Crimson in the glass, black as peat smoke in spirit. Kilchoman played with fire when they filled new-make spirit into French Maury casks — sweet fortified wine from Roussillon against Islay's raw peat smoke. It could have gone wrong. It didn't.
Expert's description
Kilchoman Maury Cask Matured is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, fully matured in French Maury fortified wine casks and bottled at 50 %.
Maury is a naturally sweet fortified wine from Roussillon in southern France, made mainly from overripe Grenache Noir grapes — a cask type almost never seen in Scotch whisky. Kilchoman didn't just finish this whisky in Maury casks. The spirit spent its entire maturation in them, and that is the crucial difference: where a finish only adds a thin coat of flavour, the Maury casks here were allowed to work all the way through, pulling the whisky towards a dark, fruit-sweet character from day one.
The release is part of the Uniquely Islay Series 2026 and is the distillery's first ever Maury bottling. It draws on a vatting of 19 casks filled in 2021, bottled at natural colour without chill filtration. The result is one of the darkest Kilchomans to date — almost blood red in the glass, which is highly unusual for an Islay Single Malt.
Kilchoman is Scotland's only true farm distillery. They grow part of their own barley at Rockside Farm, floor malt it themselves, and complete every step from grain to bottle on the island. The citrus freshness that always lurks beneath Kilchoman's smoke is exactly what keeps the Maury sweetness here in check and stops it tipping into the jammy.
Tasting notes
Nose
Dates, raisins and fig jam arrive first, followed by dark honey and syrup. Beneath the sweet, almost meaty fruit sits soft peat smoke, orange peel and a whisper of cocoa and dark cherries.
Palate
The Islay smoke steps in straight away. Pipe tobacco and dark chocolate lie over waves of syrup, stewed fruit and warm spice, while marmalade and liquorice appear midway and toasted oak gives structure.
Finish
Long and generous, with peat smoke wrapped in dark fruit and soft toffee. Finishes with a flick of orange peel and dry oak spice — sweet and dry at the same time.
Specifications
Name: Kilchoman Maury Cask Matured Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Kilchoman
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 50 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-Maury Fortified Wine Casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Bottled: 5 March 2026
Edition: Uniquely Islay Series 2026
EAN no.: 5060210709259
Flavour profile
Peated · Fortified wine-matured · Fruity · Spicy · Maritime
Did you know?
Maury is such a dark fortified wine that it gives the whisky a genuine crimson colour without a drop of added caramel — almost unheard of for an Islay Single Malt, where most bottlings sit somewhere between straw and gold.
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