I looked through my social media for last year and noticed that quite a few of the bottles I tried during 2023 had green labelling. The colour unintentionally caught my eye, probably due to our move to the green island of Mauritius. Whatever the reason, it was a great excuse to start 2024 on a green note with the GlenDronach 15 yo Revival single malt Scotch whisky.
Category: Single Malt whisky Page 1 of 43
My 4th peated dram for this year; the Kilchoman Machir Bay Islay single malt Scotch whisky. The pretty blue of the label matches the blue Indian ocean here on the island of Mauritius.
Kilchoman is Scotland’s most westerly distillery and gets its water from a spring on Cnoc Dubh, just above the farm. Kilchoman was the first new distillery built on Islay in over 124 years. Anthony Wills, a former wine industry professional, founded the Kilchoman Distillery in 2005 at the Rochside farm.
Anthony’s idea was to establish a small-scale, traditional distillery with a farm-to-bottle focus. The barley is grown and malted at the distillery, and maturations and bottling occur onsite.
Most of the spirit is matured in ex-bourbon casks from Buffalo Trace in Kentucky, and the remaining spirit is matured in Oloroso sherry butts.
Kilchoman launched the Machir Bay single malt release in 2012 as the Kilchoman signature plated single malt, and it is named after the spectacular 2 km long beach on the west coast of Islay. Other releases in the core range include the Sanaig, Loch Gorm and the 100% Islay Edition.
Machir Bay is peated to 50 ppm. It is not chill-filtrated and has no added colour. It has no age statement.
Also Read: Michel Couvreur Peaty Whisky
Kilchoman Machir Bay Whisky Review
ABV: 46%
REGION: Islay
COLOUR: Golden hay
NOSE: Soft peat with hints of ash, citrus notes and freshly baked vanilla sugar cookies. Something fruity and floral in the background with a lovely sugar sweetness. The sweetness reminds me of a madeleine dusted with icing sugar, warm from the oven.
PALATE: Ash and Islay peat with a burst of fruit and creamy vanilla. Bits of peach and pear with malt and cloves. Salted caramel and chocolate biscuits with a floral note. A few drops of water are perfect for toning down the slight alcohol burn and bring a chocolatey sweetness to the front. Hints of heather and honey. Elegant and well-balanced.
FINISH: Medium length with drying ash, peat, lemon pepper and fruit.
RATING: EXCELLENT
The Machir Bay is a lovely dram, subtle and well-balanced. The perfect peated whisky for here on the island. I prefer peated whisky in winter, but this release with the malt and vanilla notes worked wonderfully for our afternoon on the patio.
Peated enough to ensure the peat heads were happy but light enough to enjoy in our warm and humid climate. I need to pick up more from this distillery when we travel. In South Africa, Kilchoman Machir Bay whisky retails for around R940, and WhiskyShop has a few left.
Also Read: Scottish Cousin Whisky
Today, I’m diving into the Aultmore 18 year old Foggie Moss single malt Scotch whisky, and what immediately captures my attention is the enchanting name of their single malt collection: Foggy Moss. Just mentioning it conjures a vivid image – a hauntingly beautiful scene of fog weaving through the corridors of a moss-draped, long-forgotten castle nestled on the misty moors.
I have not had a glass of Balvenie in ages. The last time I had any Balvenie in my glass was when we did the Balvenie Golden Cask vs Caribbean Cask comparison, and the bottles were empty after that tasting. I looked at my whisky collection for something new to drink and saw the Balvenie 17 year old DoubleWood single malt Scotch whisky, so I grabbed it and am glad I did.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Belgian Owl Evolution whisky I tasted as part of a tasting pack. Evolution was John’s favourite of all five samples. My favourite was the Belgian Owl Passion single malt whisky.
You can read more about Belgian Owl in my previous blog post. I also captured my notes on Identity a couple of years ago. Today I want to look at Etienne Bouillon’s sustainable farming philosophy behind Belgian Owl. Etienne is passionate about Belgium and the soil and spent time with Jim McEwan at Bruichladdich distillery.
The focus is very much on the terroir; 2-eared spring barley is grown in the region around Hesbaye. Nature is left to take its course around the fields where the barley is grown. Water for the distillery comes straight from a 38 m deep well right next to the distillery.
There are two stills from the Caperdonich distillery installed at the distillery. Care is shown not only in the growing and distilling process but also in the choice of casks. Belgian Owl whisky is non-chill-filtered and without artificial colouring. Over the years, the care and attention to quality have been recognised with many awards.
The Belgian Owl Passion is an unseated single cask edition, and each bottling series is unique. Passion was aged for between 36 – 60 months in American white oak.
Belgian Owl Passion Whisky Review
COUNTRY: Belgium
ABV: 46%
COLOUR: Bright gold
NOSE: Creamy condensed milk, baked pear drizzled with honey, oak with faint citrus hints. Warming and inviting.
PALATE: Banana and tropical fruit, bits of grilled pineapple, hints of wood and vanilla with shortbread creaminess. Big and bold with soft pepper and citrus. I finished my first glass without water. Just delicious and drinkable.
FINISH: Medium length with a creamy sweetness and black pepper.
RATING: EXCELLENT
Just like the Identity, Passion has that distinctive Belgian Owl fruity sweetness balanced with soft spices that are the defining characteristic of this Belgian distillery. This sweeter dram suited my sweet palate very well.
Now I need to capture my tasting notes for the Belgian Owl Intense release. I also saw the new bottling from this distillery. They are gorgeous! I want to buy and finish a bottle just to have the beautiful bottle!
Sample disclosure: I received this whisky from the SA Belgian Owl team. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts about the whisky.
Also Read: Bain’s 15 yo Whisky