Kilchoman Machir Bay (2016 Edition)

Nice, more lightly peated scotch. Incredibly pale straw color, really light. Fairly light and smooth for a (presumably) quite young scotch. Light smoke and light peat, which adds a bit of character but keeps it from being as strong as most other Islays. Has just a hint of brine as well. A little bit of citrus tang, some grass and herbs, and some butterscotch flavors as well.

Medium high smoke. Moderate spice. Lots of peate. Not well balanced or smooth. One of the less refined whiskies in this price range. For peate/smoke fiends this would be good. Low oil and medium high sweetness

(3 Kilchoman Evening with a dram of Machir Bay, Sanaig and Loch Gorm each.) Nose: delicious signature Kilchoman peat, behind the very nice warm and cloudy peat there is mild exotic fruits (pineapple & star fruit), cold coffee and only a bid vanilla - still slightly sweet. Palate: the peat receives a bid more cold ash flavor directly with the first sip - nothing off- putting though, it is slightly fruity sweet but only so much that it stays on the edge to the background, hard to grasp specific flavor profiles for me but it is delicious non the less. But there is some green banana, and burned brown sugar. Not very complex but intense with what it offers. I don’t get any parts of the sherry casks at all by the way. Finish: long and smokey with a metallic fruity sourness and a quite intense ABV burn like smoked birdseye chili’s. I like it but I prefer the sherry parts the other two Kilchomans offer - these complement the peat note in such a nice way that you really miss something with just the bourbon casks from the Machir Bay.