Review #562 - Kilchoman 8 Year STR Finish - ImpEx Cask Evolution

Kilchoman Mini-Series: Part 6 of 6

Many different finishing casks have been used in Kilchoman's partnership with ImpEx Beverages, the importer for Kilchoman products in the United States. These two companies collaborate to create the 'ImpEx Cask Evolution' series, a run of single casks of varying age statements and cask types.

Our example today was aged for 7 years in an ex-bourbon cask before it was moved for a final year into a shaved, toasted, and re-charred red wine casks; the total age statement, then, is 8 years, with distillation in 2013 and bottling in 2022. At the end of maturation, this was bottled at a cask strength of 56% ABV.

Kilchoman 8 Year STR Finish - ImpEx Cask Evolution

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Price: USD 164 (2025)

Age Statement: 8 Years

Strength: 56% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon barrel, finished for 1 year in a STR red wine cask

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; cask 735/2013, distilled October 17, 2013; bottled March 2, 2022; 242 bottles

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle 70% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Light and bright, with sharp peat and some salty sea influence; it's a bit sharp overall. There are hints of lemon and jalapeno bringing a mild fruit side, and then an herbal note with the peat. Hints of butter and perfume arrive in time.

Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel; this is sharp and juicy, with a combination of syrupy pickled peppers and roasted jalapeno. Strong sharp peat takes over, and it's quite spirity; white pepper and lime reside in the background.

Finish: Still a combination of sharp and juicy, and while peat is still strong, some wood smoke arrives, too. Linen or cotton is a subtle flavor in the background, and it's a medium length finish.

Final Note: A decent single cask from Kilchoman, but not one of our favorite cask finishes from them. This whisky felt a bit sharp and unbalanced, quite spirity, though it did have some light, bright smoke and fruit flavors. There's still plenty of flavor packed into the single malt with that high bottling strength, but we might pick a different sherry/wine finished single cask over this one.

Value isn't great, as this is also quite expensive - over $160 in our area, though we know that the pricing on these Kilchoman single casks can vary market to market.

Our Average Rating: 6.5 / 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: 4.75

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.