@cascode Ah that is interesting. Good digging!

@cascode that explains the deeper complexity and maturity I got. Great research

@Jan-Kaselitz There is a Facebook group, for what it’s worth

I just discovered some interesting things about Loch Gorm. Prior to 2017 it was only 5 or 6 years old but since 2017 it has been an 8 year old and the cask selection has broadened considerably and become older on average. For example, this 2019 expression contains casks from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. That progression of complexity and age supports the sense of increasing polish and maturity with this whisky over the years. The thing I found particularly interesting is that 2017 expression (my favourite) was effectively a vintage release, the only one in the series, as all the casks used were from the same still run in 2009.

@cascode @Soba45 we could just use a Reddit we create ourselves. I have so many questions about Whisky but I don’t want to clutter reviews with partially unrelated conversations.

@Jan-Kaselitz Just to make things more difficult I'd rate both Sanaig and Loch Gorm with the same (high) score. It's a real pity Distiller doesn't have a chat or message facility, or personal blogs.

@Jan-Kaselitz Sadly no we just use comments. There is the occasional email trail with a few of us who trade samples between us as we sort logistics and stuff but the comments section here is where it's at:-)

@Soba45 yeah I was afraid of that ;) btw, do you guys have any idea where we could communicate about more general things like that? Like a message board or something like that? I was hoping that Distiller has a Reddit but I could t find anything of that sort.

@Jan-Kaselitz And to make things harder my vote would be the Sanaig just, so 1 vote for each! What you in the mood for? Ex-Bourbon cask profile go for Machir bay. More sherry then Sanaig, More peat Loch Gorm. They are all good. They sell 200ml double packs of the Machir Bay and Sanaig which is a great way of doing it.

@Jan-Kaselitz my personal favorite has always been the Loch Gorm...that peat + sherry is a favorite of mine. But, either way, you can’t go wrong with any Kilchoman ( except the port cask...that sucked )

@Jan-Kaselitz I thought the Machir Bay was better than the Sanaig. ..And this is from somebody who is typically inclined toward peated sherry-cask finishes. I haven't had the opportunity to try, let alone see, a bottle of the LG. All sold out in Los Angeles. Hope that gives you insight.

I want to get a bottle of Kilchoman next week because I really liked the Sanaig Dark Batch. But I can’t decide between the Loch Gorm, Machir Bay (both I haven’t tried) and the Sanaig. Can anyone help me with pointers?

@Soba45 I just got the 2020 release. I’d imagine that to be just as good, hopefully

@pbmichiganwolverine Glad you enjoyed it! As you say great value for money. Over here can still get it for under 75usd but starting to disappear from the shelves

@cascode Yes I agree. Some of them definitely stumble along the way i.e. Wolfburn, but even if they fail for a bit they pick themselves up and by in large aim for that niche mkt quality proposition. Other up and coming ones to watch for me are Ardnahoe, Ardnamurchan, Dingle, Method and Madness, Ichiro's, Foursquare

@LeeEvolved Ah great to hear and what a coincidence all three of us drinking from exactly the same bottle nearly the same time, thousands and tens of thousands of miles apart! Yes it definitely isn't an in your face sherry or peat especially as it's been open a while but I do love the creamy light ashy sherry nature, quite a different beast from its brethren as pbm noted. Great to hear your palate has once again awakened...life is often unexpectedly short..dig in!

@dubz480 i have the 2020—haven’t opened it yet. Once I start sending samples again , will send a pour. If this is any indication, the 2020 should be as good or better.

Great review as always! love the 2018... waiting on the 2020 and looks like I need 2019 now! Also agree whilst the Blaaack is good it's not special to me

@LeeEvolved there’s no way in a few lifetimes I can ever finish what I have. I think i should throw a huge party, post this CV, and use those up

@LeeEvolved good to see you back! That brush with CV was brutal...but on the bright side, hopefully you now have the antibodies .

@cascode totally agree—and if you go down south a bit—you get equally good affordable pours from the English side ( Cotswolds)

@LeeEvolved Really looking forward to seeing you be more active again mate.

@Generously_Paul - yeah, between the Covid and the fact I had already slowed to a crawl in the sampling department I’ve become worried that the 250+ bottles in my collection were headed towards long term storage (just like Mr @PBMichiganWolverine’s)

@PBMichiganWolverine Loch Gorm has been on an interesting journey since the initial release. As you say the 2015 was a brute, but a very well constructed one. Since then with each release it has become a little more polished, more refined. Whether one prefers the old brutal assault or the current poised and elegant dram is just personal taste - for me they have all been consistently 4 star whiskies, at the very least. Personally I greatly liked the 2017 which I thought had just the right balance between rugged and suave. It's the younger distilleries like Kilchoman, Arran, Wolfburn and the resurrected ones like Benromach and Bruichladdich that IMO are offering the best bang for the buck right now. They all know they are selling to an enthusiast niche and so offer unchillfiltered and uncoloured expressions that are interesting and affordable as a matter of course, and I think all their NAS bottlings are only non-age due to overdue caution about slapping something like "5 years old" on the label. Together with the independent bottlers these guys are where all the real excitement is.

@LeeEvolved super excited to hear your palate wasn’t permanently fried. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if that happened to me

Wow, talk about timing. I actually drank my sample from @Soba45 last night also. I decided to give in and try what I expected to be were some pours that I hoped would challenge my palate and return it to normal after Covid-19. I didn’t get as much peat as I was expecting, but it did present the sherry aspect quite well. I only jotted down a handful of descriptors, but it was refreshing to have a couple of pours. That said, the next dram was a pour of Springbank 10 from my buddy @Generously_Paul, and well- I think the Loch Gorm shocked my palate because that SB10 was just heavenly...it made me remember what got me into scotch whisky: smooth and balanced florals, fruits and light peat. I’m going to wait a few more days and dig further into Soba and Paul’s other samples. Maybe this will be my triumphant return- I sure hope so because I’ve got lots of bottles that need to be consumed lol. Thanks again, @Soba45 and @Generously_Paul!