ABV: 46 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and peaty. At first there’s a big dollop of an ash and dry soil peatiness. When it settles a sweet honey and vanilla layer starts to fight for attention and pushes the peatiness out towards the edges. Underneath the big flavours a fresh and sour fruitiness peeks through. It’s lemon and a hint of sour apples. It feels young and lively but it doesn’t present any metallic or ethanol harshness. This is a simple yet effective nose with a high emphasis on the peat.

Mouth: It starts out with a sweet outside layer together with a quite medicinal and dry iodine note with a sprinkle of salt somewhere within. After a few seconds vanilla arrives in the center and with time it evolves more towards a butterscotch note. It’s a lot less sweet compared to the nose. The ashy side of the peat is residing in the back together with a savory note. The sour fruitiness is still found in the back but it comes through together with a small metallic note and a zesty bitterness. For those who wait a nice chili spicyness builds up over time.

Finish: The finish is a straight line continuation from the mouth. There’s still the dry medicinal notes on the edges, a savory peat in the back together with a zesty bitter lemon. The chili spicyness is nice and spreads out over the palate but never gets spiky or unpleasant. The butterscotch notes are first to disappear and soon it’s only the medicinal peat and a quite anonymous and boring oakiness left. This is a good whisky in many ways but it feels a bit unfinished and young which is good for the peatiness but bad for the rest of the dram.

Additional information
The Machir Bay is the Kilchoman core range signature malt. It’s a vatting between ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry . It leans heavily towards the ex-bourbon. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.