Kilchoman 'Casado' Scotch Whisky

Kilchoman 'Casado' is a 92-proof (46% ABV), 750mL Islay single malt Scotch whisky — a 2022 limited edition of just 12,900 bottles. Thirty-eight casks of six-year-old bourbon-matured Kilchoman were married for two years in two 6,000-litre Portuguese red wine vats ("casado" is Portuguese for "married"), layering cooked red fruit and spice over the distillery's signature 50ppm bonfire peat. Bottled without coloring or chill filtration. Order this Islay rarity online at Del Mesa Liquor for San Diego pickup or delivery.

• Proof / ABV: 92 proof / 46% ABV
• Size: 750mL
• Age: 8 years total — 6 in fresh bourbon barrels, 2 married in Portuguese red wine vats
• Origin: distilled, matured, and bottled at Kilchoman Distillery, Islay, Scotland (founded 2005)
• Production: 50ppm heavily peated spirit; 12,900 bottles; non-chill filtered, natural color; founder Anthony Wills

A Portuguese Marriage on Islay

Kilchoman founder Anthony Wills bought two 6,000-litre Portuguese red wine vats on a hunch — "something out of the norm" — and gave them a two-year marriage with 38 bourbon-matured casks of the distillery's heavily peated spirit. The vats were toasted to different char levels, and the longer-than-usual finish lets the robust red wine fruit sink deep into the malt without drowning the maritime smoke. It's an experimental bottling in the truest sense, and it worked: cooked red fruit and Kilchoman peat turned out to be made for each other. See more Kilchoman and peated picks in our Scotch whisky collection.

Tasting Notes

The nose opens with intense campfire smoke balanced by ripe summer stone fruits — peach, plum, cherry — then deep marzipan and layered maritime notes. The palate brings pepper and spice first; dry, salty peat smoke sits underneath while apricot and lemon find their way through. The finish is long and hot-spiced, stewed cooked fruit giving a sweet-jam sweetness that the classic Kilchoman smoke balances beautifully.

How to Enjoy

Neat, with time in the glass — the wine influence keeps unfolding. A few drops of water tame the pepper and lift the red fruit. Pair with dark chocolate or a salty aged Manchego.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "Casado" mean?
Portuguese for "married" — a nod to the two-year marriage of the whisky in Portuguese red wine vats.

How peated is it?
Heavily: 50ppm, Kilchoman's standard heavily-peated spirit, distilled in 2014.

Is this part of the core range?
No — a 2022 limited edition of 12,900 bottles, and long sold out at the distillery.

Peat smoke meets Portuguese red wine — a combination worth tasting once. Buy Kilchoman Casado online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.