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 A few extra thoughts for my WDJK friends in addition to my formal review below. First, this is not available in the U.S., which is why I have the price in Pounds Sterling. (Anthony Wills, the Managing Director of Kilchoman, tells me it will be in the U.S. in 2010.)  I checked the Kilchoman website, and they still list it as being for sale with a two bottle limit. They also note that there will be a third release this month–something to look forward to.

I also wanted to note that I lined this whisky up next to the new Ardbeg Rollercoater (a marriage of 3-10 year old whiskies) and feel that Kilchoman tastes as mature as Rollercoaster. This is one of the most impressive new distilleries–anywhere! Let’s hope they can keep this up in the future.

Kilchoman, Autumn 2009 release, 46%, £47
This (rather young) Islay distillery’s second release. Like the original release, it’s aged for about three years and then finished in sherry casks–this time for 2.5 months, which is less than the first release. It’s in the same ballpark as the first release.

Once again, I am very impressed. It’s very mature for its age, with good viscosity, showing smoldering peat, coal tar, black licorice stick, burnt dark berried fruit, thick cut marmalade, shoo-fly pie (think molasses), toffee apple, cocoa powder, cinnamon and a suggestion of wet sheep. Long, peat smoke finish.

Advanced Malt Advocate  magazine rating: 90

Last week I asked you here whether you wanted me to review Round 2 of Diageo’s Manager’s Choice whiskies. By roughly a 2-1 margin, you voted “no”.

I told you I would offer my decision today. (Sorry for the delay–an unexpected doctor visit pushed my schedule back.)

Here’s what I’m going to do. I’ll review the whiskies–it might only be informally–sometime soon and let you know my thoughts. Many of you are curious about the whiskies (even though you may never taste them), and so am I. I’ll also compare them to existing standard bottlings if I have them handy (something many of you asked about). BUT, I won’t review them until I get some of the more affordable, accessible whiskies reviewed first. That’s my first priority.

This was posted on the Kilchoman Distillery website last week. I’m finally getting around to posting it up here.

Now that Kilchoman has (surprisingly good for its age) legal whisky to sell, the need to expand their operations.

I’m not sure who will replace John at Bunnahabhain.

The press release:

We are delighted to announce that John MacLellan will be joining us as General Manager.  John has worked in the whisky industry for over 20 years and for the past 12 years he has been the manager at Bunnahabhain, so brings with him lots of experience.  He starts on the 3rd of May and will be responsible for the day to day running of the business, freeing Anthony up to concentrate on developing sales around the world.

As you recall, I announced the 16th Annual Malt Advocate Whisky Award winners here back in February. Some of the award winners were never formally reviewed and rated for the Malt Advocate magazine Buyer’s Guide. I’ll be posting those up this week, beginning with our “Best Buy” award winner, so that these whiskies will be searchable in our Buyer’s Guide database. They’ll be published in the next issue of Malt Advocate.

Focus on “The MacPhail’s Collection”

Three whiskies. All 8 years old, and nicely matured. And all aged in refill sherry casks, for just the right amount of sherry influence without dominating the flavor profile. These days, it’s hard to find a nice single malt scotch for around $30-35. Here are three.

83 The MacPhail’s Collection (distilled at Highland Park), 43%, $30
The lightest and most appetizing of the three. Look for honeyed vanilla, mango, nectarine, pineapple in syrup, floral notes, and delicate brine. A fresh, easy drinking, “anytime” dram.

83 The MacPhail’s Collection (distilled at Glenrothes), 43%, $30
A pleasing, younger expression of this classic Speysider. Noticeably mouth-coating, with a malty foundation accentuated by toffee apple, chocolate covered nuts, and fresh grass. Very stylish.

82 The MacPhail’s Collection (distilled at Tamdhu), 43%, $30
This distillery is (sadly) mothballed at the moment, and not always easy to find. The most aggressive of the three. Notes of burnt toffee, roasted nuts, ripe barley, citrus, vanilla, honey, and toasted marshmallow.

As I mentioned in the awards write-up, a Bunnahabhain 8 year old will also be added to the MacPhail’s Collection shortly.

This week's episode includes highlights from the Whisky Guild's annual Whisky Classic event in Morristown, New Jersey. Ardbeg's Rollercoaster made its U.S. debut at the Whisky Classic, and we'll get some of the details from Dr. Bill Lumsden. We'll also hear about plans for the first U.S. Ardbeg Committee gathering this April in Chicago, and Rick Wassmund of Copper Fox will tell us about his latest single malt from Virginia. In the news, John MacLellan leaves Burn Stewart Distillers for Kilchoman, Texas gets its first-ever bourbon, Denmark gets a new single malt, and the WhiskyCast iPhone app is now available!