New Kilchoman Bottlings for Japan
A series of new Kilchoman bottlings for the Japanese market, which had already been bottled in November 2023, have now only been released in Japan in April 2024 due to the long transport routes.
In addition to some single cask bottlings – a 12-year-old fully matured bourbon cask and a Kilchoman aged for almost 8 years in a refill Pedro Ximénez hogshead for the Japanese market as a whole, a 10-year-old Sauternes cask finish for the Bar Livet in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district on the occasion of its 10th anniversary and a Tequila finish with which Liquor Land Kimura has already brought out its third “Kimchoman” release – there is also a Triskele Casks Japan Exclusive release.
Similar to the delayed Triskele Casks release for Quebec, Japanese whisky buyers will once again be able to enjoy a bottling from the now discontinued Triskele Casks series. The concept of the series of Small Batch Releases for Selected Markets, which began in 2019 and was only renamed Triskele Casks Releases at the beginning of 2023, is to illustrate the influence of various “experimental” cask types on Kilchoman whisky. For this purpose, a Machir Bay vatting or Machir Bay Collaborative Vatting, i.e. a whisky with 46% alcohol strength, which was previously matured for approx. 5 years mainly in bourbon casks and 5-15% in Oloroso sherry casks, is married with an additional special cask type.
In the “Triskele Casks Japan Exclusive”, the third Small Batch Release for Japan, the additional cask is, as so often in 2023, an STR cask (Shaved, Toasted & Re-charred Ex-Red Wine Cask). The proportions are stated as 75% bourbon, 5% Oloroso sherry and 20% STR cask. The Celtic symbol of the Triskele, which is known to adorn every Kilchoman bottle as a logo, symbolises, among other things, the unity of three elements. As the name for Kilchoman’s small batch bottlings, which consist of three different cask types that together form a new unit, it was certainly an obvious choice.
Kilchoman is shifting away from the country-specific Small Batch / Triskele Casks releases because they did not want to confuse the markets with too many different releases and instead wanted to concentrate on the new, third General Release – the Batch Strength Release. In terms of composition and age, this is very similar to the Small Batch and Triskele Casks releases and, like the other two General Releases, “poaches” Kilchoman’s 5-year-old cask stock.
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Here is an overview of the new bottlings:
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Triskele Casks Japan Exclusive – STR Red Wine / Bourbon / Oloroso Sherry
Cask types: 75 % Bourbon / 5 % Oloroso Sherry / 20 % STR
Age: NAS
Date Bottled: 15.11.2023
Strength: 48,3 % abv
Phenol level: 50 ppm
Number of bottles: 1.686
Bottle volume: 0,7 l
Bottle code: SB 15/11/23 23/156
Barcode: 5 060210 707415
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12 yo Bourbon Matured Single Cask for Japan
Cask No.: 457/2011
Cask type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
Date Filled: 4.8.2011
Date Bottled: 3.11.2023
Age: 12 yo
Strength: 52,6 % abv
Phenol level: 50 ppm
Bottle volume: 0,7 l
Barcode: 5 060210 707507
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PX Sherry Single Cask for Japan
Cask No.: 906/2015
Cask type: Refill PX Sherry Hogshead
Date Filled: 18.11.2015
Date Bottled: 3.11.2023
Age: 7 yo
Strength: 59,7 % abv
Phenol level: 50 ppm
Bottle volume: 0,7 l
Barcode: 5 060210 707491
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Sauternes Single Cask Finish for Bar Livet – 10th Anniversary
Cask No.: 38/2013
Cask type: Ex-Bourbon Barrel, Sauternes Cask Finish for more than 2 years
Date Filled: 31.1.2013
Date Bottled: 15.11.2023
Age: 10 yo
Strength: 53,4 % abv
Phenol level: 50 ppm
Bottle volume: 0,7 l
Barcode: 5 060210 707583
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Tequila Single Cask Finish for Kimchoman3
Cask No.: 746/2013
Cask type: Ex-Bourbon Barrel, Tequila Cask Finish
Date Filled: 18.10.2013
Date Bottled: 30.10.2023
Age: 10 yo
Strength: 54,5 % abv
Phenol level: 50 ppm
Bottle volume: 0,7 l
Number of bottles: 226
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