If you’re new here, welcome to Two Drams A Day! Each article is a personal journey where I pair two whiskies, often Scotch single malts among others, to discover the subtle differences that make each one unique and special. My approach is hands-on and intimate: I taste these whiskies side-by-side and share my real-time observations, from unexpected delights to the occasional letdowns. In the end, I choose a favourite, and along the way, I hope to learn something new and share that knowledge with you. If you’re curious about the nuanced and fascinating world of whisky and enjoy a personal touch in your reading, you’re in the right place. Stick around, subscribe, and join me on this flavorful adventure, two drams at a time!

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And we’re finally back with a long-awaited pairing of two single malts from Kilchoman, one the smallest and newest family-run distilleries on Islay. Founded by Anthony Wills in December 2005, it’s one of the six Scottish distilleries that use traditional floor-maltings, controlling every step of whisky-making on-site, including the use of Islay-grown barley. I was pretty impressed with the output when I compared its core range, called “Machir Bay“, to the Cognac Cask Matured expression earlier last year (read this writeup here), so I’m happy to be back and try the 2008 Vintage next to the PX Sherry Cask Matured bottling today. Let’s get right to it, but first, we need music! Now playing: A Winged Victory For The Sullen – IRIS (OST).

Let’s look at the details of these bottlings first. Both whiskies are uncoloured and non-chill filtered, so they both immediately get my well-deserved integrity star rating. The 2008 Vintage was matured in fresh ex-Bourbon American Oak casks sourced from Buffalo Trace distillery and bottled in 2015 at 46% ABV, making this whisky about seven years old. The PX Sherry Cask Matured expression is a vatting of single malts distilled in 2013 and 2015 (9 fully matured in PX and 24 only finished for about 12-18 months), blended and bottled in 2021 at a slightly higher ABV of 47.3% [it doesn’t have an age statement, but on average, it’s about six years old]. I usually do not comment on the look of the whisky, but in the case of Kilchoman, both bottlings are of natural colour, and although it’s not usually easy to extract the final outcome with the eye, at least we know it’s not a lie [did that rhyme?]. The 2008 Vintage has a nice honey-gold tint, while the PX Sherry Cask Matured is a beautiful glowing copper. Let’s go in for the nose. The 2008 Vintage is fresh, with hints of ripe fruit like peaches and apricots and even more floral notes with little sweetness and smoke. There are times when, for ex-bourbon matured whiskies, I can pick up on more caramel or even stewed bananas, but not on this particular instance. The PX Sherry Cask Matured is a bit darker [as expected] and even smokier, with a hint of chocolate and tobacco. I am reminded of a cigar dipped into something slightly sweet [I don’t want to say cherry syrup just yet]. Let’s try them neat first.

The 2008 Vintage has a smooth, full, and oily arrival. There is more wood on the palate now, but it’s not as strong as when an older bottling gets a bit too oakey [for my taste]. Vanilla is now coming through, but once again, it’s not too sweet. The smokiness is light and ashy on the profile, with just a hint of black pepper at the end. Overall, it’s more honeyed than caramel, and it’s a delightful traditional dram – I’m almost afraid of adding any water to it, but we will see how it goes. The PX Sherry Cask Matured is [again as expected] sweeter (like brown sugar) and slightly bitter, but in a good way [again, the way a cigar would hit your tongue] with more dried fruit now, maybe leather, and some spice. I’ll add a drop of water to both of them to see how all the flavours open up. Let’s go again with the 2008 Vintage. It’s almost minty and citrusy on the nose now. It held onto the flavour profile, with the wood a bit more present on arrival, and immediately returned to all that lovely honey. The PX Sherry Cask Matured now opened up some more and has light fruitiness to it, with ripe and sweet red apples. It’s still a pretty viscous dram, and now I’m tasting sweet burnt apple pie with caramelized nuts and wafting smoke coming from a mantel! I’ll take a sip of water and try them one last time, but this round in reverse. Oh yes, the PX Sherry Cask Matured is totally a stunner. It’s holding on to all that perfect balance of the sweet, the bitter and the smoke. A wonderfully integrated malt that I can sip all winter. The 2008 Vintage also held its own, but then, for me, the wood kept coming back, masked by the sweetness here and there.

Name	2008 Vintage	PX Sherry Cask Matured
Distillery / Region	Kilchoman / Islay	Kilchoman / Islay
Bottler / Series	Distillery bottling / vintage series	Distillery bottling / 2021 Edition
Stated Age / Vintage	7 years old / 2008	NAS (6 years?) / 2015
Cask type	Ex-bourbon American Oak	PX Sherry matured and finished
ABV / Cask Strength	46% / No	47.3% / No
Non-chill filtered/ Uncoloured	Yes / Yes 🌟	Yes / Yes 🌟
Price	£100	£120
Did it win? / Did I like it?	No / Yes – well-crafted single malt	Yes / Yes – absolutely delicious
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	Yes / Yes – try it before it disappears	Yes / Yes – what’s not to love?

So there you have it, folks, another excellent pairing. When it comes to the price, you can pick up the 2008 Vintage for just a bit under 100 quid from Lochs of Whisky online retailer, and for just 20 pounds more, you can grab the PX Sherry Cask Matured. I recommend you try them both, and while there, pick up a few Feis Ile editions (I have a bottle of their 2017 release, which may make an appearance on this site one day). Meanwhile, while I appreciated all of the beauty of the whisky-making stored in the 2008 Vintage, I found myself reaching for a bit more of PX. So, with that said, I’ll pause here and proclaim the PX Sherry Cask Matured edition from Kilchoman as the winner of this round.