Kilchoman Machir Bay (2020 Edition)

Nose: Vanilla, lemon custard, shortbread. Palate: Lemon meringue pie, cane sugar, butterscotch and pear smoke. Finish: Long, smooth, and smokey—terrific!

Way too peaty for me

This is quite tasty... Well-crafted. Composed. Quality. Pale yellow. Mezcal nose - smoke, salt, and a touch of vegetation, then buttery biscuit, faint almond, and raw grain. Rich and very sweet to start the taste, evolving quickly to embrace the peat. Smoked whipped cream with sea salt. Deeply pleasing flavors, but simple. A slap of smoke that somehow stays sweet and inviting. Admittedly not a side-by-side, but I'll be darned if this isn't Laphroaig 10's demure and cultured sibling that can get invited to any soiree, is friendly and personable and interesting, but doesn't ruffle any feathers and ultimately maybe isn't quite the life of the party either? Kilchoman is home by midnight while Lap10 is recounting the night's achievements at a diner at 4:30 am. Similar medicinal notes, but even though Lap is quite sweet somehow this tops it, and is even defined by it. Not complaining by any measure, and this bottle will go quite fast I'm sure... just wondering if I had to choose between the two why I'd lean this way.

Nose: Biscuits, light peat, salt/saline, summer berries Palate: Light smoke, light peat, tropical fruit, citrus zest Finish: Warm, short finish. Pepper, sherry. Lightly sour on the aftertaste This is a lovely lightly peated dram. There's some lovely sweetness on top of the peat, and a refreshing peppery / souring finish. Delicious!

Peated

Flaviar Sample. Nose- sherry cask is upfront, smoke, berries. Palate: smoke, pepper, caramel. Mild sweetness. Finish is short

Straw coloured with nice peaty nose. Bourbon grass and citrus makes this very drinkable!

Big time brine, wonderfully earthy peat, fruit, notes of butterscotch & vanilla