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Kilchoman’s ongoing Machir Bay is a vatting of whisky matured in first-fill bourbon casks for around six years, married and then finished in oloroso sherry butts before bottling.
Ladle of Contents
Kilchoman Machir Bay:
Colour: Golden brown
Neat/Ice: Neat
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Neat
Nose: Betraying the young age (under six years) with a slight, but noticeable, edge of new wood.
Baked apples, super-saturated caramel, smoke, sweet and herbaceous green tea leaves and a touch macadamia and vanilla.
Taste: Heavy, rich and creamy. Apples, hard candy, brown sugar, cinnamon and brown bread plus a nice zing of orange zest.
Finish: Long, lingering and sweet. In addition to the earlier flavours, icing, tangerine, marmalade and milk chocolate appear.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Glencadam TWF Edition
Nose: Same. Unfortunately, it’s the weakest part of the whisky.
Taste: Same.
Finish: A little longer than the neats, but a touch drier.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review 1:
Colour: Golden brown
Neat/Ice: Neat
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Neat
Nose: This is a step up on the last time I tasted Machir Bay and is an immensely pleasant experience.
Summer fruits in syrup (strawberries, peaches), herbs (celery, basil), new wood, buttered rye bread and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet. Apricots, toffee, custard. It’s rich, slightly oily with a touch of cocoa.
Finish: Medium-long, sweet with a milky, minty aftertaste.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Glencadam TWF Edition
Nose: Not quite as sweet as the standard version.
Taste: More acidic than the neats and with a touch more of the new wood.
Finish: A touch short, but very enjoyable.
Two tremendously great whiskies from Kilchoman. Both take the unique distillery character, and with the right amount of coaxing and vatting develop maturity, depth and a wonderful balance.
As the youngsters mature, they turn into something worth licking the bottom of the glass for. The nose is complex though subtle and the palate is rich and wonderful.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review 2:
Colour: Golden brown
Neat/Ice: Neat
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Neat
Nose: El Dorado, old wood, broken branches, curry leaves, damp wood, smooth, yeast and leather.
Taste: The nose leads with a touch of turmeric, apricot, coconut, malt loaf, butterscotch and double cream.
Finish: Medium-long. Molasses, sauternes, thick silt, fresh berries and a hint of cardamom.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Glencadam TWF Edition
Nose: Here are some tropical fruits. Pineapple, mango, passionfruit and berries. This is swiftly followed by dark chocolate, molasses, nutty wood and figs.
Taste: More searing than the neats and without the creamy, buttery bombast.
Finish: Medium-long and complex. Cocoa, coconut, rich berry fruits, it develops a touch of hot sand dust, earth and mint.
Insert bad Seinfeld joke here.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review 3:
Colour: light, vibrant green
Neat/Ice: Neat
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Neat
Nose: Dark chocolate, tart apples, green plums, limes and smoke.
Taste: Honey-drenched, cigar box, meat glazed with soy, green tea, malt loaf and Turkish delight.
Finish: Medium-long, sweet and a touch raspy. Paprika, lime zest, cumin, lapsang souchong tea and cocoa dust.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Glencadam TWF Edition
Nose: There’s a touch of smoke and peat, which morph into sweeter, fruity notes of Japanese plum wine.
Taste: The balance is switched a touch more towards the peat side. It’s sharper and drier than the neats.
Finish: Medium-long, peaty and dry. Well-seasoned wood, candied oranges, green tea and honey.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review 4:
Colour: Golden brown
Neat/Ice: Neat
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Neat
Nose: Very peaty and a little earthy with a leafy herbal spice box, black pepper, sweet, butterscotch, toffee, broiled figs and vanilla.
Taste: Salty and lemony, broiled figs, a little herbal spice, ginger, sherry, woody Sherry spice loaf and vanilla.
Finish: Medium-long, salty and lemony with a touch of smoke and aromatic smoke.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Glencadam TWF Edition
Nose: The sweeter side is subdued in the Glencadam cask. Here are salty, blue flowers, butter, demerara sugar, smoke, old wood and the leafy herbal spice box.
Taste: The sherry is more apparent, with dried fruits, dark fruit syrup, a light, tart sweetness and a touch of smoke and sweet, roasted malt.
Finish: Medium. The neat is dryer, with a touch of dry, roasted malt, demerara sugar and smoke.
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review 5:
Colour: Golden brown
Neat/Ice: Neat
Kilchoman Machir Bay Review – Neat
Nose: The signature peaty, gunpowdery, charcoal Kilchoman character.
There’s a little strawberry jam mixed with a touch of butter and a cooler, herbal, spicy box. The sherry is kept in the background and contributes towards an aromatic, sweet, buttery layer and dusting of cocoa.
Taste: Salty, syrupy strawberries and raw pepper. Sweetness is soon apparent in the form of syrupy strawberries and raw vanilla.
Finish: Medium. Salty, smoky, peppery and sweet.
