Yellow Moon – Kilchoman Sauternes Cask
Obviously, the Kilchoman Sauternes Cask with its ageing in sweet wine casks is perfect on its own. Yet, I could not resist mixing up a cocktail with it. I was inspired by the whisky’s packaging in yellow.
True to the Kilchoman philosophy, the Kilchoman Sauternes Cask only uses barley from Islay. Furthermore, the individual whiskies which make up the bottling spend at least five years in first and second fill Sauternes barrels. So, this is not just a finish in sweet wine casks! In the end, the whisky is bottled at 50 % ABV. On top of that, the whisky is not chill-filtered.
Smoky and not spicy
At first, the Kilchoman Sauternes Cask delivers the usual Islay peat smoke note. Next, some yellow fruit appear together with a certain spiciness. The spices reminded me of hot black pepper and a hint of chili. After a while, the smoke becomes drier, reminiscent of bonfire smoke with hints of charcoal. All in all, the Sauternes Casks does demand your attention with its powerful flavours.
Elderflower and Chartreuse
Yes, this single malt is perfectly fine on its own! However, the yellow label gave me the idea to mix a Yellow Jacket variation with it. Obviously, I replaced the tequila in the recipe with the single malt, but apart from that I stuck to the original recipe. Finally, I added a dash of Bittemens Boston Bittahs. The chamomile flavours just work perfectly with Scotch whisky.
2,25 cl St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1,5 cl Chartreuse M.O.F.S.
Stir – strain – chilled cocktail glass;
Garnish: Lemon Twist;
Song: Fyfe Dangerfield – Faster Than the Setting Sun;
The ‘Yellow Moon’ starts with a combination of smoke, whisky and elderflower. The Chartreuse lingers somewhere in the back and gives the whole drink a herbal backbone. Finally, the bitters are perfectly integrated. This is a sweet drink, but at the same time it is surprisingly well suited for summery evenings!
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The whisky was provided by HAWE Bremen.
