Kilchoman Machir bay is named after one of Islays beaches near Kilchoman. This is a special vatting for a local retailer that is comprised of a blend of 85% ex-Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel spirit and 15% Oloroso cask matured spirit. It is bottled at 46% ABV with no filtering or coloring. The vattings are done in 30 barrel batches, and use barley peated to the supplier standard of 55ppm.
There’s so much going on and it’s so alluring – I don’t want to stop drinking it. Give this whisky more age and depth and it’s going to an absolute stunner. Can you imagine a 10-year-old Machir Bay? 15? 20? I’m looking forward to the day, but for now I’m all about this Kilchoman Machir Bay 2017.
It’s still very light, driven more by the smoldering embers on the finish than the fruit that you get up front, but as a Scotch story and a work in progress (older spirits will continue to be added to the vatting as this evolves), it’s one that’s certainly getting there. Could use more Sherry on the finishing.
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House Review
Nose:
Kiwi, honey, lemon and cream. Rich phenols. Wet and musty, wet grass, charcoal, soap stone and ash.
Taste:
Thin mouth feel, some heat. Lots of honey, malty wet grass. burning rubber. Some sulphur and butter cream.
Finish:
Short, ashy and loaded with lemon and vanilla.
Overall:
This is good, but young and very little wine influence. Definitely not bad, and a great starter from Kilchoman, but there is some work to be done. I think most of the flaws here just stem from being young.
Score:
75
By t8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
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