Tastes

Nose: Fruity sweet and something like an ale - it's almost more bourbon-like than rye. Palate: Subtle sweet seed-spices (caraway, fennel, cinnamon, allspice) with a fudgey, sweet toffee character livened by a little pepper. Again, quite sweet and restrained for a rye. Finish: Short and light. This is by no means the most interesting rye available, but it is arguably the most acceptable cheap rye (at least in Australia where our choice is very limited) and it works well as a mixer. In that role it is a genuine alternative to blended whisky. I enjoy it, but only as an everyday mixing dram and as not something to be sipped slowly and explored. However it has to be said that over an ice cube it is still a pleasant and gentle sipping rye. The low abv is what lets things down here - if this was at 43 or 45 % it would be a lot more interesting. It's reasonable value, and it used to be a bargain just a couple of years ago when it was $40, but the price has increased dramatically and it's not such a bargain any more. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)

Nose: Hazelnuts, powdered malt extract, an aroma uncannily like almond Danish pastry. Running in parallel are fruity notes of stewed apples and orange peel. There's also some vanilla, oak and a tiny whiff of peat smoke. [The dry-glass aroma is entirely oak - everything else just floats away]. Palate: Honey-sweet and luscious, mouth-coating and creamy. Vanilla whipped cream, malted milk, hazelnuts, almonds. A very soft and gentle arrival and development without any trace of peat, spice or heat. Finish: Medium, slightly dry with malty-oak flavours fading into the distance. Tomintoul 16 is a pleasant and laid back whisky with a soft, smooth profile. The nose is very feel-good in a relaxed lazy Sunday morning sort of way. Don't add water - it is completely unnecessary and kills the velvety texture. It's not a bad whisky at all and the price is not steep for a 16 year old expression, but when the experience is this easy you had better be specifically wanting "smooth" above all else. While I enjoyed the bottle I had I don’t feel the urge to acquire another or keep it on hand as a regular thing. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Strong sweet fruit with a surprise gift of some lovely orange aromas (I didn't get this the first time around, but once noticed it is obvious). The sherry casks were well selected and impart great presence and gravity to the nose. Everything basks in the light of a wonderful aroma that is precisely like the smell of a well controlled sherry warehouse - deep, winey, oaky, redolent of age but without mustiness or mould. Palate: The nose was so good that on first tasting I could hardly drag myself away to taste the spirit as I was half dreading that the palate would not live up to the first act, but I didn't need to worry. The palate is initially sweet and rich with lots of dried fruits and there is a balance of astringency from the oak that is perfectly right and delightfully interesting. Finish: Long. The finish showcases the sherry characteristic to perfection. The mouthfeel is rich, mouthwatering and comforting. In general I'm not a fan of big sherry finishes but this one is so well done it's hard to resist. There is a sense of freshness that gives it a lifted profile. It's a sherry showcase, but not a sherry bomb. If I had to choose one reasonably priced representative of this style of whisky it would be hard to go past this. Recommended for both quality and value for money. It is one of the malts I routinely pour as an ideal introduction to sherried whisky. Original rating: "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars) New rating: "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

* This review is based on the 40% abv expression that is sold in Australia. Nose: Light vanilla fruit cake with orange peel and sultanas. A little vanilla and sandalwood. Palate: Creamy cereal arrival with honey and vanilla. Orange and red apples on the development with roasted nuts, caramel and dried mixed fruit. Some butterscotch sauce and maple syrup, a little cinnamon and a trace of cloves. Finish: Medium. Caramel toffee with some mild spicy rye flavours on the finale. I sometimes find bourbon too sweet for my taste, both on the nose and the palate, but wheated bourbons largely avoid the cloying and candyish nature that corn spirit can have. Maker's Mark is a great standby mixer and sipper that is remarkably consistent and never unpleasant. It's not a permanent thing in our drinks cupboard, but a bottle often finds it way there as an alternative for mixed drinks. At the price it is comparable to the better middle-shelf scotch blends. "Average" : 78/100 (2.75 stars )

