Kilchoman 2020 Fino Sherry Matured Review

This year, Kilchoman put out a limited release Fino Sherry Cask Matured whisky. While we weren’t able to get a bottle of the latest release, we do have a bottle of the 2020 Fino Sherry Matured whisky from Kilchoman. It should hopefully give an idea of how Kilchoman whisky worked with fino sherry in the past and allow us to compare differences between the two releases.

Both Kilchoman blog posts linked above describe the differences between Fino sherry and the more commonly used Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherries. In summary, Fino sherry is a drier, less sweet sherry that will bring green apple flavors to whiskies.

You very rarely see fino sherry used with whiskies. I have hope this cask type will work well with Kilchoman whisky though as the Loch Gorm 2023 release had notes of apple that made for a nice whisky. Loch Gorm uses Oloroso sherry casks though, so it’s interesting how that apple flavor snuck in there.

The 2020 release is a blend of whiskies aged in 11 first-fill and one refill fino sherry butts. These casks were provided by Bodega Miguel Martin in Spain, which has provided Kilchoman with sherry casks since Kilchoman’s founding in 2005.

For the 2023 release, Kilchoman blended whisky from 20 fino sherry butts also from Bodega Miguel Martin. In 2023, Kilchoman provided an age statement, stating the whiskies had been matured in fino sherry butts for 5 years at minimum. I have seen some unofficial references to how long the 2020 release was matured, but maybe this piece of data can provide us a clue about the age of the 2020 release.

Here’s to hoping the past can tell us a little something about the future.

The Basics

Aged: Unknown

Bottles available: 10,500

Casks: Fino sherry

ABV: 46%

Color: Light amber

Nose:  Apple, butter, cinnamon, caramel

Cost: $135.11 (auction fees and shipping were $51.80 )

Purchased at: Scotch Whisky Auctions (Auction 143)

Taste

The first sip is a light taste of apple followed by raisin and cinnamon flavors. It finishes with strong cinnamon and smoke flavors. It’s a very light whisky, and you experience very little burn from the alcohol while drinking.

Since I also found the Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2023 release to have an apple taste, I wanted to see what flavor differences I could find. The Loch Gorm 2023 is definitely heavier than this whisky and offers less raisin and smoke flavors.

Neat or With Water

I think drinking this one neat is the way to go. There is very little alcohol taste when drinking it, and the sweet flavors are pretty well highlighted and smooth. Adding water just seemed to reduce most flavors.

Summary

Accessibility: The 2020 release is becoming more difficult to find but has appeared in whisky auctions and via online retailers. I would not expect to find this in stores in the United States. Your best bet is to wait for it in an auction or find an online seller. The 2023 release is also proving more difficult to find as it has mostly surfaced via online retailers on the secondary market.

Price: In 2020, this whisky retailed for close to $100 before taxes and shipping. With that in mind, $135.11 seems like a reasonable price from the auction. I have seen it sell in auctions for as little as $70 and be listed as high as $300 via online retailers. I have seen the 2023 release go for between $154-$255 with taxes and shipping included to the United States.

Quality: The sherry flavor in the Kilchoman 2020 Fino Sherry Matured release is not as sweet as other sherry-matured whiskies, but that’s maybe why some will be really interested in it. If you like sweeter whiskies but don’t want those flavors to dominate, this whisky is probably your thing. The apple, raisin, cinnamon, and smoke flavors all work quite well together, and it’s smooth as can be.

When I initially tried this whisky, I thought I made a horrible mistake. It tasted a bit watery and like it was absent of sweet flavors to compliment the strong smoky finish. I stuck with it though and was rewarded. It’s a really smooth whisky that still offers a lot flavor despite it using the drier fino sherry.

It reminds me a bit of how whiskies turn out when red wine casks like merlot or pinot noir are used. You can taste the sweeter flavors, but they don’t dominate. You end up with very balanced flavors, and you can appreciate other flavors the whisky offers a bit more easily.

You will still get more traditional sherry flavor like raisins and cinnamon, but you will definitely miss out on some sweetness provided by Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry. Someone who is easing their way into sherry-matured whiskies might like this one and fino sherry-matured whiskies in general.

I really enjoyed this whisky and would not mind having another bottle of it, but I would be much happier having just a dram of it every once in a while. When it comes to sherry-matured whiskies, I have a sweet tooth and generally prefer Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherries over Fino. However, I actually prefer this to the Loch Gorm since it is lighter and has stronger flavors overall.

My guess is the 2023 release is pretty similar to this one, and I hope to have a chance to sample a dram of it in the future. I will probably not be on the look out for a bottle of the 2023 release though.