Kilchoman Maury Cask Matured

Usually when you see an exciting or unusual style of wine cask used in whisky, the spirit has only spent its final months or perhaps a year or two max in that cask. A finishing period. Not so here. This limited edition – only released in March 2026 to great excitement – is full maturation in Maury wine casks. (Since 2021, for those wondering). Think kind of Port-style fortified wine from southern France, made with at least 75% Grenache Noir grapes. Strawberry jam and honeyed dates notes. Bold stuff from Kilchoman, a distillery we love, founded in 2004. Family-owned, they grow up to 440 tonnes of barley on Islay each year and run their own traditional floor maltings. Although this is largely reserved for their 100% Islay releases. All the malt they use is peated to a hearty 50 PPM (phenol parts per million), but distilled to preserve some lighter citrus character.