Nose: Woody and fruity. Apples, pears and some herbal notes. Raisins and caramel toffee, vanilla. Quite a strong oak presence. After oxidizing, a lot more citrus fruit, spice and leather became apparent. This is pretty tight to start with and the nose needs time to relax. Palate: Malty and fruity arrival, rich but again very tight and uninvolving initially. As it develops and opens up citrus notes (particularly lemon flavours), herbal grassiness, green tea and some spice emerge. There is a background oakiness that verges on resinous and never really becomes soft. Finish: Medium/long. Drying and tannic. When I first tasted this I remember being very unimpressed. The nose seemed faint and uninteresting and the palate a general confusion of mild flavours. Over time, however, I came to appreciate it more. The nose improved a lot as it oxidized in the bottle and giving it quite a bit of time to rest in the glass always paid off. The nose gained a lot of fruitiness and became more aromatic in general, and the palate developed spicy, nutty notes and dried fruit that together with the original toffee character gave an impression of light fruit cake. A dash of water also helps to speed the opening process and soften the all-encompassing oaky nature. At 48% it can take a dash of water with no harm. This review was based on the old grey-brown box edition. The new one in purple livery is similar, but different, with more bright fruit and honeyed tones. This has an almost legendary status for some folks but I can't imagine why. It's a good whisky, but that's all. “Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Re-tasting. Pretty much identical thoughts as my original tasting here. If anything the whisky has improved a little and seems oilier in texture. A recommended affordable malt. Tasted at the distillery, May 2nd 2024 —————————————————— Nose: Vanilla, honeysuckle, pear, orange, almond, hazelnut, malt. Palate: Sweet malty arrival. A slight herbal note almost like an ale as it develops. Vanilla and fruit. Definite nutty flavours - cashews, hazelnuts. Reasonable texture. Finish: Medium. Sweet malt and spicy toffee notes. I'd argue that this is one of the better affordable drams. At the price it is good value, however for a few dollars more you can get the 12 year old, which is better all round. Likewise, for a few dollars less you can get the Major’s Reserve, which is priced to compete with middle-shelf blended scotch and, although hardly a complex malt, is excellent value. A very easy, straightforward dram and a great choice for a complete beginner who wants something very friendly and unchallenging. Similar in some respects to Glen Moray Elgin Classic, but that is sweetly fruity whereas this is solidly about warm, sweet malt. “Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)

Nose: Honey, oak and a touch of fruitiness. A light nose but with some buttery, malty aromas. Palate: Malty sweetness with the honey and fruit notes again. There is a slight, gentle spicy surge late in the development which then fades into the finish. Finish: Medium/short. Sweet cereal, with a relaxed and honeyish aftertaste. It's a gentle, easy dram. The worst you can say is that it lacks a strong character, but it is very easy drinking and eminently approachable. This is a great place for a novice whisky drinker to start - enjoyable, rewarding, affordable, way better than any cheap blend, and not challenging. The pity is that this used to be reasonably priced in Australia at about $65 a bottle, but in the last 12 months the price has rocketed and some outlets now charge over $100, which I don't believe it is worth. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Nose: Malt and cereals, some citrus notes, honeydew melon and a little barley sugar. There's a fresh seaside note to this, almost like gusts of blustery on-shore breeze. There's also some orchard fruit. Palate: The arrival is crisply cereal and barley-sugar. As it develops, the cereal foundation gains sweetness and almost honeyed notes. It's not a particularly complex palate, and completely devoid of smoke, but like the nose there is a fresh coastal aspect to it that is very appealing. Finish: Medium. Fruity and yes - there's the barley sugar surfacing again before it finally fades away. The lingering memory is of a very fresh but assured spirit-driven whisky. It's very tight and almost highly-strung when neat and a dash of water does it no harm at all, letting the nose bloom and hidden sweet floral aromas and flavours emerge. This presents all the best characteristics of a youthful spirit without drawing undue attention to its lack of maturity. It would be a good malt to enjoy on a sunny spring day when there's a slight chill in the air. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Smoke, but not mellow smoke - more fresh and acrid. Have you ever raked up garden leaves and burned them and had the wind change so you suddenly get a face full of smoke? It's like that. Brisk wood smoke rather than rounded peat-reek. There are some citrus and brine notes as well but the bright, exuberant smoke is the key. Palate: A smoky arrival with fruity notes and salt. Very like the nose but the fruit is a touch rounder. In the development a strong cereal character becomes apparent but it's not malty - more like fresh barley (maybe a touch yeasty?). There's a little vanilla and spices as well and some sherry cask, but like the nose the palate is mainly about the smoke. Finish: Medium/long. Sweet and soothing and once again - smoky. The immediate impression I had the first time I tasted this whisky was "wow - this is very young". It has the characteristic profile of young, highly spirit-driven smoky whisky where the smoke is all but obscuring everything else. The casks have not yet had enough time to mellow the spirit and bring out/contribute nuances. There is no age statement and I don't think there is any information from the distillery about the age of Machir Bay releases. I'd guess the whisky was about 5-6 years old. For its age it is well integrated, but every Kilchoman I've tasted to date has made me wonder what it might taste like with another 10 years of maturation. Just as an aside, This reminded me a bit of Ledaig, but Ledaig sings the same song with more assurance and is less raw. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Pineapple, citrus, chamomile and mild cinnamon with a buttery and lightly honeyed background. It's a pleasant nose that conveys the white wine casks used for finishing very well, but I felt it lacked a bit of zest. There was a sense that it was trying very hard to emulate the nose of a botrytis riesling. Palate: Citrus and white grapes on the arrival with a very faint honey note. As it develops, some tannic astringency becomes apparent with mild oak and overbrewed weak black tea. This is, however, balanced by a sweet note and given some depth by the characteristic Glenmorangie cereal background. Finish: Medium/long. Well balanced with a grape/oak character. A nice whisky, and probably my favourite of the "finished" Gelnmorangie selection, but I thought it was a bit engineered. Also, a lot of the initial floral and fruity freshness of the profile had faded away by the time the bottle was about half full, leaving it a little dull. It's hard to actively dislike, but I didn't find it compelling either, and having tried it once I wouldn't buy another bottle (but I’d accept a free pour for certain). "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)