Review #558 - Kilchoman 100% Islay 12th Edition (2022)

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

Kilchoman Mini-Series: Part 2 of 6

The barley used in the production of Kilchoman single malts comes from two sources: the first is an external party, typically Port Ellen Maltings for the past several years. The other source is the distillery's own farm - they grow and harvest the barley, malt it themselves, peat smoke it during the drying process, and mill it.

There is a major difference between the two, other than the obvious difference in provenance; Kilchoman peats their own barley to a significantly lower level than their external malt arrives at. From Port Ellen, the barley generally hovers around the 50ppm peat mark, while Kilchoman's local barley was smoked to a reduced 20ppm at the distillery - more of a 'medium' level of peat.

Even taking into account those peat levels, Kilchoman traditionally wouldn't describe itself as a 'heavily peated' Islay single malt in the same way that, say, Laphroaig or Ardbeg would; this is because other parts of the whisky production process also affect the perceived smokiness in the whisky, regardless of what the parts per million rating on the raw barley would suggest.

The distillery keeps the spirit from these two types of barley separate, and uses them in separate releases; the bulk of their whiskies contain the Port Ellen barley, but each year, Kilchoman produces a whisky made entirely of their own farm-grown barley, a bottling series they call '100% Islay.' The first release came in 2011, and now, we're looking at the 12th edition, which was released in 2022.

These 100% Islay whiskies typically focus the majority of their maturation on ex-bourbon casks, in order to keep the focus on the distillate. That's still the case here, though there is a little dose of sherry, too: 29 ex-bourbon barrels (likely from Buffalo Trace) and 6 Oloroso sherry butts is the exact breakdown. These bottlings don't traditionally have an age statement, but Kilchoman tells us that this 12th edition contains spirit distilled is 2011, 2012, and 2013, giving us a guarantee of 8 years of aging.

Kilchoman 100% Islay 12th Edition (2022)

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Price: USD 114 (2025)

Age Statement: 8 Years

Strength: 50% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry butts

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; 12th Edition, bottled 2022; 12,500 bottles

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle 50% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Pears, pineapple, tangerine - light fruits to start, and there's some softer peat influence. It is a bit spirity, with a hint of new make character; the complexion is light, but behind that, we get an earthy, vegetal backdrop. Sweetness comes from icing sugar, though it leans slightly dry overall.

Palate: Light and very pretty, sweeter than the nose - silky malt, a bit floral, buttery and rounded, too. The peat is still relatively soft, maybe bordering on a medium influence; mineral notes and salt build, and we get a custard flavor, too. It has a medium thickness mouthfeel.

Finish: Light fruit smoothie - more of those light fruits from the nose, slightly tropical. Soft peat, malt, and oily spirit linger, and lemon and orange grow stronger later. In the aftertaste, there's a nice bready flavor.

Final Note: Another good whisky from Kilchoman's 100% Islay series - this is one of our favorite releases from the distillery each year. We love the opportunity to taste more of their spirit character, and while the peat smoke is still there, it's much softer, more of an accent flavor. One of us found lots of those fruit flavors, while the other got a lot of the earthy and mineral character; lots of interesting parts to this flavor profile.

Value is okay, as this isn't a cheap bottle; that said, for a limited release which keeps us entertained with lots of depth, it can be worth the splurge.

Our Average Rating: 7.8 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.39

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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