Kilchoman - Sanaig - Cask Strength

Kilchoman Distillery

Sanaig Cask Strength

Single Malt Scotch, 750ml, 57.8% abv

Non-chill filtered, natural color

For those not familiar with the Kilchoman Distillery, it was the first “new” distillery on Islay in 124 years when it was established in 2005, paving the way for a new crop of young distilleries such as Ardnahoe, Port Ellen, and soon Portintruan, Finlaggan and possibly more. But even when all those distilleries are built, this is still the only farm distillery — they operate a large farm that grows barley, something that is immediately obvious when you visit, literally dodging tractors as you work your way to the parking lot. While they do not have the capacity to grow all the barley they need to make their whiskies, no other distillery on Islay has committed to farming in any meaningful way, certainly nothing like Kilchoman has, which today remains a family-run operation by Anthony Wills and his sons (and now the family of the farm they partnered with and ultimately merged with are involved as well). Truly extraordinary whisky — and Peated Islay single malt Scotch at that.

From the Distillery:

Created from the same recipe of casks as our regular Sanaig release, Sanaig Cask Strength was matured predominantly in oloroso sherry casks. However, instead of adding water once the casks have been selected and vatted, this limited edition Sanaig Cask Strength has been bottled at its natural cask strength of 57.8% alc./vol. The result is an intense combination of rich peat smoke, cinnamon sweetness, and stoned fruits with waves of citrus, mixed spices, and dark chocolate.

“Ever since we first launched Machir Bay at cask strength, followers of Kilchoman have been crying out for Sanaig to be bottled at the same high strength. The wait is over and it certainly packs a punch! Rich dark fruits coat the palate and along lasting finish of sweetness and spice make sure this smoky dram stays with you long after you’ve finished. ”Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder