Kilchoman's Loch Gorm has become one of those annual releases that Islay enthusiasts mark on their calendars, and the 2025 edition lands at a moment when the category is crowded with NAS bottlings competing for attention. At £73.50 and bottled at 46% ABV without chill filtration — as we've come to expect from this range — it sits in a competitive but fair bracket for an Islay single malt of this calibre.
The Loch Gorm takes its name from the dark freshwater loch on Islay's western coast, and the name has always felt apt for this particular expression. This is the sherry-forward arm of the Kilchoman range, a deliberate counterpoint to the distillery's more classically peated offerings. What you're getting here is an Islay single malt that refuses to be defined solely by smoke. It's a whisky that asks you to consider what happens when Islay spirit meets full-term sherry cask maturation — a conversation that, frankly, not enough distilleries on the island are having with this level of commitment.
What to Expect
Without age statement whiskies, I'm always more interested in what the liquid tells me than what a number on the label doesn't. At 46%, the Loch Gorm 2025 carries enough weight to deliver its character without the burn that higher-strength releases sometimes impose on less experienced palates. This is an accessible bottling, but not a timid one. The sherry cask influence should bring dried fruit richness and a certain depth of colour, while the underlying Islay character — that coastal, peated DNA — provides the structural backbone. It's a style that rewards patience. Give it time in the glass.
The Verdict
I've scored this 7.9 out of 10, and I'll tell you why it earns that mark rather than something higher or lower. The Loch Gorm occupies a space that very few Islay malts attempt with real conviction: the marriage of serious sherry cask work with island peat. At this price point, it competes well against older, more expensive bottles that don't always deliver more complexity. The NAS designation may put off those who shop by age statement alone, but that would be a mistake. Kilchoman have built a track record with this release, and the 2025 edition continues to justify the reputation.
Where it loses that last point or so, for me, is in the sheer density of competition at this level. There are exceptional Islay malts available between £60 and £90, and the Loch Gorm needs to stand out not just on quality but on distinctiveness. It does — but only just. This is a very good whisky. It is not yet a great one, and I respect it more for being honest about what it is than for trying to be something it isn't.
Best Served
Neat, in a Glencairn, with five minutes of air before your first sip. If you find the peat and sherry competing rather than cooperating, add no more than a few drops of water — it tends to open the conversation between those two influences rather nicely. This is not a cocktail whisky. It's not a Highball whisky. It's a sitting-down, paying-attention whisky, and it deserves that respect.
