Review #148 - Kilchoman Machir Bay
The primarily ex-bourbon single malt from Kilchoman's standard range, although it does still employ a small percentage of Oloroso sherry casks in its recipe - this is Machir Bay. Heavily peated like the other Kilchoman whiskies, and there's no age statement, but we're guessing the whisky is generally between 4 and 8 years old, like a lot of new-age distillery NAS bottlings.
One of the reasons we love Kilchoman is their commitment to natural whisky - everything avoids chill filtration and added coloring, and it's always at or above 46% ABV, so we know there should be enough flavor packed in for an engaging experience. They're transparent about their processes and their ingredients, and we hope more of the industry moves in that direction.
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 65 (2022)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 67 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: 90% ex-bourbon casks, 10% ex-Oloroso sherry casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 months; bottles at 100%, 80%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Crisp and strong, with plenty of peat and menthol notes. There's lemon, or lemon-lime soda, lime sherbet, granulated sugar, even some agave; it can be a bit tart or dry, with some mild oak, along with plenty of younger spirit influence. With more time, dry hay and a mild barbecue note come forward.
Palate: Sweet and sour citrus fruit, lemon drop candies, peaches - this is nice and bright and tart, like the nose. The smoke comes to the forefront - it's strong, with a slightly ashy character, though not too much. There's a bit of buttery oak and some tangy barbecue, and softer notes like white wine and baked bread are hidden in the background; the mouthfeel has a medium thickness. At the end of the palate, there's a spiced heat from jalapenos.
Finish: Medium-long, especially with ashy peat smoke lingering. There are some mild savory notes, but the strongest flavors (other than peat) are citrus fruits: oranges, lemon candies, watery lemonade, and then a hint of nectarine or peach on the back end.
Final Note: Perfect entry to the brand, but not a perfect whisky - it's raw, bright, spirit-driven, but has had enough maturation time to develop solid fruit notes. Oak influence isn't particularly strong in the tasting notes, and we enjoyed that spicy jalapeno flavor on the palate. This is a good whisky, and while $65 or so isn't cheap for NAS whisky, it's on par with the pricing scheme that most other new distilleries are using - value is decent, then.
Our Average Rating: 7.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.94
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