Kilchoman Sanaig (2016 Edition)

A little more peat than I prefer with a Smokey aftertastes. All that being said it is nice and smooth.

Very earthy. Very complex. Lots of peat, citrus (lemon), brine, peaches, vanilla, dark chocolate, peppery. Medium sweetness.

Compared to the Machir Bay which I prefer more, this one on the nose smells like your typical Islay, that familiar hint of the smoke and ash that you anticipate when you take a taste. However the smoke on this one is blunted somewhat, muted strangely by a taste you would get in bourbon. This is one of the few Islay whiskeys I've had that fake you out, you think you're drinking Islay Scotch on the nose, but the taste quickly takes you to a bourbon, strange I know. I like it, I don't regret buying a bottle, but like it enough to buy another bottle? No. If I were to buy another bottle, it be Machir Bay.

In honor of World Whisky Day instead of going all out with something I know is amazing, I decided to give two distilleries a second attempt that didn’t convince me in the first place. Namingly Wolfburn first and Kilchoman on the second dram. From both I had samples before but they just didn’t click with me. So here we go. The sample I have here is the Sanaig Dark Batch which is basically the same as the regular one but (compared to pictures I found ) it is way darker. It has a hazelnut red-brown color. Nose: Uhhh - very pleasant peat that comes along smooth and almost warm-feeling. It is thick and full and very creamy. Underneath the peat there is brown nuts, fresh pie, herbal and sweet cough juice, mixed dried fruits (“energy balls” without chocolate), unripe sour black berry, smoked salty fatty food, a little bid of rubber and salty licorice as well. This is actually the first whisky I had that is literally mouth-watering. That maybe just situational but hey - it’s the first time I noticed that in a whisky tasting, so I thought it is worth mentioning. Palate: peat, smoke, saltiness and a enveloping caramelly sweetness. This is nice - really nice. It is like dipping a maple-syrup cured fried bacon in ginger-apple compote that has some chili bits in it. It becomes more sweet and fruity over time. What a lovely dram. Even my girlfriend who doesn’t drink whisky liked a sip I shared with her. What a step-up from that special Netherlands release I had some time ago that I didn’t like. I think I will try to get a sample of the Loch Gorm you guys seem to like as well and then decide on which one goes onto my shelf. Such a nice, rich, deep and intense relaxing evening dram.