What to do for the first post of 2025? Starting a new topic would be appropriate, but I needed a bit of a bridge between the past year and the new beginning. So before starting with the next whisky topic I plan to explore, Cask Strength whisky, I will look at the “first” of the new distilleries born after 2000. I know, I mentioned my Ardnamurchan core range post would be the last in the series on new malts. And you could argue which one, between Daftmill and Kilchoman, actually was the first new distillery opened after 2000, since both started production in December 2005. Kilchoman apparently won by just a few days, and so today, I am sharing two Kilchoman reviews of the Machir Bay and the Sanaig, the two cornerstones of this distillery’s core range.
The first of 50 and more…
If you look at the list of operating distilleries today in Scotland, the number of those that started operating after 2000, or better, 2005, is quite incredible. The distilleries opened in the ’90s, ’70s, and ’60s can be counted on the fingers of one hand for each decade. And yet, in the past 20 years, we have seen over 50 new distilleries starting production according to Ingvar Ronde’s Malt Whisky Yearbook.
Kilchoman started as a farmhouse distillery. While it still malts about 20% of its own barley, used, among others, to produce its annual 100% Islay release, most of the barley is now outsourced. And production has grown significantly, with another expansion expected for this year to bring capacity to close to 1 million lpa. There are rumours of investments to increase barley malting production to cope with DIageo’s decision to cease the sale of Port Ellen malted barley to distilleries outside the group, so maybe the “farm to bottle” philosophy might become once more prominent in the future.
Today, the distillery’s product line consists of three core releases: the Machir Bay and Sanaig, the focus of my reviews today, and a Batch Strength, introduced by Kilchoman in 2024, which I’ll review soon. Besides the core lineup, there are two regular yearly releases, the 100% Islay and Loch Gorm, plus several special releases, from single casks to special cask finishes.
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Specs
Price paid: €39.79
Bottled date: 4/7/2022
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: yes
Non-chill filtered: yes
Casks Used: 90% ex-Bourbon, 10% ex-Sherry
Tasting Notes
Colour: Like a pale white wine.
Nose: The first sniff gives clean and coastal vibes. Upfront, there is a lot of vanilla and coastal peat, with just a slight medicinal touch. And then some complexity develops: costal notes, a touch of flowers (lilac maybe), a drop of lemon and ash, ripe pears and some white pepper spice. It closes with a hint of the sherry influence, with just a hint of cocoa powder.
Taste and finish: The mouthfeel is slightly thin. Peaty, costal and slightly medicinal, with some golden syrup, cooked pears, malt, and a touch of liquorice. It’s not terribly complex but enjoyable in a simple way.
The medium-long finish is more maritime than peaty, slightly mineral and fruity.
Score*: 6, good stuff.
Sometimes, simple just hits the spot. The Machir Bay might not win any prizes for complexity or sophistication, but it is such an enjoyable dram. The nose is lovely in its fresh maritime peat character. Sure, the palate is a bit plainer, but I am not complaining. In a world of distilleries using cask finishes to generate interest and excitement, I love what Kilchoman is doing with this whisky. And I am not considering the price in my score. Considering this can easily be found around the 40-45€ mark (at the time of writing), it might very well be one of the best quality/price ratios for entry-level Islay single malts.
*Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Kilchoman Sanaig
Specs
Price paid: € 45.79
Bottled date: 24/1/2023
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: yes
Non-chill filtered: yes
Casks Used: 30% ex-Bourbon, 70% ex-Sherry
Tasting Notes
Colour: Light amber
Nose: Less spirit forward than the Machir Bay, but significantly richer. Spicy, peaty and rich with dried fruit. The peat is coastal and mixed with the sherry notes; it gives a light, sweet BBQ sauce vibe. The fruitiness comes in the guise of dried currants and cranberries. A rich background of spices, cinnamon, ginger and white pepper is like the bass track lifting the whole composition. There is a slight citrusy candied orange note and even a waft of bourbon cask notes in the shape of ripe pear and vanilla.
Taste and finish: Medium mouthfeel. A big hit of sooty peat, and fudge upfront. Then malted barley, plums, ginger and cinnamon and some orange peel oil.
The finish is medium long with woodsmoke and BBQ sauce, caramel, sea salt, cinnamon and a slightly chalky aftertaste.
Score*: 7, very good stuff
Sherry and peat is a well-tested combination. Kilchoman certainly isn’t the first distillery leaning on this style, nor will it be the last one. As long as these two main elements maintain some balance, it is hard to end up with a disappointing dram. Although it can happen. I have a bottle where the excessively sulphury Sherry influence masks everything else. But that is a story for another time. And it is not the case with Sanaig. The peat, red fruit, nutty and spicy notes are like a happy tune playing on both the nose and palate. As with Machir Bay, simple and direct is the name of the game. Unlike Machir Bay, the result is fuller and richer. Would I be saying the same if I were reviewing both in summer rather than winter? Maybe, but I suspect not.
*Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of the Kilchoman Machir Bay and Sanaig I enjoyed:
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Kilchoman Sanaig
The whisky bothy (i.e. Ralfy.com)
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