacco smoke. Surprisingly, a dash of cocoa powder flitted across my tongue a few times. The finish is long and enjoyable, with a heavily-cinnamon spiced date loaf that is well-integrated with the lingering peat smoke.
The Dregs
It’s a winner. Rich, delicious, and fits perfectly with the forthcoming winter season for those of us in the northern hemisphere. It’s a different experience than Ardbeg’s ubiquitous Uigeadail but one I would recommend trying if you’re e a fan of peated sherry matured releases.
As a bonus, I pulled out my personal sample of Kilchoman’s Sanaig, a readily-available core range release that spends time in ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, a bottle that I bought in 2021 and finished off in early 2022 but not before filling a 100ml sample for the archives. My purpose was simple: Is Loch Gorm worth the chase and premium price over its core-range sibling? On the nose, the Sanaig is brighter, fruitier, and a touch drier than the darker smells of molasses and dates on the Loch Gorm. The peat smoke might perhaps be a bit more rubbery on the Sanaig, but that could just be batch variation or differences in age. The difference between the two releases are more evident when taking a sip. The Loch Gorm is deep, rich, and well-rounded while the Sanaig appeared flatter, reduced in flavour, and had more vanilla. Letting my palate reset with some time and a swish of water, the Sanaig’s quality and flavours were amped up to reveal a delicious whisky (I’d score the Sanaig a 6/10). Only when tasted next to its 100% sherry matured brother does it appear lesser and in the Loch Gorm’s shadow.
The nose between the two was closer than I’d thought they’d be based on my memory of the Sanaig. On the taste, you can see I was torn between the Sanaig and Loch Gorm. When tasted side-by-side, the Loch Gorm was the winner but after resetting and tasting alone, the Sanaig was a very good whisky. So did I answer my own question?
Given the Loch Gorm is about 30% more expensive than the Sanaig where I live, I’ll be participating in the chase for Loch Gorm in the future. It was appreciably better, matched my flavour preferences for peated whisky, and was appropriately priced over the Sanaig. Is the chase worth it for you? Maybe. I guess it depends on the price increase over Sanaig in your location. Don’t pay a premium for it, and if you can’t get Loch Gorm in your area, snag the Sanaig (see what I did there?) and feel comforted in the fact that it’s a quality whisky.
Score: 7/10 BB
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DD
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