Kilchoman Casado
Kilchoman was founded in 2005 by Anthony Wills in the northwest corner of Islay, near Machir Bay. It sources its barley from Rockside Farm along with Port Ellen maltings. Interestingly, the Port Ellen maltings are peated to 50ppm, whereas the maltings done at the distillery are closer to 20ppm. From 2005 to 2023, the distillery sourced its barrels from Buffalo Trace but since 2023, the barrels come from Breckenridge Distillery in Colorado. The distillery frequently uses sherry and other ex-wine casks to finishing or full maturation, both in their core and more limited offerings. The Kilchoman Casado is a limited edition offering that debuted in 2022. The name Casado is Portuguese for marriage and the whisky is matured in first fill-bourbon barrels for 6 years before 38 casks were blended for 2 years in two 6,000 liter Portuguese red wine vats.
Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo
Glenmorangie debuted it’s “Tale of” series in 2020, and is a highly experimental set of offerings from the Highland distillery. The selections are curated by the distillery’s Director of Whisky Creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden, and fashioned around a story or sensory experience. Dr. Bill has…
Deanston Virgin Oak
Deanston is relatively new for a distillery in Scotland, being converted from the a cotton mill that was almost two centuries old when converted to a distillery in 1966. Since that time, Deanston has created a number of blended and single malt whiskies, albeit with occasional bouts of stoppage due to diminished demand or other factors. There are 2 wash stills and 2 spirit stills, which produce a total of 3 million liters per year, offerings ranging from a core line of aged and unaged whiskies. It is also the only distillery currently in Scotland to be self-sustaining from an electrical standpoint, powered by a hydro-electric facility on site. The Deanston Virgin Oak is part of their core line up. Matured at first in ex-bourbon barrels like a majority of scotches, it is then finished for 9-12 months in fresh virgin casks from Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky, a family operation that got their start by the River Kelvin in Glasgow, Scotland. While using virgin oak is normal for bourbon in the United States, it is very rare to see in scotch production.