Kilchoman Machir Bay, 46% abv.
Machir Bay is the flagship bottle of the Kilchoman product line and named after a local beach. Different sources seem to give different production descriptions, perhaps for different years as this is a core product. Some say it is a vatting of juice from ex-bourbon barrels matured for about six years, which was then finished in Oloroso Sherry butts; others say it is a blend of 90% ex-bourbon and 10% ex-Oloroso; while others say it is a blend of 4 and 5 year old whisky with the 4 year old whisky spending an additional month in Oloroso sherry butts before being blended with the 5 year, and there is another similar description saying Machir Bay is a vatting of 3, 4, and 5 year old peated malt matured in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in sherry butts for 8 weeks. Since I am not sure which year the bottle I tasted was (I drank it on November 2017), I'll just leave it all there.

Nose: honey yuzu lemonade, strong wood notes, a stale bitterness, toffee, light caramel, light star anise and citrus notes, herbal. Not smokey.
Palate: dominant wood notes, light smoke, like dying coals on the bbq, sour notes come to the fore with each sip, smokey mouthfeel.
Finish: moderate length, smoke, but nothing else.
Dry glass is a waxy aroma, heavy on old cherries, black cherries?
2017 TWE Malt of the year is good, finish is lacking though. Funny thing is, tasting notes on the back of the label aren't what I experienced... I think Sanaig is better, but then again I favor the heavy smoke spectrum. Couldn't tell sherry casks were involved. Kilchoman continues to impress me with their progress, smoother than most, diverse flavor profiles, affordable. Can't wait to see them in a few years when they truly put their products to the test.

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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