First Kilchoman Port STR Cask Finish 832/2013 for SMCC announced

The Chinese Kilchoman importer SMCC announced today a completely new Kilchoman bottling: the world’s first Kilchoman Port STR Cask Finish.

We have reported on “normal” STR cask releases more often in the past, these have become one of Kilchoman’s most successful bottlings over the last few years and it is an open secret that Kilchoman is planning an STR General Release for the future.

The STR cask – the letters stand for Shaving, Toasting and Re-Charring – is an invention of James Swan, who unfortunately passed away much too early. As an expert and consultant, he had a decisive influence on the planning and operation of the Kilchoman distillery in its early years.

To make an STR cask the inner surface of a used red wine cask is first shaved to create a new surface of fresh oak wood with low red wine saturation. The inner surface is then toasted, i.e. heated over a fire made from oak chips obtained from used cask staves. This leads to a caramelisation of the sugars and vanilines contained in the fresh wood. Finally, the cask is burnt out (re-charred) to ensure a high level of flavour extraction from the wood.

Since Kilchoman sources its STR casks from the Portuguese cooperage Dias, it was probably obvious to try out the so successful STR process on port wine casks. We are very excited about further bottlings!

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Cask No.: 832/2013

Cask type: Bourbon Barrel, Port STR Cask Finish

Date Filled: 28.11.2013

Date Bottled: 3.12.2021

Age: 8 yo

Strength: 55,1 % abv

Phenol level: 50 ppm

Number of bottles: 251 Flaschen

Bottle volume: 0,7 l

Market: China