Kilchoman Genesis Stage 3

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 49.4% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Kilchoman Genesis Stage 3 explores the peating of barley. The third release in the eight-part Genesis series focuses on a production step that shapes the whisky's smoky character. It brings together whisky made from malt produced at Kilchoman's own maltings and whisky made from Port Ellen Maltings malt. This combines different peating levels: around 20 ppm for the malt produced on site and 50 ppm for the malt from Port Ellen.

The vatting comprises 70% bourbon-cask-matured whisky, 25% STR-cask-matured whisky and 5% sherry-cask-matured whisky. The sherry component comes from Oloroso casks. STR refers to former red wine casks whose inner wood surface is shaved, toasted and recharred. This cask selection complements the smoke with sweet and spicy notes. The edition was bottled in 2022 at 49.4%, with a release of 3,600 bottles. The whisky is not chill-filtered and contains no added colouring. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in blue gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Smoke, sweet malt and vanilla mingle with citrus notes on the nose. A hint of caramel adds to the aroma.
• Palate: The whisky feels creamy on the palate. Caramel and toffee combine with herbal notes and liquorice.
• Finish: Notes of smoked ham emerge in the fruity finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

Anthony and Kathy Wills founded Kilchoman on Islay in 2005. Based at Rockside Farm, the family business combines farming with whisky production. For its 100% Islay range, Kilchoman grows its own barley and carries out every stage through to the finished bottle on site. This includes traditional floor malting: the soaked barley germinates on a concrete floor and is regularly turned by hand. Genesis Stage 3 combines this in-house malt production with malt from Port Ellen.

During peating, the malt absorbs smoke from burning Islay peat. After drying, it rests for at least two weeks before being milled and mashed. Kilchoman ferments the wort for around 90 hours and controls distillation manually, allowing adjustments for differences between individual runs. The small pot stills are among the distillery's distinctive features. Its single malts are also bottled on site.

Facts: