Kilchoman - To Buy Or Not To Buy
Here's an interesting scenario where I am going to pander a bit to the comments field - I actually could really use some input. We have the opportunity to purchase a five year old sherry barrel of Kilchoman, the new Islay distillery that is wowing people with its precocious young whiskies. So far the quality of their malts has been fantastic, but the prices are still a bit high for some consumers who compare it with older expressions from other distilleries that cost less. I'm a big believer in the idea that great whisky is worth whatever you think it's worth, regardless of the age statement, but if we were to pull the trigger on this project we would be looking at around $100 a bottle for a cask strength speciman of Kilchoman. Granted, the sherry really helps enhance this malt and help it to seem far more mature than its actual age. The mix of rich sweetness with smoky peat is quite nice, but sherry barrels are big and therefore so is the committment. My question is this: how many people are interested in Kilchoman? I myself haven't seen customers swooning over it, so I'm a bit hesitant to go deep on something like this, but maybe I'm just not witnessing a more passionate global response?
-David Driscoll