Kilchoman’s fan-favorite limited release gets a makeover with the 2025 edition, as it’s the first Loch Gorm to be aged a full ten years in Oloroso sherry butts, 20 of the 23 barrels being first-fill. I’ll say straight away that this is a stunningly well-integrated and seamless whisky – from the first nose to the finish, it’s a remarkable feat of complexity and approachability. The bouquet opens with prominent sweet peat smoke, charred orange peel, and salty Islay sea spray. Take your time with it and you’ll soon get a dizzying array of salted caramel, singed hay, cinnamon cookie, nutty sherry undertones, oyster shell minerality, meat pie, sweet cigar wrapper, smoky ancho chiles, and spiced chocolate. Based on the nose, I expected a bit of a heater on the palate, but it threw me quite the curveball with its beautifully poised, balanced, and, dare I say, graceful texture. Medium weight all the way, it just glides across the palate. Oloroso-driven flavors of subtle, dark dried fruits and espresso bean vie with smoky peat (less sweet than nose and more mineral), charred lemon and orange zest, salty sea breeze, and fine ash. The long, gently fading finish concludes with smoked cigar and soft orange sherbet. Master blender Anthony Wills really nailed the profile on this edition. It’s endlessly thought-provoking and eminently drinkable, a dangerous yet enjoyable combination for sure.
94 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer (Jul 2025)
Matured in first-fill and refill oloroso sherry butts from two distillation years, this first 10 year old Loch Gorm is a complex rollercoaster of a whisky. Smoked orange peel, blueberry, and brisket bark aromas, with overtures of sweet smoke and peppermint tea. Chocolate orange, cocoa, raspberry sauce, clove, pepper, and chile flakes spin off into lemon curd, vanilla, and candied orange, and finish with cinnamon, smoke, and sweet dried fruits.
93 points, Jonny McCormick, Whisky Advocate (Summer 2025)
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