HSE Extra Vieux Whisky Kilchoman Cask Finish 2014 is an agricultural rum that combines the flavors of Martinique rum with the peaty, smoky notes of Scotch whisky.
After distillation in October 2014 in a copper Creole column from the Simon distillery, this rum was aged in oak barrels for 5 years. It was then finished for 4 to 5 months in ex-Kilchoman peated whisky casks, under the expert eye of cellar master Lionel Lampin. These casks come from a family-run single malt distillery on the west coast of Islay.
A batch of 10 barrels was bottled in January 2021, delivering a total of 5,500 worldwide.
Nico's tasting notes
The nose opens with an eminently fruity register, which comes as something of a surprise, given the peaty finish, which a priori prepared us for a more largely smoky profile. Very ripe, fragrant apples rub shoulders with dried fruits such as apricot, and are accompanied by juicy pears.
Aeration takes the fruit away for a while, and a darker cloud settles over the glass. It's loaded with warmed wood and smoke, but without the gimmickiness sometimes associated with this kind of finish. In no way does the peat take precedence; it merely adds depth and rigor to this rum with its gourmand cravings for caramelized nuts and dried fruit.
On the palate, the cane juice seems to have crossed a peat bog on its way to the distillery. The harmony seems strangely obvious and natural, as the pepper of the bagasse bonds lovingly with the vegetal of the peat. Tannins bring a breath of freshness to the mid-palate, before the rum swells with greed, gaining a fatter texture and flavors of chocolate-covered nuts.
The finish is slightly ashy, and the harmony between fresh cane and peat continues for a long time.
"An elegant approach, and a harmony between cane and peat that becomes obvious..."
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