I've only tried two of their whiskies and now I desire trying them all. The Summer 2010 was sampled at a pub. This Machir Bay was sampled from my bartered 750mL bottle. And 100 degree weather be damned, did the whisky in this bottle go quickly.
"Yum-a-dum-dum," to quote Dave Attell. Machir Bay is a little softer and sweeter than the Summer 2010; maybe a little easier to get one's mind/palate around it.
But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Here's my snippet about the distillery from earlier:
Built in 2005, Kilchoman was the first new Islay distillery in 124 years. They began distilling in 2006, keeping the production small (about 5% the capacity of the average distillery, 1% of the size of Diageo's Roseisle distillery).
What's really admirable about these folks (led by Anthony Wills) is that everything is done on site. The distillery is surrounded by a farm that grows 100 TONS of barley for their product. They do their own floor maltings by hand on site. Their barley malt distillate residue is fed to the cows on the land. And when the whisky is ready (no carmel color, no chillfiltering), it's bottled by hand right there on the premises. This is old-school, roots whisky production.Now, they do have to get some off-site barley to keep up with the demand, but they do a tremendous job keeping the ingredients local.
This particular Kilchoman, Machir Bay, appears to be their effort towards releasing an annual non-vintage malt at a price under $60. The current concoction is as follows:
- 60% 3-year-old, matured in former Buffalo Trace barrels
- 35% 4-year-old, matured in former Buffalo Trace barrels, then another two months in ex-Sherry casks
- 5% 5-year-old, matured in former Buffalo Trace barrels
Let's have a taste, shall we?
Distillery: Kilchoman
Bottling: Machir Bay 2012
Age: see above
Maturation: see above
Region: Islay
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
NEAT
Its color is light amber, very similar to Laphroaig actually. BIG oak meets BIG malt in the nose. Brown sugar, pastries, liquory pudding, vanilla beans, tiramisu, and wet tree bark, all resting on a pillow of peat. The palate starts with burnt wheat toast, peated sugar cookies, and mild cheese. After a few minutes in the glass the whisky starts generating notes of moss, embers, a sweet cigar. It's lip-smackingly desserty. It finishes with a lengthy lovely burst of sweetness. Dying embers of peat bricks. Vanilla and brown sugar.
WITH WATER (approx 38.3% ABV)
Oak gets stronger in the nose. Very buttery, lots of vanilla and barrel char. Hints of chlorine. Lighter peat. On the other hand, the palate is all peated spirit. Then there's cinnamon, molasses, and nutmeg. The nutmeg lingers on into the finish. It's joined by a cloud of peat smoke from a peat cigarette.
Did I mention I like this?
As far as Kilchoman releases go, the price is right. A lot of their vintage bottlings (not to mention the single casks) have been considerably pricey. I know that $55 isn't cheap whisky, but it's a hell of a lot better on the wallet than a $80 5-year old.
A final note, I've underplayed the peatiness of this whisky. It's quite apparent. Kristen could smell it from three feet away. But it's not a medicinal peat; it's not a tarry peat; it's not a supernova (nor a Corryvreckan). If you like Ardbeg 10 or Lagavulin 16, then this youngin' should hit the right spots.
Availability - Many liquor specialists
Pricing - $50-$60
Rating - 88
